Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting has delivered a truth bomb on Jofra Archer and his England side over the fiery war of words with Steve Smith towards the end of the second Ashes Test. The heated verbal stoush between Smith and Archer provided an explosive end to the pink-ball Test at the Gabba as Australia wrapped up an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the final session on day four to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Archer and Smith have history in the Ashes after the Englishman famously struck the Aussie on the helmet during the 2019 Test at Lord’s, subsequently ruling Smith out of the rest of the match. But Smith has been at pains to point out that Archer has never got him out in Test cricket. And it set the scene for some late fireworks on Sunday night when Smith came in to bat.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has taken a swipe at England quick Jofra Archer over his war of words with Steve Smith in the second Ashes Test. Pic: Getty
The Aussies went into their second innings needing only 65 runs for victory but England had their tails up after removing Travis Head (22) and Marnus Labuschagne (3) in quick succession. When Smith walked out to the crease, the tourists had a clear plan to try and get under his skin, with Archer leading the charge courtesy of a fiery spell of fast bowling at around 150km/h.
But Smith was up for the challenge and pulled Archer to the boundary off the first ball he faced against the England quick. He then missed an attempted ramp shot which prompted a verbal barrage from Archer, with Smith returning serve in a testy war of words.
“You bowl fast when there is nothing going on, champion,” Smith was heard telling Archer as the Englishman shot him a menacing look. Smith then skied a hook over the wicketkeeper’s head for a boundary to spark more words between the pair, before sending an Archer bouncer to the boundary for six to silence the chirpy Englishman.
Smith also belted another six off Gus Atkinson a short time later to wrap up the dominant win. Speaking after the match, Ponting took aim at Archer over the fiery confrontation with Smith and said England’s fight came far too late in the contest.
England quick Jofra Archer and Australia captain Steve Smith exchange words during day four of the second Ashes Test. Pic: Getty
Ricky Ponting swipes Jofra Archer over Steve Smith feud
“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,” the former Australia captain said on Channel 7’s coverage. “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. You’ve had your chance for four days. You haven’t been good enough, (and) it’s too late to start.”
Smith ended up facing just five balls off Archer and carted him for 15 runs to well and truly have the last laugh. And it continued the stand-in Aussie skipper’s dominance over the English paceman. Archer has now bowled more deliveries at Smith in Test cricket without dismissing him than any other bowler.
Steve Smith remains coy about exchange with Jofra Archer
Smith was asked about the explosive exchange with Archer after the match but declined to go into detail. “He was just bowling good pace,” Smith said. “I’m not really too sure what he said and I’m not sure what I said, either. It’s not really any of your business either. We’ll leave it out there,” he added with a cheeky laugh.
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The resounding eight-wicket win was Smith’s second-straight as skipper, but he’s happy to hand the armband back to Pat Cummins for the third Test in Adelaide. Selectors have also indicated veteran spinner Nathan Lyon will return, making Australia’s bowling attack look even more formidable. But Smith is expecting a major bounce-back from Ben Stokes’ wounded tourists.
“They’re obviously a really good side and have played great cricket for a couple of years now. We’ve put them into a position where we’re happy, obviously 2-0 up,” Smith said.
“They’re going to come back hard. Whether they come back and play really aggressive or take the foot off the pedal and try and prolong the game a little bit, we’ll wait and see.”
with AAP