Ashes 2015: Steve Smith says he was determined to score heavily at Lord's in the second Test
Sunday 19 July 2015 21:00, UK
Man of the match Steve Smith was in a contented mood after making his mark at Lord’s in no uncertain terms in the second Investec Ashes Test of the summer.
Smith has not enjoyed huge success at the historic ground previously but he laid the platform for Australia’s 405-run series-levelling hammering of the hosts with a majestic 215 in the first innings.
He then added an audacious 58 from 48 balls in the second innings on Sunday morning as the Aussies piled up a quick 254-2 before bowling England out for just 103.
The in-form Smith is now set to return to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings and the worrying news for England is that he seems quietly confident of scoring plenty more runs in the series.
“I feel really good at the crease at the moment,” said Smith. “So for me it's just about making sure I am doing the things I have been doing well over the past 12 months.
“That is being patient, watching the ball closely, and making the bowlers come to me, where I want them to bowl. It has worked out well so far.
“It was a good wicket, we started well on day one, and we kicked on from there.
“I was pretty keen to do well here this time round. I haven't had such a great run with the bat here at Lord's so it was nice to be able to get some big runs in the first innings and get myself up on that board.
“We were all disappointed with the way we performed with the bat in (the first Test in) Cardiff, and we know that Lord's is a good place to bat if you get in. The guys that got in on this occasion made it count, so that was pretty important for us.”
Asked if batting in England required a change in technique, he added: “A little bit.
“The wickets are generally a bit slower than they are back home, so I think you have to wait for the ball a lot more, and the ball certainly does a lot more than back home throughout the whole day.
“You have to be really patient and, for me, it is making sure I am playing in my eyeline and letting balls go well.”
Smith his unconcerned about his status in the ICC rankings, adding: “It does not really bother me, that kind of stuff.
“As long as I am scoring runs and contributing to the team, and the team are winning games of cricket, that is the most important thing. It was a great performance for us here at Lord’s.”
Having been recalled to the team, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh also played his part in the victory, taking the key wickets of Alastair Cook and Ben Stokes in the first innings.
He added the wicket of Gary Ballance in the second innings and admitted that the Aussies were surprised to have bowled England out so quickly.
"We always hope that things like that can happen but we came out expecting it to be a hard fight,” he said. “To get a win like that was just fantastic.
"Obviously, as a whole group, we were really wanting to bounce back after that first Test so it was certainly nice to win like that.
"I never really thought I'd play at Lord's, let alone win an Ashes Test, so here we are and it's been great fun."
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