Ashes 2019: England remove their biggest problem

Australia's Steve Smith, centre, watches during a nets training session at Headingley. Picture: AP

Steve Smith went to optional training at Headingley. God knows why.

Usually such sessions are reserved for those out of form or out of the eleven. Smith is one of the exceptions who shows up because he’d rather have a bat in his hand than just about anything else in the world.

He didn’t have that joy at Headingley. He stood with his hands in his pockets talking to Justin Langer. He did a few walking laps talking to Dr Richard Saw and then he sat on an ice box talking to Tim Paine. All the time looking longingly at the batsmen having a hit.

When Smith can’t bat he is a cat sulking lethargically at the perimeter of its cage.

David Warner took to the Leeds golf course with Ricky Ponting. If there are concerns about the opener there are hopes that his new best friend can fix them.

Ponting and Warner were inseparable during the World Cup, but the team’s mentor left and so did the batsman’s luck, form, or whatever it is.

Ponting is back to commentate on the last three games but clearly has extra curricular national duties to perform.

Cameron Bancroft, who is not going so well either, had a net and at the end of it did some range hitting.

After a while Justin Langer, who was giving him the throw downs and taking cover, told him to give his shots the same “T20 intensity” but along the ground.

Bancroft has been soaking up balls but not making runs.

Paine did a bit of range hitting too. He could be in better form himself.

Jofra Archer was there when the Australians arrived. Impossibly heavy gold chains around the neck. He doesn’t have a central contract yet and you wonder if maybe they are Two Dollar Shop bling waiting to be replaced by the real thing now that the world has caught on to how good he is.

Captain Joe Root, who comes from these parts, says a bang on the head like the one Archer gave Smith is a blow to your pride.

“The thing that hurts the most is your ego,” he told reporters in his pre match press conference.

“You’re stood out there in front of 35,000 people and some has mugged you off a bit. That’s how it feels when I’ve been hit. You pride yourself on being able to either get out of the way or take it on and you make sure, first and foremost, you stay in and keep batting.

“You don’t want to me in that position again and let them get one up on you. I’ve never had a blow as serious as that, so hard to comment in Steve’s case but you could see the concern on the guys out in the field. Jofra and Jos were straight over. I think everyone relaxed a bit when he got up and doc was having conversations with him.

“But as a batter you pride yourself on being able to manage those deliveries but it’s like anything, it’s a psychological battle.

“When they go to that plan it’s like, can you play it well like you would play the top of off stump. If you get out in that fashion, it’s seen as a good ball but if you’re caught at deep square leg cos someone has got a bouncer right on the money it look like a rash shot. I don’t think bowlers get the credit they deserve sometimes.”

That line about a psychological blow is telling. Root’s not unsympathetic, he seems genuinely concerned about Smith’s plight and sought him out in the medical room after he had been hit — as did England coach Trevor Bayliss.

But England know they have delivered a psychological blow to Australia.

The series still stands at 1-0 and they have not won a Test against the visitors for a long, long time, but they have removed the biggest problem they have — Smith — and left an Australian batting line up worrying about how to cover for the loss.

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