Steve Smith faced the media for the first time in South Africa ahead of the one-day series between the Aussies and the Proteas, where he was asked whether he had picked up a bat since departing the tour of Sri Lanka early.

“I had a hit two days before I left,” Smith said. “I actually got my old man to feed me some balls for the first time in about eight years. It was a good thrill for him. I haven’t lost it, it was good, I felt I was hitting the ball really well.”

Smith’s father Peter was a formative influence in his son’s cricketing development. In an interview with Inside Sport a couple of years ago, the elder Smith described himself as jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type who would bowl a bit of everything to a budding prodigy. He was eventually bowling three paces in front of the crease to create the equivalent of faster pace.

“There was another little game we played in the backyard,” he said. “We used a soft ball which we’d flick out, and you could spin it both ways. Surrounding him were gardens, and any ball hit in the air into the gardens was out. There was variation, which gave you footwork, made sure you watch the ball. He got very good – I couldn’t get him out in the end.”

Such experiences helped develop the finest Test batsman in the world, according to the rankings. Steve Smith also scored a measure of paternal validation – when his current coach, Darren Lehmann, asked if his dad offered any counsel, Smith replied:  “He didn’t say a word. It was a bit different to when I was growing up.”