ICC asks people to describe Steve Smith’s Test return, Stuart Broad expresses anger

Steve Smith once again turned out to be the difference in an Ashes Test as Australia thrashed England by 251 runs at Edgbaston to go one-nil up in the five-match series. Despite playing his first Test after serving the one-year ban imposed on him in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, Smith hit the ground running. The former Australia skipper, who was the leading run-scorer in the last Ashes, set the tone for the series by scoring centuries in both the innings of the first Test.

In the first innings of the match, Smith walked out to bat with Australia in all sorts of trouble. The visitors were reeling at 17 for 2 with both their openers back in the hut. Australia’s condition only worsened as they were reduced to 122 for 8. However, before England could make more inroads in the game, Smith added 162 with Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon to help Australia post 284 on the board.

In the second innings, Smith came up with a 142-run knock to help Australia gain a significant lead of 397 runs. He also became the second-fastest to complete 25 Test centuries. The right-handed batsman took 119 innings to reach this landmark as he surpassed Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who achieved the feat in 127 innings. In addition, he also became only the fifth Australian to score centuries in both the innings of an Ashes Test.

Stuart Broad’s reaction on Smith’s special knocks

As Steve Smith continued to torment England, the International Cricket Council asked fans to describe the batsman’s performance using an emoji. While most reactions were happy ones given Smith’s dream comeback to Tests, England strike bowler Stuart Broad came up with a hilarious response.

The 33-year-old pacer, who had a tough time taking on Smith, posted an angry emoticon highlighting the damage Smith inflicted on England.

Talking about the game. England lost the first Test of an Ashes series at home for the first time in 14 years. Needing to bat out the day to earn a draw while chasing an improbable 398 to win, England never looked in contention to win or save the game. At one stage, they lost six wickets for 37 runs on the way to being bowled out for 146. Off-spinner Nathan Lyon took advantage of the worn pitch to claim 6 for 49 while pacer Pat Cummins picked up 4 for 32.