Thu Dec 04 11:40:00 UTC 2025: News Article:

Smith Set to Pile Misery on Archer as Wicket-less Streak Looms

Brisbane, Australia – The rivalry between England’s Jofra Archer and Australia’s Steve Smith is set to reignite at the Gabba in the second Ashes Test, but this time with an unwanted statistical milestone hanging over Archer’s head. The fiery England paceman is on the verge of bowling the most deliveries to Smith in Test cricket without dismissing him.

According to Opta data, Archer needs just 26 more wicket-less deliveries to surpass South African Vernon Philander’s record of 214 balls bowled to Smith without success. Since their epic clashes began at Lord’s in 2019, Archer has bowled 189 balls to Smith, conceding 96 runs without taking his wicket.

The stakes are high as England seeks to bounce back from their defeat in Perth. Despite dismissing Smith once in an ODI, Archer’s only significant “win” against the Australian in Tests was a concussion sustained at Lord’s, which forced Smith to miss the remainder of the match and the subsequent Test.

The fascinating dynamic between the two players is explored in cricket.com.au’s latest podcast episode, “Best Since Bradman: The Return of Steven Smith,” which delves into Smith’s comeback after the Cape Town controversy and his record-breaking 2019 Ashes series.

Teammate Pat Cummins features in the podcast and reminisces on the 2019 Ashes, “Every time we batted, it was like, ‘Well, how many between 100 and 200 is he going to get this innings, or is he going to keep batting for longer?’ They threw everything at him. You saw the bowlers lose their minds. It was just incredible”.

Adding fuel to the fire, Stuart Broad previously suggested Archer would be eager to bowl at Smith. Smith’s response at the time: “there’s been a bit of talk that he’s got the wood over me, but he hasn’t actually got me out”. He then went on to score 211 and 82 in the next test.

Will Archer finally break through and claim Smith’s wicket, or will Smith continue to dominate the English bowler and rewrite the record books?

Key Dates:

  • Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane
  • Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval
  • Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne
  • Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney

Squads:

For full squads see cricket.com.au

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