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Only Ricky Ponting: Stuart Broad has conceded he still does not know how to dismiss Steve Smith, warning that the Ashes could turn into a “long series” for England if they fail to remove Australia’s premier batter early.

Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, the retired England great was blunt about the challenge Smith continues to pose. “I remember he got this big two hundred (239 in Perth in 2017) and I did not miss the middle of his bat for three days,” Broad said. “Every ball I tried to bowl just hit the middle of his bat.”

Smith, 36, remains one of modern cricket’s most prolific Test batters, averaging 56.01 in Ashes cricket with 12 centuries. His performances have shaped several series, including the 2017-18 and 2019 contests where he piled up 687 and 774 runs respectively. Broad dismissed him 11 times in Tests — more than any other bowler — yet the former England seamer says he still cannot identify a clear method to get him out. “Obviously (Smith’s) technique’s changed throughout, but I still can't sit here and go ‘well this is how you get him out’,” he admitted. “That’s an unbelievable strength of his. He’s incredibly difficult to bowl at. Sometimes you don’t feel like you’ve bowled a bad ball and it still goes for four.”