After their previous encounter in Brisbane, Australian stand-in captain Steven Smith minimised his on-field altercation with England pacer Jofra Archer, calling it nothing more than light-hearted banter. Australia won by eight wickets at the Gabba thanks to Smith’s unbeaten 23 off just nine balls. The two got into a furious argument that was captured on the stump microphone.
Archer dominated Australia’s pursuit with just 65 runs to defend, regularly reaching speeds of about 150 kph in what turned out to be the quickest span of the game. Next, he hit the boundary with the next two deliveries, first top-edging a hook over wicketkeeper Jamie Smith for four and then hitting a clean swivel-pull over deep fine leg for six.
Smith mistimed an uppercut after using his extensive skill to pull the first ball for four.
“What is my past relationship with him? In his post-match remarks, Smith stated, “He was just bowling [at] a good pace, and [I’m] not really sure what he said, and I’m not sure what I said either. It’s not really any of your business either, so we’ll leave it out there.”
“Adrenaline was rushing into that end. Jof was bowling quite fast, and we obviously didn’t need many to win. I decided to attempt getting up and under a couple and placing a few in the stands because I had a short boundary behind me. Luckily, it struck the middle of the bat a few times. Of course, that was a great victory. Going two-nil up is a terrific idea. The team has had an amazing few weeks. We’ve played some amazing cricket, I believe. We have recognised and capitalised on certain points in the game. It’s been enjoyable,” he continued.
For Archer, who took just one wicket in 30 overs, it was a difficult Test encounter with the ball. Simple catches made off his bowling, first by Jamie and then by Brydon Carse, added to his unfortunate performance. The obvious decline in speed he demonstrated during Australia’s first innings contrasted sharply with his lightning-fast burst of acceleration on the twilight of the fourth day.
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