Steve Smith is in purple scorching kind. Final week, the Australian stroked a masterful 200* towards the West Indies – dismantling what a promising younger Windies assault to succeed in the milestone off 311 balls. Smith’s monster knock laid the inspiration for a commanding Aussie win.

Smith and co at the moment are taking part in South Africa in a 3 match Check sequence. Australia will likely be seeking to finish their abysmal run of three dwelling sequence defeats in a row to the Proteas. Astonishingly, they haven’t gained a house sequence towards them since 2006. After that, they jet off to India for yet one more Check sequence earlier than a potential World Check Championship last look. Then onto the massive one, the Ashes in July. 

Evidently, Australia are taking part in numerous cricket earlier than the Ashes: 12 Assessments, to be actual. However for Steve Smith, this merely isn’t sufficient. The ‘greatest since Bradman’ is contemplating a debut stint within the county championship come Could – three video games of preparation previous to Ashes. Smith has by no means graced England’s four-day competitors however did make a handful of T20 appearances for Worcestershire as a 21-year-old. 

Whether or not he opts to don the whites in county cricket stays to be seen. Nonetheless, with the Ashes solely a month or so after Smith’s scheduled look, it’s maybe price asking one other query: ought to he be allowed to play?

The county championship is nothing new to Australian batters. Marnus Labuschagne has been an honorary Welshman at Glamorgan for 3 years now. Usman Khawaja and Travis Head have additionally honed their craft within the UK. But it’s Smith’s choice to play simply three matches, proper earlier than the Ashes, that has drawn essentially the most criticism. A typical assertion on-line is {that a} stint so brief would solely serve to profit Smith and the Australian group – permitting the left hander time to seek out kind and acclimatise to English circumstances, whereas taking the spot of a extra dedicated, presumably home-grown batter. 

Smith’s document within the Ashes is already excellent, averaging a mind-boggling 59.69 and scoring 11 centuries in his 32 matches towards England. Aussie followers will bear in mind his god-like 2019 sequence fondly. Ought to he be permitted his three county championship video games, England will likely be confronted with a terrifying prospect: a grasp batter, in kind and at dwelling in English circumstances. 

But, is that not what we would like? The Ashes is the top of Check cricket. The most effective of the perfect dealing with off within the hardest of circumstances. So why would the world’s greatest batter, in kind and nicely ready, be a foul factor? 

The apparent reply is that it makes Australia higher, and England extra more likely to lose. Whereas I concede that this may strengthen the Aussies, it will additionally improve the standard of the Ashes and enhance the usual of cricket performed. Certainly, what’s the extra fascinating contest: an in-form, acclimated Steve Smith dealing with as much as James Anderson for presumably the final time, or an under-cooked Smith staring down England’s grizzled previous timer?

There’s a plethora of different advantages to Smith taking part in county cricket on our shores, too. For one, Australia’s former Check captain will surely enhance the usual of the competitors. Any younger bowlers tasked with taking down the nice Australian can certainly solely study from a contest with the nice man. 

The identical might be stated for our Check bowlers. Smith has made a number of technical adjustments since he final slayed the three lions. Most noticeably, he’s tailored his stance and set off motion to open up the on-side. Ought to Smith come throughout, say, Ollie Robinson at Hove, the Sussex seamer would have a priceless apply run towards the esteemed Aussie previous to the Check summer time. He can do some priceless intelligence, check any plans, and expose any chinks in Smith’s new technique.

An English sabbatical would additionally help Smith’s potential teammates. As a younger man at Worcestershire, he was nonetheless honing his craft. Twelve years on, Smith is the entire batter and might definitely give one thing again – providing his years of knowledge to youthful teammates, desperate to study from a person with virtually 30 Check lots of at a median north of 60.

We also needs to contemplate the very distinct (though considerably unlikely) chance that Smith fails to do nicely in his three matches. Spring pitches within the UK are notoriously treacherous; unruly English climate makes county tracks a seamer’s dream within the early season. A pantheon of nice gamers have struggled on the county scene, so who’s to say Smith gained’t do the identical? A number of failures to carry out at county degree might even undermine his confidence and dent his ego proper earlier than the Ashes. 

Whether or not Smith performs county cricket come Could stays to be seen. Many of the 18 counties have an abroad spot or two to fill so there’s no scarcity of potential locations. There are clearly downsides to Smith making ready on English shores – the additional preparation is unlikely to do his Ashes prospects any hurt – but, as attendances dwindle and fears for the survival of the county recreation escalate, county cricket can be higher off accepting the Australian nice. Certainly, the arrival of a generational cricketer in English home cricket ought to be celebrated. 

Love him or detest him, Steve Smith is the world’s greatest batter. So let’s give attention to the broader advantages somewhat than worrying about potential negatives.

Will Symonds

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