Smith’s masterful ton has England on backfoot
BRISBANE: Steve Smith produced a defiant unconquered century and Josh Hazlewood claimed two wickets to leave England reeling as Australia cracked open the First Ashes Test at the Gabba yesterday.
The Australian skipper played one of his greatest Test knocks with an unbeaten 141, forged over eight and a half hours, to deliver his team a 26-run lead over the tourists on the third day.
Paceman Hazlewood compounded the tourists’ woes with the wickets of Alastair Cook (7) and James Vince (2) in his opening two overs before a nasty Mitchell Starc lifter thundered into Joe Root’s helmet grille late in the day.
At the close with two days left, England were hanging on in a torrid ending to the day at 33 for two, leading by just seven runs with Root, on five, and Mark Stoneman, on 19, at the crease.
England captain Root did everything to remove the obdurate Smith with ‘Bodyline’-style field placings, but the world’s top-rated batsman laid waste to the tourists’ well-laid plans to give the Australians the advantage at the Gabba, where they haven’t lost a Test since 1988.
“I think we’re in a reasonable spot being around 30 in front — we didn’t look like we were going to get there for a while,” Smith said.
“It just meant a lot. Ashes series are always huge. As a captain, I want to lead from the front as much as I can with my performance and the way I bat.
“All of it came out when I got to 100.”
Paceman Stuart Broad said England will get their chance in today’s fourth day.
“The previous three days mean nothing if we don’t get it right tomorrow. It’s in our hands,” he said.
“If someone goes and plays a Steve Smith-type knock (that) gets the bowlers into their third and fourth spells tomorrow we’re in the driving seat.”
The tourists view the Australian captain as their number one target in the series, and Smith showed just what a hugely influential player he is, escaping the shackles to claim yet another century.
Root’s field strategy for Smith was likened to Bodyline, a notorious leg theory bowling tactic devised by England on their 193233 tour of Australia, specifically to negate the dominant batting skills of Don Bradman.
The England skipper placed six fielders on the leg-side with three in the deep and had no-one in front of the bat on the off-side while his pacemen ripped in short-pitched deliveries to Smith for a time. AFP