Steve Smith has delivered the final, decisive blow in his long-running Ashes duel with England's pace spearhead Jofra Archer, in a fiery conclusion to the second Test at the Gabba that saw Australia cruise to an eight-wicket victory and a commanding 2-0 series lead.
A History of Hostilities Reignited
The tension between Smith and Archer dates back to the 2019 Ashes at Lord's, where a fearsome short ball from Archer struck the Australian batter on the head, forcing him to miss the rest of that Test and the next with concussion. Despite the lasting memory of that incident, Archer has never dismissed Smith in Test cricket from 222 deliveries bowled at him.
Their encounters since have been limited by Archer's injury struggles, but the fourth-day night session in Brisbane produced their most spicy chapter yet. With Australia needing a mere 65 runs to win, Smith entered at number four with just 24 runs required and eight wickets in hand, the result a foregone conclusion.
Fireworks Ignite When Game is Gone
Despite the match situation, Archer unleashed a furious spell of 150km/h thunderbolts. Smith rose to the challenge, slapping him for two boundaries and a six in a single over. It was then that hostilities exploded into verbal sparring.
"Bowling fast when there's nothing going on, champion," was Smith's reported retort to Archer's sledging, a response celebrated by Australian great Ricky Ponting in the commentary box.
"Jofra's finally come to life, six days into the series, when the second Test match is gone — he starts chirping. Too late for that, champ," Ponting said. "That's what Smithy said to him as well... 'Bowling quick now, mate, when the game is over — good on ya'. Now they've all started. Too late, boys."
Ponting Questions England's Baffling Timing
The dramatic and abrasive surge from Archer and England captain Ben Stokes, which brought tensions to a boiling point, left Ponting baffled by its irrelevance. He questioned why the fight had been absent for the preceding four days.
"What I'm really interested here is what Ben Stokes actually thinks about what's happening right now," Ponting pondered. "Deep down, as the England captain, when he's probably been asking for this right the way through the series, where's it been? Why can they just all of a sudden turn up and do it now?"
The confrontation was short-lived. Moments later, Smith smashed the winning runs over the fence off Gus Atkinson, sealing the comprehensive victory. After play, Smith played down the exchange, calling it "good banter" with a "good competitor."
Ponting, however, made sure to highlight the factual record, pointing to an on-screen graphic showing Archer's failure to ever claim Smith's wicket. "The perception going around, certainly around the UK, is that Archer's had the wood on Steve Smith — well, that is factually incorrect," he stated.
With the win, Australia takes a powerful 2-0 lead heading to Adelaide, with key bowlers Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon set to return, and Josh Hazlewood also nearing a comeback, strengthening an already dominant side.
