Elliott Smith: On 'disappointing' weekend cricket, and where Liam Lawson's contract stands

Devin Conway has gone from developing into one of the best players in the world, to looking completely shot of confidence, Elliott Smith says. 

Liam Lawson's contract has come to an end, has he done enough to secure his place? 

Elliott Smith joins Early Edition to discuss. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Elliott Smith, how are you. I'm good, Andrew So two
men with a lot of challenges in front of them.
The first I'm going to talk about Tom Blundell because
of course, if you remember last week, everyone's going, you know,
he's catching the ball, but he ain't hitting the ball,
and he turns around and he's the only one who
got a century.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Well, he is the only one that got the century.
I mean, how much do you take out of it
though it was a game that was already lost. I
suppose you've got to get the runs at some point,
but there wasn't a lot of pressure. Necessarily, the chasing
were chasing five hundred and sixty seven to win the
match and the game was gone, so there wasn't really
a lot of pressure. I mean, perhaps internally felt a
bit of pressure to retain this place in the team.

(00:36):
But you know, I suppose you've got to get the
runs when they're on off it and you had suedesced
that would save his spot for the Third Test against England.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
I know what about Devin Conway though, I mean, well,
I think, please, it's been a bad year.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
I feel sorry for him a little bit because he
just looks out of him. He just you know, he
was so magnificent when he came in. He got runs
for fun. At a certain point, he got two hundred
against England over in England, and he was developing one
of the best openers in the world at a certain
point in time. But now I just can't buy a run.
Looks completely shot of confidence. And this player that you know,

(01:08):
we were so excited to have a couple of years ago.
I think it would be cruel to put them in
the team for Hamich and I think they should make
a change, put Will Young or someone else in the
top because really, you know, and there's so little test
cricket next year for the Black camps. He's got four scheduled,
it'll probably end up being seven in the end. But
I think it is time to look at other options.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
You know this, you can't paper over cracks with one
hundred from Blunder papers over that crack and allows them
to continue combat at the top. I think there's time
for some serious change at the top of the black
Caps order.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Okay, yeah, I was so looking forward to the series.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
I'm so that three nil whitewash in India, which did
really come out of nowhere because the black Cap said,
to be honest, been on a downwards travictory for a
couple of years. That that peak, massive peak out of nowhere.
To go on an Indie your win three nil, but
then to come back to New Zealand your own conditions
and just be completely outplayed by England comprehensively, you know,
the test inside over inside three days. Real disappointments.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
He bad for cricket tragics as well because he watched
the New Zealand Test and then immediately after this the
day night at Adelaide, and then I watched that last
night and watched India fail. So maybe we went so good.
India is just really bad at the moment.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
But they just went out and beat Australia that the
previous week as well, and we're won up in the
series and smoked them. So I know.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Another fellow fighting for his position is Liam Lawson. Did
he do enough at other duty?

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, I didn't finish, so I don't think it's a
good start. Necessarily had some ped issues early on, engine
put it out on the final lap of the race
as well, was probably going to finish about sixteenth in
the end. This is going to be fascinating decision. It's
going to come to a head in the coming days,
in the next forty eight seventy two hours, we're going
to know where Lean Lawson sits because that's the end
of his current deal contract with his team, and there's

(02:46):
all sorts of machinations around where he fits in next year.
Hasn't set the world on fire necessarily, but they've often
viewed him as a long term project at that team,
haven't they.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Well, they've been with him for a very long time,
yet a lot of money. They want someone to support
Max Forstappen. They need someone who can actually, you know,
walk the walk, and he can walk it. I mean
he drives with his elbows out. He doesn't take a
backward step. Ferlando Alonso right at the very beginning, gave
him a bit of addressing down. He dressed him right back.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
You know. It's right.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
So he's got the attitude, and he's got the ability,
and he is young, and they've spent the money, and
I think perhaps believing that that Colo Pinto might come
in has been has been or somebody else has been premature.
I think I think he's got it.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, yeah, it depends how much they stock they put
in those that pack of sex races that he's done
now or whether it's that long term project. Now, we've
seen enough from you over the last four or five
years in our system to go now, you're our guy
for twenty twenty five, not on the basis of what
he's done, you know, this morning in Abu Dhabi, last week,
et cetera, et cetera. I think that long term project
probably hands him in better steed than some of the
other competing drivers.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Look for this stuff, Elliott. Lovely to see you early
in the morning of Mary Christs to you as well.
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
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