Playing in Australia a big challenge for English batters: Smith

Blitz Bureau

NEW DELHI: Leading Australian batsman Steve Smith has warned that England’s batters face a stern test in this year’s Ashes, with challenging conditions in the country and a seasoned Aussie bowling attack set to pose tough questions to them. The five-Test Ashes series starts in Perth on November 21 and England, with their ultra-attacking Bazball approach, have been primed to do well in Australia. England’s recent Test assignment saw them settle for a 2-2 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series draw against India at home.

“I’ve watched a lot of the series against India and I think it was one of the best Test series I’ve seen for a long time. The cricket that was played by both teams was outstanding. So, I think England have a good side at the moment. They’re obviously playing a really aggressive brand of cricket, and I think coming down to Australia, particularly for their batters, it’s going to be a big challenge. “I think the wickets in the last three or four years have been really tricky. We’ve obviously got a very experienced bowling lineup with guys that have played for a long period of time and been extremely successful.” Steve Smith said.

“I think it’s going to be a great series. I know that last Ashes was during covid-19 and the Barmy Army and stuff couldn’t come down. So the atmosphere is going to be entirely different. We love playing in front of big crowds and hostile crowds on both sides. So it’s going to be good fun,” said Smith while speaking to Sky Sports’, on the sidelines of turning out for Welsh Fire in The Hundred.

In England’s batting department, Joe Root has been widely considered pivotal to the side’s chances of regaining the Ashes, though he’s yet to score a Test century in Australia. Root has 13,543 Test runs and is just 2,378 runs away from top-ranked Sachin Tendulkar. Smith praised Root’s ability to convert fifties into big hundreds over the past two years.

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