Ahead of the Ashes 2025–26, former England pacer Stuart Broad made a startling statement regarding Steve Smith, acknowledging that the legendary Australian is still a mystery to him. Broad said he still doesn’t really know how to get Smith out, even after dismissing him a career-high 11 times in Test cricket.
Stuart cautioned that if England doesn’t get rid of Smith right away, the series might swiftly go Australia’s way. He said that maintaining Smith’s average well below his typical lofty standards is crucial to England’s chances of winning the Ashes again.
Broad acknowledged that despite bowling to him in 32 games, he was never able to pinpoint a specific flaw in Smith’s style.
He pointed out that Smith’s incessant technical development is exactly what makes him so hard to get rid of since it keeps bowlers from focussing on a single weakness for very long. Stuart praised Smith’s exceptional ability to score runs off even excellent deliveries and underlined that the hitter’s biggest strength is the lack of a clear weakness.
“I can’t sit here and say, ‘Well, this is how you get him out,’ even if [Smith’s] technique has obviously altered throughout. It’s really challenging to bowl at him. On the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Stuart stated, “There are times when you don’t feel like you’ve bowled a bad ball and it still goes for four.”
He brought up the agonising recollection of Smith smashing a huge 239 in Perth during the 2017–18 Ashes. Broad called the innings discouraging, pointing out that Smith’s unwavering consistency made every strategy, variety, and pitch change look pointless. Broad came to the conclusion that Smith’s remarkable mental toughness, in addition to his unconventional approach, is what makes him unique.
“I recall that for three days, I did not miss the middle of his bat after he hit this huge two hundred [239 in Perth in 2017].” I attempted to bowl, but each ball simply struck the middle of his bat. “Well, this pitch fits me, and I’m not leaving,” Broad stated of his mentality.
In order to restrict Smith’s influence in the forthcoming Ashes, Broad gave England a precise standard. Smith’s lifetime average of 56.02 rises to an even more formidable 59.70 at home, he pointed out. Broad emphasised that England’s chances of winning the Ashes again will quickly dwindle unless they can keep Smith to a much lower average throughout the series.
“We need to keep him [his average] below 50 in order to win the series, don’t we? Because that’s what he does, he will score a hundred. You’re doing fantastically if he averages 40, which is at least 15 below his lifetime average. You need to get him early, in my opinion. It will be a lengthy series if England aren’t celebrating in his first 40 runs, Broad predicted.
Broad speculated that Jofra Archer might be England’s best chance of unseating Smith early in the series opener in Perth. He also described his ideal dismissal procedure. Smith skilfully foiled England’s 2019 tactical plan to compel catches at leg gully, which Broad recalled. Smith went on to make two hundreds and play an incredible, game-changing innings.
“Just chasing him, nicking him off the back of a length. Can Jofra Archer get one away with the angle of nibbling back towards the stumps? Broad came to the conclusion that Smith was searching for the nip-backer.
India
