Steve Smith Speaks Out After First Home Ashes Test Defeat in 15 Years

The stand-in captain of Australia, Steve Smith, believes that Australia should have taken a more aggressive approach to score runs in the second innings of the MCG test. He said England played well on the second day, as their bowlers did not allow Australia to establish a solid batting foundation on the pitch.

While speaking to the media at the end of the MCG test, Steve Smith said that they could have posted extra 50 or 60 runs to make the match more competitive.

“Obviously, a very quick game. I think if we got 50 or 60 more runs across both innings, we might have been there at the end, but credit to England.” said Steve Smith at the post-match press conference.

“They came out today and fought really well this morning, didn’t let us get away.” added Steve Smith.

He then applauded the innings of Harry Brook, saying that he was the most successful batter on a tricky MCG pitch.

“I think the guy with the most success on that wicket was probably Harry Brook, running down the wicket, playing some kind of rogue shots, I suppose, and trying to get the bowlers off their lengths that way,” said Australian stand-in captain, Steve Smith.

“You know, whether we could have been a bit more proactive, potentially, and played a few more of those. That’s something we’ll talk about.” added Steve Smith.

When asked whether Australia’s hunger for victory had diminished after winning the Ashes, Smith replied firmly that his team is focused on winning every match to maintain a strong record.

“We’d love to win every game and keep every streak going. But England played really well today. We probably controlled the first half of the game, all yesterday, and then they came back into play today and took the game away from us.” concluded Steve Smith.

After losing the MCG test, Australia is looking to bounce back in the last game of the series in Sydney. It would be interesting to see what type of tactics Smith’s men will employ there, as England are now confident to repeat their heroics in the Sydney test as well.