Australian veteran Steve Smith has returned for the fourth Test at the MCG after recovering from his internal ear condition. Soon after his return, Smith started mocking English fast bowler Joffra Archer and expressed his dissatisfaction over not facing him in the Boxing Day Test.
Australia won the Ashes series in Adelaide, and captain Pat Cummins, as he had promised, will not be part of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Instead, stand-in captain Steve Smith returned to the team following a groin complication that had kept him out of the Adelaide Test.
Under Smith’s leadership, Australia won the first two matches of the Ashes series in Perth and Brisbane. The experienced batsman will now be eyeing to get back to his peak form in the longest format of the game, as he had retired from ODIs to focus on this format.
Steve Smith made fun of Jofra Archer
There was a nasty clash between Jofra Archer and Steve Smith in the last moments of the Gabba Test. Both players, mainly Smith, looked fired up, and they hit a four and a six off Archer to complete Australia’s target of 22* off 9 balls.
Smith did not play in the Adelaide Test when Archer produced his best performance and took five wickets in the first innings. Coming back, Steve Smith is disappointed that he will not face Archer at the MCG and SCG as the fast bowler has been ruled out due to a side strain.
Although he claimed that Archer had bowled well last week, he also said that England’s fast bowlers have never managed to get him out in red-ball cricket. “Yeah, I still haven’t been out,” Smith said as quoted by Code Sports, showcasing his unblemished record against the English paceman.
“It’s a shame he’ll miss the next few games, but I still think he’s got some good seamers who can do some damage,” Smith said.
Steve Smith eyes 2027 Ashes; Retirement plans are not on board
Australia’s Test legend, who has scored more than 10,000 runs in red-ball international cricket, has grown old now and is more than 36 years old; However, looking at Smith’s fitness, his alertness and his batting form, the Australian has shown no signs of retirement.
Speaking ahead of Christmas, Steve Smith made clear his intentions to prolong his Test career as the veteran eyes the next Ashes in 2026-27. Smith has two World Cup titles and one T20 World Cup title under his belt and will be eyeing his second ICC WTC title in 2027, given that Australia continues its excellent form in this WTC cycle.
Steve Smith ‘feels’ for Ben Stokes’ England, justifies his holidays in Noosa
The acting Australian captain has done the unthinkable by expressing sympathy for the England team. Smith said he felt for the English team, as they are in a country where anyone can go out and have fun, and with fairly large breaks between games, some time away from the game is necessary to maintain team fluidity.
He said, “Sometimes I think you just get so far – and I’ve heard some comments too – but you have to step away from the game and try to get it out of your mind and get a bit of rest too.”
Smith simply revealed that he is okay with the team taking some breaks, and has no right to comment on anything else. “I definitely believe that when you lose two Test matches, and you’ve got such a long break, sometimes you need to step away from the game and switch completely,” Smith concluded.
Also read: Steve Smith out? Australia captain issues official update on availability of Boxing Day Test in Ashes
