STEVE SMITH INTERVIEW: Bazball in the Ashes? England will need to try something different - we won't just be serving up flat pitches in Australia

As he sat in his high-rise New York apartment last week, 3,000 miles from Manchester, Steve Smith couldn’t help but keep an eye on events at Old Trafford as England battled India, and what it will mean for him in four months' time.

‘It all kicked off last game, didn't it?’ Australia’s superstar batsman told Mail Sport. ‘It's been a really good series with some good cricket played. Some big scores and some pretty flat wickets.

'I'm not sure England are going to get that when they come to Australia. The wickets in Australia have been pretty spicy over the last few years. It’s been pretty tricky for the batters, particularly the top order.

'I assume we're going to see more of the same, so England's batters are probably going to have to adapt a little bit of a different mindset. I'm looking forward to seeing how that pans out.’

England lead their thrilling and drama-filled home series with India 2-1 heading into Thursday's fifth and final Test at the Oval - though they will be without injured captain Ben Stokes.

Success would represent ideal preparation for this winter’s hotly anticipated Ashes series Down Under, where Smith’s wicket will once again be the one England’s bowlers prize most.

Under the leadership of coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes - who were brought in to revive English cricket following a disastrous 4-0 defeat by the Aussies in 2021-22 - England have entertained with a high-octane brand of cricket and will soon get their first chance to test it on Australian soil.

But Smith believes his team’s bitter rivals will have to adapt their ‘Bazball’ style of play to seal Ashes glory later this year.

‘England have played some pretty good cricket. India are a very good side,’ said Smith, who will be on British shores this summer with Welsh Fire in the Hundred. 

‘Every game could have gone either way. England’s batters are going to have to adapt for what they’re going to get in Australia. It’s certainly going to be a challenge for them.

‘I think it's going to be a great Ashes series that's for sure, a belter.’

As soon as the curtain comes down on the India series, attention will quickly turn to the Ashes, which will begin in Perth on November 21. Naturally, some eyes have been on that series for a long time, not least England's as they try to build a pace attack and batting line-up that can thrive on the faster, bouncier Aussie wickets.

England and Australia drew 2-2 when they last met in 2023 and Stokes’ men will be looking to regain the urn for the first time since 2015, and win a Test Down Under for the first time since 2011. Another potential classic is in store.

Smith is understandably wary of the sublime form of England No 4 Joe Root, who moved into second on the list of Test cricket’s all-time leading run scorers with a century against India at Old Trafford.

‘He is a wonderful player. Particularly in the last two years he has gone to another level,’ Smith said of Root. ‘He is converting those 50s and 60s into big hundreds and has played beautifully in all conditions. He has been great to watch over a long time.

‘The one place he probably has not quite conquered yet is Australia. He has not got a hundred there yet. I am sure he is going to want to stamp his authority on our summer.

'From an Australian point of view, hopefully we can keep him quiet. He has had a wonderful career.’

Smith has also welcomed the return of England fast bowler Jofra Archer to Tests, although the speedster will sit out the India finale with the Ashes in mind.

Smith was felled by a vicious Archer bouncer and left concussed at Lord’s in the 2019 Ashes. ‘You want to see quality players on the park,’ Smith said of Archer.

‘He’s obviously had a rough time with injuries, so it's good to see him back playing Test cricket and doing what he loves.’

Smith will share the Welsh Fire changing room with England bowler Chris Woakes and batsman Jonny Bairstow in the weeks to come.

Woakes is a likely Ashes adversary, while in 2023 Bairstow was controversially stumped in the Ashes Test at Lord’s by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey. When Smith is asked if he’s looking forward to being on the same team as Bairstow given that incident, the 36-year-old emits a nervous laugh.

‘That should be good,’ he said. ‘Jonny is obviously a world-class player. I'm looking forward to playing with him.

‘With all the leagues around the world now, I think it's certainly stopped quite a lot of the sledging because you might be playing with someone the next week and things can get a little bit awkward if you’ve got stuck into them previously.

‘It's great to share the dressing room with different and quality players from around the world and see how they prepare and what makes them tick.

‘I’m looking forward to doing that with Jonny and Chris, but it will be a completely different format to Tests. I'm not sure too many people will be sharing too many secrets!’

Run machine Smith has a Test batting average of 56 against England. On home soil, that rises to almost 60 and only Don Bradman (19) has more than his 12 Ashes hundreds.

While the Ashes remains the ultimate cricketing battle, Smith’s status as one of the best batsmen on the planet has seen him sign lucrative short-format deals with teams across the world.

Smith played English domestic cricket with Sussex in 2023, but will appear in The Hundred for the first time and call Cardiff home for the next month.

‘The cricket landscape has certainly changed since I first started,’ he said. ‘There are a lot more leagues around the world now and opportunities for players to experience different competitions and conditions. It’s pretty cool.

‘I’ve just been in the West Indies, had two weeks off, and now I’m over to Cardiff for The Hundred, which I'm excited about. I've never played in that tournament before.

‘I was drafted in 2019 to Welsh Fire, but that didn't pan out. I’ve played in the USA and it’s been good to be a part of growing the game. I think The Hundred is certainly doing that in the UK.

'The diversity of the crowds has been great. It’s attracting women and different people to the game, so that’s only beneficial.

‘Everyone that's played in The Hundred that I've spoken to thinks it's a wonderful tournament.

‘I stopped playing one-day cricket to play a bit more franchise cricket. My next goal is to play in the Olympics, so I want to get back into the Australian T20 team.

'I think my best way to do that is playing more short form stuff around the world. I'm excited about coming to Cardiff and hopefully helping Welsh Fire have some success.’