England v Australia

‘Remind me when I was dismissed by him’ – Steve Smith retorts at tweet saying Jofra Archer ‘terrorised’ Australia batters

by Wisden Staff May 16, 2023 - 2:34pm 2 minute read

Steve Smith has hit back at a tweet claiming he was ‘terrorised’ by Jofra Archer during the 2019 Ashes.

The England fast bowler, who took 22 Australian wickets at 20 in his first Test series four years ago, was recently ruled out for the summer after picking up another elbow problem.

He has never dismissed Smith in Test cricket, but did famously hit him on the head with a 92mph bouncer at Lords. The batter was forced to sit out the next match due to concussion, as England pulled off a famous victory at Headingley.

The former Australian captain still enjoyed an excellent summer with the bat, and finished with 774 runs at 110 from four Tests.

Four years on, Smith remains eager to defend his record. After a tweet from CODE Cricket suggested he had been ‘terrorised’ by Archer, the 33-year-old replied: ‘remind me when I was dismissed by him.’

Archer’s most devastating spell (6-45) came in Smith’s absence at Headingley, although he did take another six-wicket haul at the Oval. Smith was the only Australian to pass fifty in the innings, as England won to draw the series 2-2.

Aside from getting riled by tweets about his past form, Smith has been preparing for the upcoming Ashes series with a stint as Sussex’s overseas player.

He is yet to hit his best form with scores of 30 and 3 in his first two County Championship games, and there is an argument to be made that he makes the Division Two side weaker.