Australia Test vice-captain Steve Smith has said that he is taking confidence from past performances against England and he is hopeful of putting on a good show in the upcoming Ashes. England and Australia will lock horns in five-match Ashes, beginning Wednesday (December 8) at the Gabba, Brisbane.
Chappell also said that Steve Smith as the vice-captain is a controversial choice. “The last couple of years I’ve obviously had a bit of success against them. Sometimes you can get in rhythms against certain bowlers and feel like you’re on top of them. But they’re also quality bowlers and I’m sure they’ll come with some good plans, but for me it’s just about adapting on the go and solving problems while I’m out there in the middle, and that’s one thing I’ve done well the last four or five years,” cricket.com.au quoted Smith as saying.
England captain Joe Root also knows the importance of keeping Smith quiet in the upcoming series. “Steve, I think is a brilliant problem solver. He works guys out, he learns how to master each condition and the different surfaces he comes up against,” said Root.”If you pose a plan to him, he finds a way to get through it,” he added.
England pacer Mark Wood said that Smith would be one of the important wickets and if England manages to keep him quiet, they can go a long way in winning the series.”Steve’s Smith obviously one of the key wickets – if not the key wicket – for us to get. We’ve got to be on it for his first 20 balls … because that’s the best chance we’ve got of getting him out,” said Wood.
