Australia’s Steve Smith expects England to unsettle him with ‘funky’ approach in Ashes

Under intense scrutiny on his return from a ban following a ball-tampering scandal, Smith scored 774 runs in four tests at an average of 110 as Australia retained the Ashes on English soil in 2019 with a 2-2 draw in the series.

Steve Smith of Australia speaks during a press conference during an Australia Nets Session at Edgbaston on June 14, 2023. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Steve Smith is expecting to encounter some “funky things” during the Ashes as England looks to unsettle the batter who delivered one of the all-time great performances when Australia last came over for a test series.

Under intense scrutiny on his return from a ban following a ball-tampering scandal, Smith scored 774 runs in four tests at an average of 110 as Australia retained the Ashes on English soil in 2019 with a 2-2 draw in the series.

Indeed, these are Smith’s scores in his last 10 test innings in England, including the recent win over India in the World Test Championship final: 143, 144, 142, 92, 211, 82, 80, 23, 121, 34.

Under the captaincy of Ben Stokes over the past year, England has adopted an aggressive and attacking approach — with both bat and ball — and how to tame Australia’s best batter will undoubtedly be a priority.

“I think we’ve seen over the last 12 months they will do some funky things,” Smith said of England on Wednesday, two days before the first test at Edgbaston. “They are going to have to try different things at certain times.

“For me, one of my big strengths has been adapting on the go, understanding what they are trying to do and solving the problem out there in the middle. I will just focus on my game and try to counter each thing they come at me with. We are expecting some different stuff, that’s for sure.”

In that 2019 series, Smith struck innings of 144 and 142 in the first test at Edgbaston and has described the match as “probably the favorite out of my career” because of his scores and the pressure he was under.

However, despite Smith’s relentless excellence, Australia didn’t manage to win the series and hasn’t done so in England since 2001. That’s something Smith wants to put right.

“Ashes series are what you are judged on and the big series are what you want to do well in and help your team have success,” Smith said. “Last time we came here, we got close to winning the Ashes — the next best result was drawing and we did that.

“It’s certainly something I want to tick off my bucket list in my career. I’m excited for the next couple of months.”