Steve Smith has questioned England’s bowling selections for the upcoming Ashes series, hinting that the visitors may have misread Australian conditions by opting for an all-out pace attack. The England squad features express quicks such as Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, alongside Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, and Josh Tongue — all capable of touching speeds above 145 kph but lacking in traditional seam-bowling variety. Smith, who will lead Australia in the opening Test at Perth in the absence of Pat Cummins, believes Australian pitches this summer could reward bowlers who rely on movement rather than raw pace. Speaking to Australian media after a strong start to his domestic season, the veteran batter noted that seamers like the now-retired James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Chris Woakes might have been more effective on the expected surfaces. “I think the wickets are a bit different these days,” Smith said after scoring 57 and 56 not out against Victoria, to go with a century against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. “Those nibbling seamers can actually be quite tricky. They might have got things a bit wrong in terms of the pace from previous years. Sometimes, the slower bowlers are harder to face when you have to make the pace yourself.” Smith has been in fine touch since returning from a six-week break during which he didn’t pick up a bat. “It was nice to spend some time in the middle and find some rhythm again,” he said. The first Ashes Test begins on November 21 in Perth, followed by a day-night encounter in Brisbane. The series will then move to Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, with conditions expected to offer bounce and carry — a test for England’s pace-heavy strategy.
