England weeping

whole personality is built around not allowing that opportunity.

Give him a cause, or a mission (12 months out of the game, in disgrace), and you only stoke his fires further. Taking international cricket away from Smith is like depriving fish of water. His return could have turned out one of two ways. England might have found themselves bowling at a haunted, broken man, hounded by mobs and beset by shame. Doubt must have stalked him. Yet somewhere on this tour he discovered he was still the remorseless scorer he used to be, with an added dash of redemption or rebirth.

From this arises a fearsome challenge for England, who lost James Anderson after four overs and are unlikely to be able to call

GETTY IMAGES Steve Smith reacts after scoring his second century of the first Ashes test against England at Edgbaston. Inset, Smith takes in the moment with batting colleague Matthew Wade.