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When Australia toured England last time in 2019, former Aussie captain Steve Smith completed his arduous journey of redemption, since the infamous ‘Sandpaper Gate’ incident.
Smith was welcomed by a hostile crowd at Edgbaston during the 2019 Ashes series. However, Smith let his bat do all the talking as he notched up tons at will.
Now, Smith and Co. will travel to the United Kingdom (UK) yet again in September to compete in a three-match ODI series and as many T20Is.
No more hostile English crowd:
Due to the global pandemic situation, the matches will be played behind closed doors. As a result, Smith would be relieved about the fact that he won’t be welcomed by the hostile English crowds this time around.
“I do like batting there, unfortunately there’s going to be no crowd there to egg me on and give me a bit more motivation. I’ve watched a bit of the Tests England have played, and we know their white-ball cricket over the last few years has been exceptional, so it’s going to be a good series,” Smith stated at the Sydney airport, before departing for the UK, with the 21-man Australian squad.
“I’m looking forward to getting back into it, obviously it’s going to be a bit different than what we’re used to being in a bubble and playing with no crowds. That presents a challenge in itself, but one we’re looking forward to,” he added.
Smith to join Rajasthan Royals after ODI series:
After the limited-over series against England, Smith will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to resume his stint with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Australian team last featured in an international cricket match, back in March, against New Zealand for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
“I enjoyed it (no cricket) for a little bit, it was nice to take a break and put the tools down and just refresh myself mentally and physically and have a chance to have a bit of a pre-season,” Smith concluded.
Australia’s squad for England tour:
Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
