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Stuart Broad has confessed that he remains uncertain about a reliable method to dismiss the Australian star and states that the historic series could become an extended struggle if the English team cannot dismiss Smith quickly.

The Batsman's Impressive Statistics

Steve Smith, who is considered one of the finest contemporary cricketers, maintains an outstanding average of over 56 in the Ashes series with 12 centuries to his name.

Smith, competing in each England-Australia encounter since the 2010-11 season, was the top scorer during the 2017-18 and subsequent 2019 matches, accumulating 687 and 774 runs while the English bowler was part of England's squad.

Broad's Frustration

"It's vivid in my memory when he made that huge 239 in Perth during 2017 and I couldn't avoid the perfect contact for the entire match," Broad shared on a cricket podcast.

"Whatever I bowled I aimed just connected the center of his blade."

"He possesses that unique mentality of 'this pitch suits me, and I'm determined not to get out."

Impressive Numbers

The English bowler succeeded in removing the batsman on 11 occasions in international tests - three more than competing pitchers - yet admits he hasn't identified a consistent weakness.

His overall batting average of 56.02 climbs to 59.70 when playing at home. Just the iconic the Australian legend with 41 hundreds has achieved greater numbers than Smith's 36 Test hundreds for the national side.

Bowling Difficulties

Broad remarked: "Clearly his technique has evolved throughout his career, but I continue to struggle to confidently state this approach works to dismiss him."

"That represents a remarkable quality of his. He's tremendously tough to confront. On occasion you feel as if you didn't send a poor ball and it nevertheless travels for a boundary."

Recent Form and Preparation

Smith's performance showed some reduction between June 2023 and December 2024 when he had 23 batting opportunities failing to score a hundred, but he recovered with two hundreds against India last winter and scored 141 and 131 against the Sri Lankan team at the beginning of 2025.

Subsequent to a two-month break, he commenced his training for the England-Australia contest in the end of October and immediately scored 118 runs in his first appearance.

Series Strategy

"To win the series, it's essential to restrict his scoring to less than 50, isn't that true?" Broad questioned.

"He'll inevitably get a hundred, it's his trademark."

"If he averages 40, that amounts to a minimum of fifteen below his career average, so your strategy is working. In my opinion you must remove him before he settles."

"Should the English team aren't celebrating getting him out within the initial 40 runs, it will become a long series."

Evolution of Tactics

England has experimented with different approaches to combat Smith's unique technique over a decade and a half of Ashes competition.

Broad revealed developing a new outswinger designed against Smith before the previous encounter, while English bowlers have aimed at his pads, delivered outside from off stump and even attempted for catches at leg gully during the 2019 series - a series that Smith started with back-to-back hundreds at the Birmingham ground.

Unforgettable Instances

"I recall when Jason Roy was fielding at leg gully, and he repeatedly dove left and right for the opening overs, just missing him on several occasions," Broad described.

"Smith got away, scored two centuries in that contest, remarkable performances."

Broad added: "I participated in a bowlers' meeting about Steve Smith in 2017-18 and the coaches proposed maybe we can test targeting his wickets early'}."

"Interesting suggestion, let's verify how many times he's lost his wickets in Australia during the last five years?' Just once."

Archer's Potential Impact

The upcoming series, which starts in the Western Australian city (specific timing), seems set to include the batsman confronting the English fast bowler for the first time in Tests since that year, when he was famously troubled and faced a rising delivery during the fast bowler's intense over at that famous venue.

Smith has consistently emphasized that Archer failed to remove him in that game - he was forced to leave and was eventually out by Woakes' delivery upon coming back - though the bowler succeeded to have him caught on a horizontal bat in an ODI during the previous season.

"Could the fast bowler provide the answer?" the bowler questioned. "Making him nick from that specific line, following the delivery."

"Given that the bowler has that trajectory of curving into the stumps, could he produce one that moves away? The batsman expects the nip-backer."