Smith plays down Ashes boycott threat
I saw the comments. I certainly don’t think you know, of course we want to play in the Ashes, and of course we want everything to go really well there STEVE SMITH, Australia captain
NEWDELHI: Steve Smith will have to ensure his players are not distracted by the raging pay dispute with Cricket Australia as they bid to regain the ICC Champions Trophy, but said an Ashes boycott was far from his mind.
At the arrival media conference on Wednesday, Smith fielded many questions over the Ashes uncertainty caused by the dispute with CA. The Board wants to end a 20-year revenue sharing model, while the players are opposed to any change if they are to sign the MOU.
Asked to comment on vicecaptain David Warner’s comments last week hinting that this year’s Ashes series could be hit, Smith played it down.
“I saw the comments. I certainly don’t think -- you know, of course we want to play in the Ashes, and of course we want everything to go really well there. It’s just about making sure the guys finalise a deal and get the MOU sorted, and then everything will be fine.
“There’s certainly nothing from us where we don’t want to play. We certainly want to be playing in the Ashes.”
Warner had in an interview last week said: “We don’t really want to see this panning out like that where we don’t have a team, we don’t have cricket in the Australian summer… If it gets to the extreme, they might not have a team for the Ashes.”
Australia are chasing a third Champions Trophy win. England are seen as the early favourites, but Smith warned against ruling out defending champions, India. “South Africa have a world class team. India have a world class team. And a few others as well that in oneday, they can play some really good cricket too.”
Asked if he had signed up for a company set up by the players’ body to manage the players’ image rights, Smith said: “Yeah, I think everyone’s signed up to that. We’re supportive of the ACA and what they’re doing back home. They’re working really hard with CA to get a deal right, and I’m sure in time they’ll get that and everything will be okay for everyone involved.”
Smith said his players were not fatigued after the Test series in India followed by IPL – his Rising Pune Supergiant finished runners-up – but said Australia will have to find the ODI rhythm in the practice games. Bhuvi the best The IPL 2017 saw death-over bowling at its best. Smith chose Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 26 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad to emerge the highest IPL wicket-taker for the second year in a row, as the best in the business.
“Probably the pick of them throughout the IPL is Bhuvneshwar Kumar,” he said. “He did a terrific job for Hyderabad. He has done for a few years now. I’d have to say he’s probably up there with the best in the IPL.”