Ollie Pope has nothing but respect for Aussie great Steve Smith, but reckons England will present a stiffer and quirkier challenge for him this summer.
Smith collected his 31st Test hundred against India in the World Test Championship final in ominous style ahead of his eighth Ashes series.
The 34-year-old averages 60 from his 32 matches against England so far and looks set to continue that trend this summer after a stint with Sussex got him nicely acclimatised for the Test summer. But Pope is happy to suspend his appreciation of the batting legend, with Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum ready to mastermind a miserable campaign for the Aussie.
