"If I could do it in my 100th game, it would be special for sure” - Steve Smith on potentially conquering England during landmark fixture
Australian batter Steve Smith hopes to wrap up the Ashes and beat England in an away Test series in his upcoming 100th appearance in the longest format. The former skipper will hit the three-figure mark in Test cricket appearance-wise when he steps out at Headingley, Leeds, on Thursday for the third 2023 Ashes Test.
With a 2-0 lead, Australia have a golden opportunity to win an Ashes series on English soil, something which they last did in 2001. The Aussies could have attained the series win in 2019, especially with Smith in top form, but an unprecedented one-wicket loss in Leeds and a defeat in the finale at The Oval resulted in the series being a drawn affair.
After a quiet set of outings in the series opener in Birmingham, Smith was at his best with a match-winning ton at Lord's. Hoping to conquer England with a win in his 100th Test match, Smith said:
“It is something that has been on my bucket list, to win an Ashes series in England. What a way to top it off, if I could do it in my 100th game, it would be special for sure.”
He continued:
“I know the person I am, I know how I want to go about things. I am out here playing my game and for my country. Everyone can say what they like, it doesn’t bother me. I am comfortable in my own skin."
He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his first innings ton. The ace batter scored 110 runs off 184 deliveries after Australia were asked to bat first by England.
"I didn’t enjoy that at all" - Steve Smith on missing out on the 2019 Headingley Test
Steve Smith had to sit out the third Test of the 2019 Ashes after suffering a concussion at the hands of a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord's, paving the way for Marnus Labuschagne to shine.
The former skipper was only a mere observer as Ben Stokes pulled off a miracle with a fourth-innings century. The one-wicket win brought England back into the series while Steve Smith returned to the playing XI for the fourth Test in Manchester and scored a memorable double ton.
Admitting that he did not enjoy being out in the cold as Stokes weaved his magic in Leeds four years ago, the ace batter said:
“I didn’t enjoy that at all. Just sitting and watching the Ben Stokes show, that almost occurred again in this game. To be able to walk out at Headingley, it will be a great moment for me to tick off 100 games. “Not too many people have done that in the Australian set-up. There have only been 15 or 16. To tick off that number is pretty special."