Spin legend Shane Warne has rated Steve Smith as a better Test batsman than India captain Virat Kohli, saying when it comes to five day game the Australia skipper "is the man".
Australia, with Steve Smith back in their line-up, will retain the Ashes with victory in the fourth Test, while a win for England would set up a decider at the Oval next week.
'He knows exactly what he's trying to do, exactly what the opposition are trying to do and he analyses every ball -- it's like a computer, he spits out the answer'
Steve Smith ended his century drought and Marnus Labuschagne struck his first Test hundred abroad to steer Australia to 298/5 on day one of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Friday.
Smith's three double centuries against England is second only to Bradman's record five, while his 11th Ashes ton moved him past Steve Waugh's 10 into outright third overall. Only Bradman (19) and England's Jack Hobbs (12) have more Ashes hundreds.
West Indies trail by 524 runs at stumps after toiling in the field for 152.4 overs in Perth
Steve Smith was struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer in the first innings at Lords and was replaced by 'concussion sub' Marnus Labuschagne for the second innings.
Ahead of the 2018 IPL, Smith was the only player retained by the Royals for Rs 12.5 crore.
Travis Head impressed in Australia's 2023 tour of India showing his proficiency against spin
Star India opener Shubman Gill has been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for February, following his impressive performances, including his contributions to India's Champions Trophy title win. Gill beat out competition from Steve Smith (Australia) and Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) for the award.
Broad missed the opening Test in Brisbane and the most recent encounter in Melbourne
Rohit Sharma, who said images of the former Australia skipper being escorted at Johannesburg airport and his tearful media conference in Sydney 'resonated' with him.
Former pacer Mitchell Johnson reckons that Australia should drop out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne from the playing XI for the day-night Adelaide Test against India.
Australia batting mainstay Steve Smith says he was looking to put Ravichandran Ashwin under pressure while batting on the opening day of the third Test in Sydney.
'I find it hard to stop visualising the game or shadow batting'
Australia's opening partnership has been the subject of much debate since David Warner retired and remains unresolved less than a month before the World Test Championship final against South Africa.
With 539 scalps in 134 matches at an average of 30.39 and best figures of 5/39, Lyon is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests and has 24 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket hauls.
Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
Cricket Australia (CA) has come in defence of skipper Steve Smith who has been under fire post the series whitewash in Sri Lanka, followed by defeat against South Africa in the opening Test in Perth, going 0-1 in the three-match series. The debacle didn't end there as the Aussies came out with a dismal batting performance in the Hobart Test as they were bowled out for 85 on Day One itself within the second session. But CA chief executive James Sutherland has backed Smith, citing his age and inexperience, and adding that they have full faith in the latter as a leader.
Steve Smith's defiant century on day one of the Ashes series restored the former Australian captain to hero status in the eyes of a grateful nation.
The most powerful man in world cricket today himself retrieved the ball from amidst the seats and threw it back onto the field. It was then that everyone realised Jay Shah is a left-hander.
With two days still to play, England are firm favourites to secure the win in Manchester, one that would seal victory in the five-match series with one test still to come.
Steve Smith says Australia is better off training on its own rather than playing tour games on "irrelevant" Indian pitches ahead of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar series next month.
The Australian team doesn't have the time to think about India's incredible victory at the Gabba in 2021 and ahead of their face-off at the same venue almost four years later.
Australia skipper Tim Paine has thrown his support behind Steve Smith replacing him as captain of the Test team when the time comes for a leadership change.
From January 1, 2021 to September 9, 2024 -- during which Joe Root hit 17 centuries, Kane Williamson has hit, Steve Smith has made six tons but Virat Kohli has managed just two centuries.
Sam Konstas has vowed to take a more conventional approach than in his early Test appearances for Australia
Former spinner Shane Warne questioned the inclusion of Steve Smith in Australia's line-up at the Twenty20 World Cup in a scathing assessment of the country's loss against England on Saturday.
Warner is enduring a lean patch in the longest format with his last four scores, reading 21 and 28 (second Test in Adelaide) and 5 and 48 (first Test in Perth).
'Greatness isn't just about what they achieve in their prime. It's about how they adapt, endure, and finish.'
'Kohli, Smith, and Root are writing the final chapters of their stories, and we should honour their courage as much as their brilliance.'
Former skipper Ian Chappell backed premier fast bowler Pat Cummins over batting maestro Steve Smith for the Australian captaincy after incumbent Tim Paine retires.
Smith said the IPL has helped him get used to play alongside rival international players and he is eager to play alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been leading Sussex this season.
Smith was bowled by Yasir for four runs in the opening Test in Brisbane
Steve Smith's domination of England's bowling attack in the Ashes series reached new heights on Thursday as his magnificent 211 led Australia to 497-8 declared on the second day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
Limping Bavuma, Markram lead South Africa to brink of history.
The 55-year-old Ramprakash, who played 52 Tests between 1991 and 2002, said instead of captaincy affecting Gill's performance, it has made him more focussed.
'There's so many Indian fans here, I just didn't want them to set a bad example, because he didn't do anything to be booed in my opinion'
Steve Smith was handed a one-year ban from international cricket in 2018 for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa.
Australia wicket-keeper Alex Carey got to witness Steve Smith's coolness under pressure first-hand and has commended the former captain for helping spark the turnaround against West Indies.
