Steve Smith announced his return to Test cricket in emphatic fashion. His scores of 144 and 142 in the 1st Ashes Test holds Australia in a good state. With one day”s cricket left in the game, England would need to bat out of their skin to survive if not win the Test.
Is Smith calling the shots in the field?
Smith was seen having a chat with skipper Tim Paine every now and then. He also marshaled the bowling troops for a brief while. It caught people”s attention. Smith is ineligible to lead Australia at the moment. Though he has served the 12-month ban, the 30-year-old can only earn the captain”s arm-band in March next year.
Steve Smith on Australian captaincy
He played a forward defensive shot when he was asked about captaincy.”It (the Test captaincy) is certainly not on my radar at the moment,” Smith said.
Smith”s main focus now is to score as many runs as possible for his side. He said that Paine has got his support and that the experienced campaigner would help the current skipper on all grounds.
“It”s just about going out there and doing my job as a batsman and scoring runs. Of course, I”m experienced now and able to help in any way that I can. (Paine) knows I”m there to help him and give him some suggestions and things like that as much as I can. If I see something I”ll always go to him and try and help for the betterment of the team.” Smith added.
Australia in driving seat as England look to survive
Australia have set the hosts a target of 398. Both the English openers Rory Burns and Jason Roy played out the challenging seven overs towards the fag end of day 4. With 13 runs on the board, the Three Lions will have their task cut-out. They will bat against the brute force of Australian pacers. Not to mention that Nathan Lyon will play a key role as the hosts are set to face a fair dose of spin.
Check out our videos here
For more cricket based content, click hereÂ
For more fitness-based content, click here
