To a chorus of Australian cheers, and jeers aimed at England, the second Ashes Test ended not with a whimper but a bang. Steve Smith sent a flash of pink soaring over the rope to seal an emphatic eight-wicket victory for his side, moments after swapping words with Jofra Archer.
“You bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion,” was Smith’s dig, before sealing the 2-0 series lead that only one side in Test history has ever overcome, Australia in 1936-37. The current team’s second-innings target was a modest 65 runs and, while he was sending down serious heat, Archer’s match figures were hobbled by poor catching. It was hard to disagree with the broader sentiment side-mouthed by Smith: day four was too little, too late from Ben Stokes and his team.
