Australian batter Steve Smith has expressed that he was quite mentally drained while playing his 100th Test match. The veteran batter achieved the milestone when Australia took on England in the third Test of the 2023 Ashes at Headingley in Leeds. He welcomed the long break between the third and fourth test which will help him to get a much-needed break.
Steve Smith did not have a great outing in his landmark Test match. He scored just 2 and 22 runs in the match. Australia lost the match by 3 wickets, keeping England’s hopes alive in the series. The visitors are still leading the series 2-1, after the loss at Headingley. Speaking on The Unplayable Podcast, Steve Smith expressed that he was mentally drained while playing his 100th Test. He said,
“Honestly, I needed a break. It was quite a draining week mentally with emotions flying around at what I’d achieved. I usually don’t like to think about that kind of thing, but it was quite a big milestone individually. Was just quite mentally drained from, to begin with.”
“I certainly didn’t feel as switched on as I would have liked out in the middle. It’s been good to refresh and I feel a lot more focused mentally this week. I feel like I’ve got through some pretty tough periods; Lord’s when the lights were on, and had an impact in that game. Didn’t have as much impact in the first and third games as I’d like,” he added.
Hopefully, I can have an impact in the last two tests: Steve Smith
Steve Smith has played 20 Test matches in England, scoring 2072 runs at an average of 56.00. He has scored eight centuries there, including one in the World Test Championship Final against India earlier this year. Smith also slammed a ton against England in the second match of Ashes 2023 at Lord’s. Speaking about his performance, Steve Smith said,
“But we’ve played four Test matches here, I’ve got two hundred in four games, which is probably better than my record overall, in terms of hundreds scored and games played. Hopefully, I can have an impact in the last two.”
England will take on Australia in the fourth Test of the 2023 Ashes from Wednesday, July 19 to Sunday, July 23. The match will be held at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester.
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