Steve Smith inks short-term deal with Sussex with an eye on Ashes

Australian stalwart Steve Smith will prepare for this year’s Ashes series in England by playing three matches for Sussex in the four-day County Championship. The stint will help Smith get acclimatized to the English conditions ahead of the marquee series and a potential World Test Championship final at the Oval in London.

In the last Ashes series in England, in 2019, Smith scored a whopping 774 runs and averaged 110.57.

“To have arguably the world’s best batter play for Sussex just before an eagerly awaited Ashes Test series is great for us and the County Championship,” Sussex CEO Rob Andrew said Thursday.

Smith, ranked No.2 in Test cricket, said he was “particularly looking forward to working with the younger players in the squad and hoping I can provide some guidance to them.”