Popular with the Lord's locals? Oh no he isn't...but is panto villain Smith a top player? Oh yes he is!

WHEN Steve Smith walked to the crease early on Wednesday afternoon, he was jeered by some of the Lord's patrons.

- ANDY DUNN

To be fair, getting some stick from a typical Home of Cricket crowd brings to mind the old line from Labour chancellor Denis Healey when asked about a verbal attack by Geoffrey Howe, his opposite number on the Conservative benches.

"Like being savaged by a dead sheep, deadpanned Denis.

Lord's is many things, but a bear pit, it ain't.

Still, the barracking seemed a bit harsh considering the last time Smith played in an Ashes Test here, he was knocked out by a 95mph rock from Jofra Archer after being peppered by the England quick bowler for most of the day.

That Smith had got to 80 when he was flattened by Archer's express bouncer says a lot about Australia's former captain as does the fact he returned from a concussion absence to score a double hundred in his next appearance in that series.

In the Ashes series of 2015, he also scored a double hundred at Lord's.

Whatever you think of Smith and a career studded by controversy, he has got some heart.