One of the many things that is striking about Australian batsman Steve Smith is his unique batting style. Smith leaving the ball in a Test match is an event unto itself. And as he has announced his return to the longest format in fantastic fashion, scoring two centuries and a 92 in the three innings he played in the ongoing Ashes series, his ball-leaving skills have caught the attention as much as his run-scoring.
Another man who has caught everyone’s attention in this Ashes is England pacer Jofra Archer. It was the Barbados-born quick who, in fact, found a way to stop Smith (so to speak) by bowling a searing bouncer that left the Australian star concussed during the second Test at Lord’s.
Archer, however, is not just a great bowler: he has a reputation of being a decent all-rounder and during the net session ahead of the third Test, he channeled his inner Steve Smith.
Here’s the video of Archer’s Smith impression.
Imitation, they say, is the best form of flattery. Perhaps, this is Archer’s way of paying tribute to how great Smith has been in this series.
England are trailing 1-0 in the five-match series with the third Test beginning in Leeds on Thursday. Smith will be missing in action after not recovering quickly enough from the blow he took on the back of his head from Archer at Lord’s on day four of the second Test.