Steve Smith and Joe Root: The battle of Tests' most elite in The Ashes
Jun 14, 2023
New Delhi [India], June 14 : The Ashes, a prestigious bilateral cricketing battle for the iconic Ashes urn between England and Australia will start from June 16 onwards at Edgbaston, and all eyes will be on Steve Smith and Joe Root, two of the best these days in Test cricket.
The hosts will be aiming to avenge their 4-0 loss in the 2021-22 season. The hosts are also charged up by the 'Bazball' revolution brought by skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, which has seen England win 11 of their last 13 Tests and dominate their opponents with an attacking, aggressive and positive cricket that aims for victory.
For either of these sides to win the Ashes, it will be crucial if Steve Smith continues his love affair with English conditions and bullies the bowlers into oblivion or Joe Root strikes, drives and reverse sweeps elegantly his way towards the Ashes urn.
In 97 Tests, Smith has scored 8,947 runs at an average of 60.04. He has scored 31 centuries and 37 half-centuries in his Test career, with the best score of 239.
On the other hand Root, who forms the modern-day 'Fab Four' along with Smith, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson has more Test experience. In 130 Tests, he has scored 11,004 runs at an average of 50.24. He has scored 29 centuries and 58 fifties, with the best score of 254.
Who will end up with more Test centuries at the end of this series, will be an interesting battle to see.
Smith is the fourth-highest run-scorer from Australia and overall fifth in the history of The Ashes. In 32 matches, he has scored 3,044 runs at an average of 59.68. He has scored 11 centuries and 11 fifties in 56 innings, with the best score of 239.
In the Ashes, Root has scored 2,016 runs in 29 matches at an average of 38.76. He has scored three centuries and 16 fifties in 56 innings, with the best score of 180. He is the 30th-highest scorer in Ashes history AND 13th highest scorer for England in the series.
The Ashes will be a battle of these two prolific batters who are absolute run machines in English conditions.
In English conditions, Smith has scored 1,882 runs at an average of 60.70. He has scored seven hundreds and seven fifties in English conditions, with the best score of 215. Root has played in English conditions all his life on the other hand. He has scored 5,680 runs in 67 Tests played at home at an average of 53.58, with 17 centuries and 27 fifties and the best score of 254.
After he served a one-year ban due to the ball-tampering scandal, Smith made a comeback for the ages in Ashes 2019. He topped the batting charts with 774 runs at an average of 110.57 in four Tests and seven innings, consisting of three centuries and three fifties. His best score was 211. This is Smith's most successful Ashes ever.
On the other hand, Root's most successful Ashes series was back in 2015, in which he scored 460 runs in five matches, nine innings at an average of 57.50, with two centuries and fifties each.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Moeen Ali, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
