Ashes third Test preview: Steve Smith out and more to follow in bouncer battle?
Australia coach Justin Langer is confident his players can step up at Headingley
Ashes third Test: England vs. Australia
- When: 22-26 August
- Where: Headingley, Leeds
- Start time: 11am (daily)
- TV coverage: live on Sky Sports, highlights on Channel 5
- Radio coverage: BBC Sport
- Series guide
- Australia lead the series 1-0
On the same day he moved up to second in the International Cricket Council (ICC) batting rankings, Australia’s Steve Smith was stood down from the third Ashes Test by the team’s doctors.
The concussion that he suffered at Lord’s on Saturday, when he was hit in the neck by a short ball from England paceman Jofra Archer, means that the outstanding batsman of the series will be missing from Headingley when the third Test starts tomorrow.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Australians hope he will be fit for the fourth Test, which starts on 4 September at Old Trafford in Manchester.
No-brainer
It’s the news that Australia were expecting but it doesn’t make Smith’s absence any easier to take given that his 378 runs have helped the tourists take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test rubber.
Just one win away from retaining the Ashes, the Aussies are expected to replace Smith with Marnus Labuschagne, who impressed in making 59 at Lord’s as a concussion substitute.
“It was pretty simple really, when we followed the protocols, he was probably a couple of days off being fit to be selected,” said Australia head coach Justin Langer.
“At the end of the day it was really a no-brainer, he felt a bit better [on Monday] but he is not going to have time enough to tick off everything he needs to do to be ready to play.”
Aussies are in Archer’s sights
Smith, who has scored two centuries and 92 in three innings against England this summer, is now second on the ICC list, just nine ranking points behind India’s Virat Kohli, having risen above New Zealand captain Kane Williamson in the latest update.
His quality is there for all to see, and how Australia react to his absence, particularly with Archer in such menacing form, is a question haunting Langer.
“You take your best players out it always has an impact, we have got to make sure that all the other guys, our senior players and our younger players all step up and fill what are almost unfillable shoes,” he said.
“We talked the whole time about squad mentality and being ready and when things come up like... they always do in this game… guys are ready to step up and I’m confident they will do that.”
On the comeback trail
England will point to the fact that they are without arguably their key man, Jimmy Anderson, who succumbed to a calf injury after bowling four overs in the first Test at Edgbaston.
His continued absence - The Guardian says that the swing bowler is “trying to prove his fitness by playing for Lancashire’s second XI this week” - has been offset by Archer, who poses a different threat to the Australian batsmen.
Bouncer barrage
Asked if he would meet fire with fire by subjecting England to a barrage of bouncers, Langer replied in the negative.
“We know what our plans are to beat England,” Langer told reporters. “What we’re not going to do is get caught up in an emotional battle of who’s going to bowl the quickest bouncers.
“We’re here to win the Test match, not to see how many helmets we can hit.”
That didn’t appear to be the case at a net session on Tuesday, reports the Aussie press, with the tourists’ pacemen testing out their own batsmen with a “barrage of bouncers”, one of which from Mitchell Starc struck Labuschagne on the grill of his helmet.
Starc, the most aggressive Aussie bowler, wasn’t selected for the first two Tests but it’s believed he could be brought in for Headingley in order to rough up the English batsmen.
Pressure on Warner
Whatever bowling line-up Langer selects will be strong, which can’t be said of the batting.
Smith apart, there’s been little consistency from the Australians and Langer desperately needs David Warner to come good at the top of the order having scored 18 runs in four innings to date.
“I expect [a lot] out of David every time he plays, whether Steve Smith is playing or not playing,” said Langer.
“We expect it of all our senior players. He looked really sharp in the nets today. He’ll be hungry. So don’t write off David Warner.”
Roy passes concussion test
England opening batsman Jason Roy has been cleared to play at Headingley after passing a concussion test. The 29-year-old was struck during a net session on Tuesday.
Ashes squads
England Ashes squad
- Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Chris Woakes
- Injuries: James Anderson (out of third Test); Olly Stone (out of third Test)
Australia Ashes squad
- Tim Paine (captain), Cameron Bancroft, Patrick Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner
- Injuries: Steve Smith (out of third Test)
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How to make the most of your leftover pumpkins
The Week Recommends As the Halloween fun wraps up, snap up pumpkins still on sale and don't leave your jack-o-lanterns to rot
By Tess Foley-Cox Published
-
How Harris and Trump differ on education
The Explainer Trump wants to disband the Department of Education. Harris wants to boost teacher pay.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How to minimize capital gains tax on investments
The Explainer It can take a chunk out of your profits
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Graham Thorpe obituary: 'chameleon' batsman with 100 England caps
In depth Cricketer's 'bottle in abundance' endeared him to fans
By The Week UK Published
-
The Ashes: can England mount a glorious comeback?
feature ‘Herculean’ task follows ugly scenes at controversial second test
By The Week Staff Published
-
English cricket is ‘racist, sexist and elitist’, says independent report
Speed Read Chair of governing body apologises after crushing indictment of the sport ‘at all levels’
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
England are the ‘undisputed kings’ of white-ball cricket
feature Ben Stokes scored the winning run as England beat Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final
By Mike Starling Published
-
Ben Stokes and England set up a ‘grand finale’ against South Africa
feature In an old-school Test victory at Old Trafford, England’s captain scored a century and took four crucial wickets
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Alarm bells’ for authorities: is there too much cricket being played?
Talking Point Ben Stokes quitting one-day internationals has sparked a debate over the packed schedule
By Mike Starling Published
-
‘Bazball’: England cricket’s glorious new look
Why Everyone’s Talking About A staggering turnaround has taken place under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes
By The Week Staff Published
-
England’s epic win: Test cricket that was ‘quite simply, out of this world’
Why Everyone’s Talking About Victory over New Zealand was one of the most ‘glorious and scintillating’ in England’s history
By The Week Staff Published