Smith ready to face Archer again

Australia talisman Steve Smith has said he will change nothing in his approach to facing Jofra Archer after being hit by a short ball from England’s tearaway paceman, but admitted the blow had revived troubling memories of Phillip Hughes.

Smith’s former Australia teammate Hughes died after being struck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match in Sydney in 2014, shining the spotlight on the dangers of short-pitched bowling.

Smith was floored by a short Archer ball in the second Test at Lord’s, and though he returned to bat after a concussion test, he was later ruled out of the third match at Headingley, which England won in a cliffhanger by one wicket.

“I had a few things running through my mind, particularly where I got hit,” Smith said.

“Like a bit of the past sort of came up, from a few years ago.

“Then I thought, ‘I’m actually OK here’. I was a bit sad, but I was all right mentally for the rest of that afternoon.”

The five-match series is level at 1-1 ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford next week.

Smith did not relish being a spectator at Headingley, but said he expected to be back in the thick of it in Manchester.

He dismissed the idea that Archer might have an edge against him should they face off again.

“No, I’m not really going to change anything.

“There’s been a bit of talk that he’s got the wood over me, but he hasn’t got me out,” Smith said of Archer.

“He hit me on the head on a wicket that was a bit up and down at Lord’s.

“All the other bowlers have had more success against me.

“I’ve faced them a bit more, but they’ve all got me out a lot more, so, yeah, pretty comfortable about that.”

Smith sounded equally comfortable with the prospect of an even heavier short-ball barrage at Old Trafford.

“If you bowl it up there, it means they can’t nick me off or hit me on the pad or hit the stumps,” he shrugged.