Ashes 2019: Steve Smith’s omission a victory for common sense

Marnus Labuschagne is assessed by Australian team doctor Richard Saw after being struck in the helmet by a delivery from Mitchell Starc during a nets session at Leeds.

With only three days between matches, the minimum stipulated by the ICC, it is no surprise that Steve Smith has failed to overcome his delayed concussion in time for the third Ashes Test at Headingley. Smith would have been desperate to play, and in years gone by would no doubt have done so, but times change, perspectives alter and the decision was, said his coach Justin Langer, oblivious to the reference, a “no-brainer”.

Langer is no stranger to head injuries, nor to the pressure players feel not to let the side down. Despite being badly concussed in his 100th Test in South Africa 13 years ago, Langer wanted to bat in the second innings as the game got tight but would have been prevented from putting himself in harm’s way at the insistence of Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain. So, he is uniquely placed to recognise that player wellbeing and medical advice must come before personal and team ambitions.

The reaction of cricket lovers everywhere will be mixed, no doubt, combining relief that medical protocol and common sense have prevailed over sporting imperatives, with regret that a great player will miss a pivotal Test and that the eagerly awaited rematch between Smith and Jofra Archer has been postponed. It is an Ashes Test still, but the sense of anticipation has dimmed a little now that we know these gladiators will not meet again this week, as has the interest for those of us wondering how Smith would cope with the challenge from Archer, and this new cricketing Rubik’s cube.

The fascination with Smith has been the way that he has managed to adapt his game intuitively, according to the bowler and the situation. Famously, his large back-and-across movement came to him in a flash of inspiration in the middle of an innings against England at the WACA, in Perth, six years ago. Now, this chest-on technique provides a bigger target for a ferocious bowler. Will he change again? Will this superstitious and meticulous player adapt his protective equipment, adding the neck protectors that, he says, feel uncomfortable? We will have to wait until Old Trafford to find out.

Also, in a game where the cult of the coach has resulted in greater uniformity of style, Smith stands as a genuine outlier, in technique, manner and approach. The ticks and mannerisms may have tended to self-parody at times at Lord’s, as he left the ball in increasingly odd ways, but his technique remained intriguing, at least to this observer. His absence, therefore, makes the landscape a little more monochrome at Headingley.

That Smith’s absence will be sorely felt in a more basic sense for Australia is undeniable and Langer will know that his team’s chances of retaining the Ashes have been severely reduced. They must now do without arguably the greatest Test batsman of the day in their quest to win one more match out of the last three games, which, given that they hold the Ashes, will be enough. Smith’s absence makes it far less likely that they will achieve that ambition this week and an already vulnerable batting line-up has been weakened beyond measure.

Marnus Labuschagne looked an entirely capable substitute in the second innings at Lord’s, but he is no Smith — who is? He cannot mask the frailties of Australia’s batting as well as Smith had managed to do in making twin hundreds at Edgbaston and 92 in the first innings at Lord’s. Without Smith, Australia would certainly have lost the opening Test, and possibly the second Test too, so England must now begin as favourites at Headingley to level the series. His absence also creates another problem for Australia, given their shoddy catching in the slips at Lord’s.

Labuschagne looked the part, though. He showed great courage and composure in recovering from a fearful blow to the helmet from his second ball off Jofra Archer, to then bat for more than two hours and take Australia a long way to safety. He had enjoyed a good first half of the season with Glamorgan and so came into the game with form and confidence, despite the unusual circumstances, and will look to build upon the good impression he made at Lord’s. Character counts for a lot in Test cricket and Labuschagne did not look like he lacks it.

The focus will now shift from Smith to David Warner, who becomes Australia’s best and most senior batsman, and they will hope that this scrutiny and responsibility wakes him from his slumbers. So far, Warner has been anonymous, having been dismissed for four consecutive single-figure scores, each from a round-the-wicket angle, once by Archer, three times by Stuart Broad. England’s new-ball bowlers have had his number and, to make matters worse, he dropped three catches at Lord’s, one skier and two in the slips.

This is a far cry from the Ashes series down under two winters ago, when England fought shy of attacking Warner with the new ball and instead set deep fields, hoping he would get himself out. It was a tactic that never looked like working: he made 441 runs in that series and has averaged over 60 against England at home overall. He has found batting in England, with its very different requirements, a much harder challenge, though: he averages exactly half as many runs per innings in England, and has never scored a Test hundred here. Australia need his runs, his energy and his leadership this week.

The Times