The 2023 Ashes between England and Australia will start on Friday, June 16, with the first Test at the Edgbaston Test in Birmingham. Ahead of the all-important kick-starter to the next cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC), one player will be on the minds of the English bowlers, i.e. Steve Smith.
Smith can prove to be the key cog for Australia in the become the biggest problem for England during the five-match series. This batter has an amazing record on English soil.
In the last 11 Tests that he has played in England, he has scored seven centuries. When the Ashes was last played in England in 2019, he finished as the top scorer with 774 runs to his name. In second came Ben Stokes, but the difference between the two players was a massive 333 runs. More recently, the Australian batter also hit a ton in the WTC final against India.
In 2013, Smith scored his first Test century in England in The Ashes. He has scored 1882 runs in 17 Tests (and counting) averaging an impressive 60.70. This includes seven centuries and seven half-centuries. His highest score is 215 runs. Among the countries where he has played five or more Tests, England is the only country where Smith has never been dismissed for a duck in a Test. In England, he hit one century in 2013, two in 2015 and three in 2019.
Batting like Bradman in 2019
During the 2019 Ashes series, he scored 774 runs at an average of 110.54. This includes three centuries and one score less than 80 runs. This was the best performance by an Australian batter on British soil since Don Bradman in 1930. Meanwhile, heading into this competition, Smith has once again shown his form over the last three years.
From 2021, he has averaged above 50. In 2021, he scored 430 runs in five Tests at an average of 53.76. In 2022, he scored 876 runs in 11 Tests at an average of 58.40.
No answer for Smith even in 2023
In 2023, the swashbuckling batter has played six Tests and scored 404 runs at an average of 50.50. He has hit two centuries during this period. In 2023, he has played four of six Tests in India where batters have had very difficult conditions. This shows that stopping Smith is going to be the biggest challenge for England.
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