‘Actually trying to win games’: Smith calls out Bazball backflip in pre-Ashes dig

Steve Smith has no doubt the upcoming Ashes series will be “a belter”. And part of his reasoning is that England is finally becoming smarter.

England’s “Bazball” phenomena that has created some scintillating cricket and extraordinary collapses, been mirrored by some rivals and dismissed by others, while also causing mirth at times given excuses proffered in defeat, has been tweaked.

Winning, rather than simply entertaining, seems to be the primary goal.

That is the assessment of the Australian superstar, who was in England ahead of his debut for the Welsh Fire next month in The Hundred following the Aussies’ recent sweep of the series against the West Indies in the Caribbean.

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While England rattled along at almost five runs an over on Thursday when reaching 2-225 at Old Trafford in response to India’s first innings score of 358 on the second day of the fourth Test, the hosts have been willing to bat to the conditions during the series.

Rather than adopting an all-out attack, they scored at a tick over three runs per over in both innings in the most recent Test at Lord’s, a tempo that proved critical in their ability to secure a 22-run victory that gave them a 2-1 lead in the current series.

They had previously scored between four to five runs an over in the opening two Tests of the series in Leeds and Birmingham, showing an ability to throttle down when the occasion called for it. And the Aussies have noticed.

“They have started to play a little bit differently in the last couple of weeks in terms of playing the situation, as opposed to going out and trying to be the entertainers that they said they wanted to be,” Smith told the BBC’s Test Match Special.

“They are actually trying to win the games now which is perhaps different to what was said in their comments previously.”

While Australia’s top order has been inconsistent at best for the past 12 months, initially against the Jasprit Bumrah-led Indian attack and then against South Africa in the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s prior to the West Indies tour, England has scored big.

In the current series against India, England are averaging almost 41 runs per wicket as batters thrive in conditions created by a hot and dry summer amid concerns about the viability of the Dukes ball, which has come in for significant criticism.

England's Ben Duckett reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket during the second day of the fourth cricket test match between England and India at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, England, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

This has created optimism in England about their prospects of reclaiming the Urn despite some torrid series down under this century, but Smith did have a warning for his rivals. Batting in Australia, he said, will be far harder than what England is experiencing at home.

“The wickets in Australia in the last three or four years have been very tricky for top order batters. It is going to be a good challenge for them,” he said.

“But it’s going to be a wonderful series. I have been watching the India and England series and there has been some great cricket played there, so I think the Ashes this year is going to be an absolute belter.”

In a positive sign for Australia in terms of his future, the veteran declared that he wanted to earn a place in the Australian team for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which is why he has been keen to participate in franchise formats in the US and The Hundred.

“I decided to stop playing one-day cricket so I can play more franchises, with the aim to make the Olympic team, so to play more shorter-form tournaments around the world is only going to be beneficial,” he said.

“It has been a long run for me and I have been doing this a long time. I am still enjoying it and particularly the shorter formats, and want to keep putting my name out there.”

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Australia's Steve Smith plays a shot against West Indies on day one of the third Test cricket match at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)