Steve Smith (Photo by Paul Harding/Gallo Images) Steve Smith, who will lead Australia in the first Ashes Test against England in Perth due to Pat Cummins’ absence, has cautioned England’s ‘Bazballers’ about the challenging batting conditions they will face in Australia. Cricket Australia announced on Monday that Cummins will miss the opening Test, starting November 21, due to a lumbar bone stress injury.Smith’s warning comes amid pre-series exchanges between both teams, with Australia’s stand-in captain highlighting the difference in pitch conditions compared to England.”The conditions are going to be different here in Australia, aren’t they? I think the last three or four years have probably been as challenging for batters as we have seen for a long time, particularly the top order,” Smith told reporters at the Gabba as quoted from Fox cricket.”So in those conditions, the bowlers are very experienced and very good, and it’s going to make it hard work for the batters. It is going to be tricky for all batters, but when you are trying to get after it, it’s going to be exceptionally hard,” Smith added.Australian pitches have increasingly favored seam bowling over the past four years compared to the previous decade. Test matches in Australia since the 2021-22 Ashes have seen top seven batters averaging 30.22 per dismissal, with 24 centuries in 20 Tests.In contrast, batting averages have been higher at 38.94 since the beginning of the ‘Bazball’ era in 2022.Travis Head has emerged as a standout performer in Australian conditions, averaging 54.64 with six centuries and a strike rate of 88.90. No other player has averaged more than 45.29 in Australia during this period.Smithâ€s own performance in Australia has seen a decline, with an average of 45.26 over the last four home summers compared to his earlier average of 63.20 across his first decade playing in the country. While that remains an excellent figure, it still falls short of the exceptionally high standards Smith has set for himself over the years.
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