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Smith can counter any English plan: Paine

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10th August, 2019
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Steve Smith’s ability to think on his feet will ensure the once-in-a-generation batsman defuses anything a desperate England throw at him at Lord’s.

That is the opinion of Tim Paine after Smith’s stunning Test return from the Cape Town cheating scandal, in which he scored 144 and 142, handed Australia a 1-0 lead in the Ashes.

Comparisons with Don Bradman have since come thick and fast for the right-hander, who enjoyed a few days off but will soon hit the nets as he seeks to extend a remarkable run against Joe Root’s team.

Lord’s, hosting the second Test that begins on Wednesday, has been a happy hunting ground for Australia and the same can be said of Smith.

The former captain posted his maiden double-ton at the home of cricket in 2015, an innings that piloted Australia to a series-levelling Test victory over England.

Since that knock of 215, Smith has averaged 101 with the bat from 10 Ashes Tests.

The hosts all but admitted they’d run out of ideas last week at Edgbaston, while a bamboozled Root’s best attempt at bravado was to declare Smith has to “start again when he gets to Lord’s …. we’ve got to make sure we don’t have any hangover of how he’s played”.

England have since resembled Wile E. Coyote madly flipping through the Acme Corporation’s catalogue, hoping to find rocket skates or something similar that might help easily capture Smith’s prized scalp.

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Jack Leach has replaced Moeen Ali as England’s frontline tweaker, with the hosts aware Smith’s average against left-arm finger spin is a mere 34.9.

Mike Gatting believes Test debutant Jofra Archer “could be one of the guys who might threaten Steve”, while fellow former England skippers Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan have called for a green seaming pitch to be produced.

“The beauty of Steve is you can come up with a plan but he’s good enough to adapt really quickly,” Australia captain Paine said.

“I’ve seen him do it between balls.

“I’ve seen him do it when guys have targeted him from one end a certain way and a completely different way from the other.

“That’s what makes him the best player in the world, his ability to adapt to any plan that is thrown at him.

“He processes it quicker than other players and adapts on the spot.”

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Steve Waugh expressed similar sentiments last week, likening Smith to a computer because of the efficiency in which he analyses every ball and just “spits out the answer”.

Smith kept overlooked paceman Mitchell Starc busy during the series opener, with the fidgeting genius’ wish for a fresh set of batting gloves approximately every half an hour being one of his many idiosyncrasies.

Starc, having regularly struggled to get the better of Smith during net sessions at home in Sydney and around the world, has no sympathy for England’s bowlers.

“Not a bit. I’m glad he’s on our team,” Starc quipped.

© AAP

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