Steve Smith Makes Bold Claim About English Batters Ahead of 2025 Ashes

In preparation for the 2025-26 Ashes, Australian batter Steve Smith is currently playing for Welsh Fire in The Hundred, in England.

Steve Smith Makes Bold Claim About English Batters Ahead of 2025 Ashes

Australian Steve Smith warned England's batters, ahead of the upcoming Ashes. (via Cricket Addictor)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Australian batting star Steve Smith made a bold claim about English batters, ahead of the upcoming 2025-26 Ashes, starting in November. Smith issued a warning that England’s batters might face a significant challenge on the difficult Australian pitches this year.

The highly anticipated Ashes is set to begin on November 21, with the first Test between England and Australia to be held in Perth. The visitors will be aiming to reverse their fortunes, as they have not won a red-ball bilateral series against Australia since 2015. The previous Ashes series in England in 2023 concluded in a draw, with the two teams winning two matches each, while one ended in a draw.

The Three Lions are expected to perform well this time around, following a successful five-match red-ball series at home against India, which also ended in a 2-2 draw. England showcased their ‘Bazball’ style of playing Test cricket, which has significantly evolved since Brendon McCullum took over as the head coach in 2022. The 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, in fact, saw a combined total of 7,187 runs scored by both teams, making it the second-highest aggregate of runs ever scored in a Test series.

England is expected to maintain its aggressive approach during their upcoming red-ball tour to Australia. However, Australian batting star and former captain Steve Smith, who described the recently concluded India-England series as one of the best Test series he has ever watched, did not hold back from issuing a warning to the English red-ball team ahead of the upcoming Ashes in his interview with Sky Sports.

While acknowledging that the Three Lions are in a very strong position, Smith stated that despite their excellent run-scoring form, the English batters could encounter major challenges when playing on the Australian pitches.

He pointed out that the wickets in Australia have become tricky over the past few years and that the experienced Australian bowling attack would be at their absolute best against the English side on home soil. He told Sky Sports:

They [England] play aggressive cricket, but batting in Australia will be a big challenge. Our wickets have been tricky, and we’ve got an experienced, successful bowling attack.

The 36-year-old also mentioned that he is looking forward to a great series against England, especially as it is the first one to be held Down Under since the COVID-19 pandemic, in the presence of fans in the stadium. He also stressed that the home side would rely entirely on the players’ skills to win the series and pointed to Australia’s Test records over the past few years, having reached two WTC finals in a row.

We’ll just let our skills do the talking. We know our conditions well and trust our game.

Furthermore, he praised England counterpart Joe Root‘s recent form in red-ball cricket, while jokingly hoping that the Englishman does not score a century in the Ashes. Root broke a record by surpassing Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest all-time run-scorer in Test cricket history.

Steve Smith Makes a Surprising Choice for the Greatest Batter of All Time

Australian batting star Steve Smith surprised fans with his choice for the greatest batter of all time, naming Indian cricketing legend and ‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar. While Smith’s choice is a valid one, the 36-year-old notably overlooked some of Australia’s own greatest batters in the process.

Steve Smith on Greatest Batter
Steve Smith picked Sachin Tendulkar as the Greatest Batter of All-Time. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

During an interaction with BBC Sports, Smith was asked who he considers to be the greatest batsman of all time. In response, the Australian star first revealed that his pick for the greatest cricketer of all time would always be South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis. However, he added that when judging a player solely on batting performance, he named Sachin Tendulkar as the greatest batter in cricketing history.

Sachin Tendulkar’s legacy remains unmatched, with the former Indian great having scored 34,537 runs throughout his 24-year career, making him the all-time leading run-scorer across all formats. Smith chose not to include Australian legends such as Ricky Ponting, Allan Border and Don Bradman.