Steve Smith Ashes
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Steve Smith seals the Ashes for Australia

Mustafa Ismail·
Test
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After serving a year-long ban, Steve Smith made an emphatic comeback in the Ashes with two hundreds from his first two innings…

Despite being ruled out for the the third Test, which his team lost in thrilling fashion, Steve Smith scored 211 and 82 on his return in the fourth Test to seal the Ashes for Australia. Through such performances at the highest level, Smith is proving himself to be cricket’s premier Test batsman. His unorthodox technique, concentration, determination, mental strength, and raw talent with the bat have pushed him to unprecedented heights.

Going into the Ashes, both teams possessed a strong bowling attack and a weak top order – and in the end, the difference between them was Steve Smith. England just couldn’t find a way through him, and more time at the crease led to the some mammoth individual scores for the batsman. Jofra Archer tried his level best to knock over the Australian – both literally and figuratively – but even a brutal hit to the head couldn’t pin down Smith.

He came back even stronger at Old Trafford, dismissing any talk of the short ball posing a threat by pulling and cutting the ball to great effect. His double-hundred was not without struggle, but Steve Smith was evidently unfazed by the occasion. His temperament is second to none and he displayed incredible resolve to stick around while others were being toppled. When the time came, he punished England to round off an imperious innings.

Smith knows exactly when to leave the ball and when to attack it, and his time away from the game has made him hungrier than ever to be the best in the world. Many expected him to be out of touch when making his comeback, but all those sleepless nights and extended nets sessions have paid off. For Australian and English faithful, the Ashes is the pinnacle of cricket – and Steve Smith has almost single-handedly dragged his side to the finish line.

The most astonishing of the lot was Smith’s second innings in the fourth Test. His team had a decent lead but they’d lost early wickets while setting a final target for England. The runs might’ve still been enough given that the pitch was deteriorating and the Australian bowlers were well-suited to the conditions – but even so, Steve Smith buckled down and scored 82 to bat England out of contention. If he’d been dismissed early, England would’ve been chasing a significantly smaller total, but the Australian number three was to determined to see his side through. This intensity was missing in the third Test for Australia, and Smith’s presence could’ve made all the difference.

England’s star batsman, Joe Root, couldn’t utilise his own abilities efficiently enough. Perhaps what differentiates him from Steve Smith is the latter’s psychological edge. Smith can bat for hours, while Root suffers from lapses of concentration far too often. Moreover, Root failed to convert promising starts into bigger scores when England needed him to. Australia, on the other hand, relied primarily on Smith to churn out runs – with his lowest score of the series a match-winning 82 off 92 balls.

For Steve Smith, the sun is now shining. After a gloomy year away from international cricket, he’s back in the limelight and has established himself as an Ashes hero. Smith’s redemption arc has the potential to set a shining example for those in similar situations. It reaffirms that even at your lowest point, self-improvement can help you return to the apex of the mountain. The former Australian captain is on top of his game and if he continues at this level, he’ll undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest Test cricketers of all time.