Steve Smith Questions England’s All-Pace Strategy for the Ashes

Steve Smith is gearing up for the first Ashes test in Perth. He is ready to lead the Aussies as stand-in captain, because Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first test. This is certainly a challenge for Smith, but he is optimistic to start the Ashes on a high note.

While speaking to the media recently, Steve Smith took aim at the English team, saying that their pace-heavy strategy for the Ashes might not work well. He said bowlers with better control over seam are more threatening on Australian pitches, which often crack up during the later stages of a test match.

England have arrived to Australia with a pace cartel that is capable to hit 145kph consistently throughout the match. This is certainly one of their key strategies in bowling, which will be spearheaded by Mark Wood and Jofra Archer in the upcoming blockbuster series.

"Those sort of nibblers can be quite tricky. So they might have got things the wrong way around, if that makes sense, in terms of the pace from previous years. But obviously they've got those guys at their disposal now. They probably weren't fit, ready or old enough a few years back." said Steve Smith.

When asked whether it’s easy to face extreme pace or seam bowling on spicy Australian pitches, Steve Smith said that he can do both, but seamers often become more difficult. This is certainly a valid claim, because for years, players like Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland have thrived on these surfaces by relying more on seam movement.

"If you can do both, that's a good skill. But sometimes the slower guys are almost harder to play on those wickets where you have to make the pace. It's going to be different. But I think we've got plenty of players that play fast bowling well, and it's going to be a good challenge." said Steve Smith.

Recently, Mitchell Starc also warned England that maintaining high pace throughout the summer might be difficult. The scorching weather of Australia does not allow players to charge in with the same pace regularly, so it could prove difficult for the England team if they rely solely on pace in the Ashes.

Steve Smith is currently in a stellar form as he recently scored 118, 57 and 56 in his three Sheffield Shield innings for New South Wales. This sends a warning to the England team that Australia’s main batter has found form at the right time, making the upcoming Ashes even more interesting to watch.

"I felt awful my first 20 runs [on Wednesday]. Lost my hands for a little bit there and then found them back after that, so that was good.” said Steve Smith.

He further said that while trying out different bats, he was experimenting with various things in his batting. Fortunately, he has now found the right bat for the upcoming matches, so things are going along nicely.

"It was more because I was changing bats, trying to figure out which one I like, to be honest. And they all felt a little bit different. I think I've settled on one, so it felt good.” said Steve Smith.

He added that playing the recent Shield matches has given him good game time, which is why he is now feeling more confident for the upcoming Ashes challenge.

"But it was nice to just be able to spend some time in the middle, get some rhythm and feel in a good place." said Steve Smith.

The Ashes is just about to start, and both teams are ready to challenge each other in this high-profile series. It would be interesting to see how Steve Smith will lead his team in the first test, as starting the series without the spearhead bowler could prove to be a challenge for the Aussies.