Playing England feels like Christmas every day, says Steve Smith
Steve Smith claimed playing against England was like Christmas every day after his second century of the first Test left Joe Root’s side needing to bat through day five to prevent Australia from claiming a 1-0 Ashes lead.
Smith ground England’s Jimmy Anderson-deprived attack into the dust on day four. In following his first-innings 144 with a masterful 142 from 207 balls in the second, the right-hander became the first Australian since Steve Waugh at Old Trafford in 1997 to score two centuries in the same Test on English soil.
That near-indomitable effort, allied with a century for the returning Matt Wade, allowed Tim Paine to declare Australia’s second innings on 487 for seven and set England an improbable 398 to win.
Rory Burns and Jason Roy survived seven overs with the new ball late on and will now resume this morning needing a strong start on a pitch that has slowed down for the seamers but offers Nathan Lyon significant rough.
Smith, speaking after the close and still basking in his 25th century as his first Test back after a year’s suspension continues to unfold like a dream, said: “I love Test cricket and I love playing against England. I’ve loved these last four days. It’s felt like Christmas morning every morning.
“I have never doubted my ability but it has been a dream comeback in a way. To score two hundreds in the first Ashes … well, I have never done it in any form of cricket. It’s incredibly special and also special to put us into the position we are in.”
England have never batted through a final day to save a Test during the Trevor Bayliss era, with the 2009 Ashes opener in Cardiff the last time they have done so at home. On that occasion the final pair of Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar survived 11.3 overs in 40 tense minutes at the end to deny Ricky Ponting’s side a 1-0 lead in the series.
Graham Thorpe, the England batting coach, outlined the challenge ahead but insisted that blocking alone would not suffice. Instead he called on his charges to build positive partnerships for their rearguard attempt.
“Fundamentally it’s a case of not looking too far ahead,” Thorpe said. “It’s how the individual wants to go about it, how he sees the situation in front of him. Have a positive mindset, look to score runs and that builds confidence.
“Whatever happens, we hope the team can show character and skill. We are going to need a lot of that because we know it will be a challenge. It is a fifth-day pitch and they have a very good spinner in their attack. We have to have the belief we can do it throughout the course of the day.”
Asked whether England could somehow tap their never-say-die performance during their victory against New Zealand in the World Cup final at Lord’s last month, Thorpe replied: “Certainly in our dressing room that is the type of conversations we have. A lot of the guys gained a lot of confidence from that. It is a different form of the game but the belief they have when confronted with different situations is there.”
While Wade’s 110 in his first Test after a near two-year absence was fine reward for dominating at domestic level, there is little doubting the story of the match. Smith has twice driven England’s attack to distraction and laid down a significant marker for the remainder of the series.
Though banned from a formal leadership role for his part of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal last year, the 30-year-old has still been playing an active role in Paine’s on-field tactics. That has prompted talk of a return to the top job in future but Smith looked to play down such thoughts.
“It’s certainly not on my radar at the moment,” Smith said. “Of course I’m experienced now and able to help in any way that I can. [Paine] knows I’m there to help him. If I see something I’ll always go to him for the betterment of
the team.”
If Smith’s glowing form is a concern for England, then so too is Anderson, who was finally ruled out of bowling before the fourth day because of the calf muscle he reinjured on day one.
The 37-year-old will likely be ruled out of the Lord’s Test and, asked whether England now regretted allowing him to play after a month without cricket, Thorpe replied: “A guy who has played as many Test as he has, we have to trust his view. I trusted his decision. It is unfortunate but I have no doubt Jimmy in his own head thought he was 100% fit.”