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BRISBANE: Australia skipper Steve Smith and England fast bowler Jofra Archer were involved in a heated altercation during the second Ashes Test here at the Gabba on Sunday.
Smith propelled Australia over the line with an unbeaten 23 off just nine balls, which was laced with two sixes and two fours, including two boundaries and a maximum in Archer’s over.
With this, Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, defeating England by eight wickets in a commanding all-round display.
However, things got heated. Smith took on Archer, who was bowling at 150km/h. The right-hander hit a four off the first off Archer and missed the next ball in a bid to hit an uppercut.
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After this, both exchanged words with the pacer, asking Smith why he was playing shots when there was nothing on the scoreboard.
“Why play your shots when there’s no rush on the scoreboard?” Archer had asked Smith.
The ace batter gave a cheeky reply, “You bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion.”
Archer did not bowl another over, as Smith launched Gus Atkinson over deep square leg for six before an animated celebration with Weatherald.
After the match, Smith commented on the spat and explained the reason behind his aggressive approach.
“I heard there’s a bit of a storm coming around. We obviously had a few behind us. It was a chance to just play a few shots,” he said.
“The adrenaline was pumping at the end there. Obviously, we didn’t need too many to win, and Jof was bowling pretty quick.
I had a short boundary behind me, and I thought, ‘Why not just try to get up and under a few, and put a few in the stands?’ Fortunately, it hit the middle of the bat on a couple of occasions,” Smith explained.
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