Smith is expected to turn up for Sussex in three games
Ahead of the WTC final and Ashes series, Australia’s star batter Steve Smith has joined the English county team Sussex, where he will play under the captaincy of India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara.
Smith is expected to turn up for Sussex in three games against Worcestershire (May 4-7), Leicestershire (May 11-14) and Glamorgan (May 18-22) as a part of his preparation for the WTC final.
After joining Sussex, Smith shared his excitement about playing alongside Pujara, who is leading the side in the County Championship Division Two.
"The day I don't want to keep getting better and learning is the day I would probably call it quits. I am keen to play with Puj (Pujara) as well. I have played against him a lot, seen him score lot of runs against me. Hopefully we can spend a bit of time together in the middle and learn more about each other," Smith told Sussex Cricket website.
How would it be playing with Pujara and then against the Indian batter in a space of days?
"You are playing for the same team, have seen that for years playing the IPL While you are playing with each other you try as hard as you can have to success as a team and we will take care of their rest later on," Smith added.
During Sussex’s clash against Glamorgan, Smith will be up against his Australian teammate Marnus Labsuschagne.
"There has been a bit of banter. He thinks he is going to get me out out. We will se what happens. May be he will come into bowl when I come in. I am sure it would be good fun," Smith said.
"It is nice to be here. I have always wanted to play county cricket and it is going to be my first time which is hard to believe."
Talking about the Ashes, Smith added: "It is going to an exciting summer. England have been playing some incredible cricket over the last 12 months, very different from what we have seen before and we have been playing well too."
(With PTI Inputs)