Steve Smith’s enduring brilliance gives England sinking feeling once again | James Wallace

The Australian’s invincibility cloak has a few holes in it these days but given his record against England runs in upcoming clashes seem inevitable

Coldplay’s Chris Martin tells a story about the litmus test of playing stadium gigs. Well, the lavatory test. “When you are singing somewhere like Wembley Arena, you can only really see the outline of the exits.” During some songs, Martin explains that all you can see is a clear gangway under the exit light. “You think, ‘wonderful, this song is great’… But when those lights get blocked and everyone is going to the bathroom, you’re like ‘Gah, that song is out, we should never have put that song on the setlist!’”

The Oval. 2019. Fifth Ashes Test. Martin’s quote pops into my head as Steve Smith comes out to bat in Australia’s first innings. Smith’s arrival is met with the usual, if less vociferous booing, but after scoring 671 runs in five innings, there’s also a sort of grudging respect in the south London air.

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