While it lasted it was a sight to behold. A tall, lanky fast bowler bowling at 150kmph against a batsman at the top of his game. Steve Smith had tormented England in the first Test and single-handedly taken Australia to a win at Edgbaston. At Lord's, he had to conquer Jofra Archer and the menacing bounce and pace he was bowling at.
Archer went on to bowl a superb spell where he consistently bounced Smith and tested his hook and pull. The Australian middle-order batsman was excellent in countering Archer's pace and he either swayed out of the way or pulled Archer along the ground. He was hit on the hands a few occasions but braved the bounce and pace to stay afloat.
This until a corker from Archer skidded off a back of a length channel to deceive him. Smith ducked but wasn't quick enough to evade the ball. It rapped on the back of his neck, exposed with no stem guard, and Smith went down in a heap. He did come out to bat later on but wasn't a part of the second innings as Australia used the concussion substitute rule to bring in Marnus Labuschagne.
Labuschagne has since held firm against Archer with Smith sitting out the third Test at Headingley. But in his absence, England have levelled the series and as Manchester beckons, round two against Archer looms as well.
The war of words has begun well before the Test with Smith pointing out that despite Archer's excellent spell and him going down, he wasn't dismissed by the England seamer after all.
“There’s been a bit of talk that he’s got the wood over me, but he hasn’t actually got me out,” said Smith about Archer. “He hit me on the head on a wicket that was a bit up and down at Lord’s. All the other bowlers have had more success against me, I daresay. I’ve faced them a bit more, but they’ve all got me out a lot more.”
He went on to add that bouncers haven't been dismissing him and that to nick him off, they still needed to bowl in the uncertainty corner. “If they’re bowling up there it means they can’t nick me off, or hit me on the pad or hit the stumps. With the Dukes ball – I don’t know, that’s an interesting ploy," Smith said.
Despite missing a Test, Smith remains the highest run-scorer in the series with 378 runs at an average of 126. His battle with Archer has taken the limelight for now but he has steadily scored runs in the meanwhile and hasn't been dismissed by Archer as Smith himself points out.
Archer, though, isn't one to sit back and hear comments being made at him. The England seamer has hit back with his own remarks.
"Well, I can't get him out if he wasn't there," Archer said, taking a dig at Smith. "I did want to bowl at him when he came back out at Lord's but he was out before I even got to come back on. But there'll be more than ample time to get him out."
Smith remains unfazed and Archer is still licking his lips at the prospect of bowling to the Australian. Given the spell-binding face-off we had at Lord's, one which remained incomplete due to Smith's injury, the Manchester Test match and the battle between the two would be keenly watched.
Featured image courtesy: AFP / Adrian Dennis
