SMITH’S A England on top but guess who is standing in their way again?
ENGLAND had a second brainstorming session overnight in an effort to come up with a plan to dislodge Steve Smith.
Chris Woakes admitted the team held an initial meeting in their pre-Ashes camp at St George’s Park to go through all the Australian batsmen’s weaknesses.
But with Smith appearing to stand between them and a decisive win in the first Test, he admitted they would be revisiting the subject at the team hotel last night.
“We had a camp at St George’s Park which everyone knew about,” said Woakes.
“We had two days there where we went over quite a few things on the Australian players, a team analysis session.
“Some of these players we’ve played against for years, so you constantly have plans in your head already and you bring them to the table as a team and discuss them.
“It’s kind of a brainstorm, I guess. “Smith is obviously a world-class player and we’ve got to find a way to get him out.
“I think on this surface in particular it’s hard to force the issue as a bowler. The pace has gone out of the pitch so you almost have to build pressure and find ways to build pressure.
“But Steve doesn’t make too many mistakes so we’ve got to find a way. We’ll obviously look at a few plans overnight.”
Not for the first time in an Ashes series, and almost certainly not for the last time this summer, the twitching, bewitching figure of Smith frustrated England.
At the close last night, when bad light brought a halt to an enthralling day, the former captain was unbeaten on 46 with the fate of the first Test seemingly in his hands.
Of the two dressing rooms England’s may perhaps have been marginally the more optimistic – a first innings total of 374 all out had given them a lead of 90 and in re p ly Australia had lost three wickets in establishing a lead of 34 runs.
Yet if history has taught them anything you should never be too optimistic you have this lot beaten until you have seen the back of Smith.
He arrived at 27-2 when Cameron Bancroft’s second unconvincing stay at the crease in this match came to an end.
Stuart Broad had started the ball rolling promisingly when getting David Warner in a tangle, failing to get his bat out of the way of a rising delivery close to his body for the paceman’s 250th Test wicket.
But Smith clipped and tormented and found the gaps almost without a scare – although Ben Stokes managed to hit him on the helmet with a bouncer. It was his only moment of discomfort.
In company with Usman Khawaja the pair had got within 15 of parity when the return of Stokes induced an inside edge from Khawaja which Jonny Bairstow pouched.
England had started the day on 267-4, just 17 runs short of Australia’s firstinnings total, yet Stokes started the retreat, driving loosely at Pat Cummins and edging behind to Tim Paine. On a pitch offering increasing encouragement to spin, Nathan Lyon needed no further invitation and promptly removed Rory Burns and Moeen Ali in one over to leave England 300-7. Burns rightly faces no recriminations after a maiden century had done so much to lift the score.
But Moeen is looking bereft of confidence after shouldering arms and allowing Lyon’s delivery through on to his off-stump for a fourth duck in his last eight Test innings.
Woakes added 65 in partnership with Broad until Australia belatedly settled on the rather obvious tactic of giving the latter a diet of short- pitched bowling.
It was a plan which worked and England might take heart, even if a night to try and figure out one for Smith might not be enough.