The Ashes: Jofra Archer-Steve Smith battle a subplot as Ben Stokes' England reach point of no return against Australia
Jofra Archer and Steve Smith could resume battle in third Ashes Test, a battle Smith is emphatically winning with Archer yet to dismiss him in the format; players exchanged verbals in second Test; England in must-win territory after Gabba loss and have been guilty of "plain dumb" cricket
Tuesday 16 December 2025 22:57, UK
"We'll leave it out there."
Steve Smith was coy when asked straight after Australia's victory over England in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane exactly what he had said to Jofra Archer during their late duel.
But the stump microphone sure picked it up: "Bowl fast when there's nothing going on, champion," was what Smith uttered.
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The dig at the England quick came in a speedy over in which Smith pulled Archer for one four, top-edged him for another and hooked a six over fine leg, helping Australia ease towards a target of just 65 in precisely 10 overs and open up a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Smith then heaved Gus Atkinson - who has been left out by England for the third Test in Adelaide and replaced by Josh Tongue - for six over the leg-side to seal the hosts' win an over later but it was the Smith-Archer battle that lit up the final knockings of the game.
It is a battle Smith has dominated in Test cricket. No bowler has sent down more balls to Smith than Archer's 220 without dismissing him.
Archer has shocked Smith, rocked Smith, even clocked Smith (famously at Lord's in 2019 when the batter said the blow to the head he suffered, which ruled him out of the following Test at Headingley, left him feeling like he had downed "a dozen beers").
But Archer has never taken Smith's wicket, which is perhaps why when the Australian was quizzed about his history with the England bowler after their spicy Brisbane exchange, he replied simply: "What history do I have with him?" Ouch!
Where was England's intensity earlier in Brisbane?
Smith's retort to Archer at The Gabba - which came after the England seamer had asked, 'why play your shots when there's no rush on the scoreboard?' - was probably a fair question.
Why had the tourists not bowled with this intensity and ferocity earlier in the game when it was still live? For all of England's batting ills - and they did play some daft shots - the bowling attack's insipid display in Australia's first innings was a key reason they lost.
I think it is done and dusted. I can’t see England bowling Australia out in the time they need to. Mark Wood going home is a big blow and Archer doesn’t seem overly threatening at times. I give England a chance here in Adelaide but I think Melbourne is going to trouble them with a little bot of sideways movement and it may be too late by Sydney.
Short and wide was the dross offered up most often - although the buffet balls extended to the overpitched kind on occasion - as Australia cantered to 146-1 inside 26 overs.
England bowled better later that day, only to be let down by the standard of catching, but were then pretty listless the following afternoon against the hosts' dogged tail.
After a knock apiece, Australia led by 177 runs. Stuart Broad called the first-innings bowling efforts England's worst since 2008. Ricky Ponting, commentating for Channel 7 at the time, then laughed at Archer's fiery five-over spell in the second innings in which the quick worked over Jake Weatherald as well as challenged Smith.
Ponting said: "Jofra's finally come to life, six days into the series, when the second Test match is gone, he starts chirping. Too late for that, champ… Too late boys, you've had your chance for four days. You haven't been good enough. It's too late to start."
Archer should not be overly criticised. He was probably England's best bowler in that first-innings shemozzle in Brisbane (although that would not have been difficult - it's up there with being Wolverhampton Wanderers' player of the season so far).
His series record of three wickets at an average of 171 would be better if his team-mates had caught more efficiently - butterfingers from Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith denied him at The Gabba - while he has a higher batting average than three of England's top seven.
And, for England captain Ben Stokes, that sizzling Archer spell late on in Brisbane was a crucial tone-setter: "I asked [Archer] to really turn it on because I needed that to be a marker going to Adelaide. I thought that was a really, really important moment for us."
'England must be aggressive - but pick their moments'
England will hope Archer's velocity to, and animosity with, Smith - something we could see again in Adelaide with the batter seemingly shaking off illness - can kickstart a comeback as, to use Sky Sports' Michael Atherton's words, the tourists "are at the point of no return". At 2-0 down with three to play, there is no margin for error.
Stokes' men need to show "a bit of dog", stand up to the pressure, channel the spirit of 2023 and, ultimately, be more streetwise. Bat better for longer. Perform more shrewdly with the ball.
If they do that, the Ashes is not yet over, despite many opinions to the contrary. England still have (slim) hope. And, in Adelaide Oval, they also have the ground most suited to their attacking approach.
Adelaide, by reputation, is a pretty good batting pitch. There will probably be less bounce than Perth and Brisbane which was England's undoing and the shorter square boundaries means it will be harder for teams to go to the short-ball ploy as a defensive weapon. It is time for England's batters to repay the faith.
Former Australia batter - and Adelaide native - Greg Blewett, speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, urged the tourists to stay aggressive, while also delivering this warning: "I don't reckon the pitch is as flat as it used to be in my time. It does nibble a bit with the new ball so England will have to pick their moments.
"I don't think they have been great at that for a while. We all love attacking cricket but some of it has been plain dumb.
"They can't be one-dimensional. England get themselves into great positions, so just nail them (your opposition) and be a bit more ruthless. That's what Test cricket is all about."
It's now or never for England.
I was very impressed early [with Bazball] but it was plain to see it could only really work on dead-flat pitches. You know what you are going to get from England. I have been disappointed they haven’t been able to adjust their game-plan enough to suit different sessions as beforehand I was hearing that they were being a bit smarter.
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26
Australia lead five-match series 2-0
- First Test (Perth): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Second Test (Brisbane): Australia beat England by eight wickets
- Third Test: Wednesday December 17 - Sunday December 21 (Adelaide)
- Fourth Test: Friday December 26 - Tuesday December 30 (Melbourne)
- Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 - Thursday January 8 (Sydney)
