Steve Smith publicly humiliates Jofra Archer with brutal search

Australian veteran Steve Smith returns for the fourth Test at the MCG after recovering from his inner ear problem. Shortly after his return, Smith once again mocked England pacer Jofra Archer and expressed his immense displeasure at not being able to face him in the Boxing Day Test.

Australia won the Ashes series in Adelaide and skipper Pat Cummins, as he promised, will not be part of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Instead, Steve Smith, the stand-in skipper, returned to the side following a strange complication which kept him out of the Adelaide Test.

Under Smith’s leadership, Australia had won the first two matches of the Ashes series in Perth and Brisbane. The veteran batter may now be planning to return to his peak form in the longest format of the game as he opted out of ODIs only to focus on that format.

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Steve Smith mocks Jofra Archer

The final moments of the Gabba Test marked an ugly brawl between Jofra Archer and Steve Smith. Both players, mainly Smith, looked agitated, and he pulled and hooked Archer for a four and a six to end Australia’s run with a 9-ball 22*.

Smith missed the Adelaide Test when Archer tried his best and picked up five wickets in the first innings. Returning Steve Smith is disheartened by the fact he won’t face Archer at the MCG and SCG as the pacer has been ruled out due to a side strain.

Although he claimed that Archer played well last week, he also added that the England pacer was never able to dismiss him in red-ball cricket. “Yeah, it still didn’t get me out,” Smith displayed his unblemished record against the England leader, as cited by Code Sports.

“It’s a shame he won’t be here for the next few games, but I still think they have quality players in their lineup who can do some damage,” Smith added.

Steve Smith eyes 2027 Ashes; Retirement plans are not on the agenda

The Australian Test veteran with over 10,000 runs in international red-ball cricket is getting older and well over 36; However, given Smith’s fitness, reflexes and batting form, the Australian has shown no signs of retirement.

Speaking before Christmas, Steve Smith made clear his intention to extend his Test career as the veteran eyes the next Ashes in 2026-27. Smith has two World Cup titles and a T20 World Cup title to his name and would be aiming for his second ICC WTC title in 2027, given Australia maintain their strong form in this WTC cycle.

Steve Smith ‘feels’ Ben Stokes’ England and justifies his Noosa holiday

The Australian stand-in skipper did the unthinkable by sympathizing with the England team. Smith said he empathizes with the England team because they are in a country where you can go out and have fun, and with fairly significant breaks between matches, some time away from the game is necessary to keep the team fluid.

“Sometimes I think you just have to do it – and I’ve heard a few comments – but you have to step away from the game and try to get it out of your mind and relax a little bit too,” he said.

Smith simply revealed that he had no qualms about a team taking a few breaks, and that it was not his place to comment on anything else. “I certainly believe that when you’ve lost two Test matches and you have such a long break, sometimes you just need to step away from the game and completely switch off,” Smith concluded.

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