Steve Smith’s former team-mate says he was ‘one of many’ who advised him to concentrate on his bowling

When Steve Smith first broke into the Australian Test team as a leg spinner and lower-order batsman, there was little to indicate he would become a run-pillaging record breaker with the bat.

As he notched 81 runs to follow his first-innings century at the SCG against India, his former teammate Stuart Clark revealed in commentary for ABC Sport that even in junior cricket, nothing particularly special stood out about Smith.

Clark and Smith both played for Sutherland District Cricket Club, where the former international seamer said he gave the youngster some advice as he was coming through.

“I knew Steven when he was a 14 to 15-year-old kid, and I was one of the ones that said: ‘Look, if you concentrate on your leg spin … ‘

“I was one of…