Australia’s temporary captain, Steve Smith, has spoken out following a tense confrontation with England’s fast bowler, Jofra Archer, during the closing stages of the match at the Gabba. Despite England needing to dismiss Australia for less than 64 runs, Smith led his team to victory by scoring the winning runs for the second consecutive Test.
Smith entered the game with Australia at 41-2 and swiftly propelled his team to success by scoring an impressive 23 runs off just nine deliveries, including two massive sixes and two fours, dominating Archer who conceded 15 runs in five deliveries.
The heated exchange between Smith and Archer occurred during an intense over at the Gabba, where Archer showed frustration after being hit to the boundary by Smith. Undeterred, Smith continued his aggressive batting, sending Archer for a six and a four in quick succession.
In the following over, Smith sealed the victory with another six, securing a commanding 2-0 lead for Australia as they head into the next Test in Adelaide.
When questioned about the on-field altercation with Archer, Smith remarked that it was all part of the competitive banter, praising Archer’s competitiveness and acknowledging the spirited contest between them.
The match highlighted England’s bowling struggles, with Archer and the rest of the bowling attack failing to perform at their best throughout the game, especially with the pink ball.
England set Australia a target of 334 runs to chase down, with notable contributions from Joe Root, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey, and Mitchell Starc, ultimately leading to Australia comfortably reaching 511 runs.
Despite a late fight from Ben Stokes and Will Jacks, England fell short as Australia bowled them out for 241, with Travis Head and Weatherald making quick work of the chase before Smith’s explosive batting display.
Looking ahead, England faces the challenge of securing a win in Adelaide to stay in the Ashes series, with the third Test scheduled to commence on December 17. Fans can catch all the action live on TNT Sports via discovery+ or Prime Video’s TNT Sports channel.