Stuart Broad competed against Steve Smith in 32 encounters and managed to dismiss him 11 instances.
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The veteran bowler admitted that he remains uncertain about an effective strategy to get out the Australian star and warns that the historic series could become an extended struggle if England fails to remove Smith quickly.
Smith's Remarkable Career
The 36-year-old batsman, recognized as a top-tier batters of this generation, holds an impressive average of over 56 in England-Australia contests with 12 tons to his name.
Smith, having played in each England-Australia encounter since 2010-11, was the top scorer during the 2017-18 and subsequent 2019 contests, scoring 687 and 774 runs while the English bowler was playing for England.
Facing Smith's Batting
"It's vivid in my memory when he compiled that massive double century in Perth during 2017 and I couldn't avoid the perfect contact for the entire match," Broad shared on a sports program.
"Whatever I bowled I tried just connected perfectly with his bat."
"He possesses that unique mentality of 'this pitch suits me, and I'm determined not to get out."
Record-Breaking Performance
The English bowler succeeded in removing Smith 11 times in the longest format - surpassing other bowlers - yet admits he hasn't identified a reliable method.
His overall batting average of 56.02 climbs to nearly 60 when on home soil. Just the iconic Ricky Ponting with 41 tons has registered higher figures than 36 hundred-run innings for the national side.
Facing the Batting Genius
Broad remarked: "Clearly his technique has evolved during different phases, but I still cannot confidently state here's the method to get him out."
"This demonstrates a remarkable quality of his. He's incredibly challenging to face. At times it seems that you haven't bowled a bad delivery and it still races for a boundary."
Recent Form and Preparation
His output dipped somewhat between June 2023 and December 2024 when he went 23 appearances unable to make a ton, but he recovered with two hundreds against India in the previous season and made 131 and 141 runs against the Sri Lankan team at the beginning of 2025.
Subsequent to a 60-day pause, he began his training for the England-Australia contest in late October and promptly made 118 runs in his first appearance.
Series Strategy
"For series victory, we need to contain his output to below fifty, correct?" the bowler asked.
"He'll inevitably get a century, it's his trademark."
"Should he maintain 40 runs, that represents no less than 15 under his lifetime figure, so you're performing excellently. I think you must remove him before he settles."
"Unless England don't succeed in removing him within the first forty scoring shots, it will become a drawn-out battle."
Adapting Approaches
England has tried multiple strategies to combat Smith's unique style during 14 Ashes series matches.
The bowler mentioned developing a new outswinger designed against Smith before the previous encounter, while England has targeted his pads, bowled wide from the third stump and even attempted the close-in leg-side field during that year's matches - a series that Smith started with back-to-back hundreds at the Birmingham ground.
Unforgettable Instances
"I remember when the English fielder was positioned at that close leg-side position, and he kept diving in both directions for the first 30 deliveries, barely failing to catch multiple times," Broad described.
"The batsman survived, got double tons in that match, unbelievable innings."
The bowler continued: "I remember attending a bowlers' meeting about the Australian batsman in 2017-18 and someone mentioned maybe we can test targeting his wickets early'}."
"'Oh really, could we examine the frequency with which he's been bowled in Australia during recent years?' A single instance."
Fast Bowling Option
The forthcoming contest, beginning in the Western Australian city (02:30 GMT), seems set to include the batsman confronting Jofra Archer for their initial test meeting since that year, when he was famously troubled and faced a rising delivery during Archer's aggressive bowling at that famous venue.
Smith has consistently emphasized that Archer failed to remove him in that particular Test - he had to retire hurt and was eventually out leg before wicket to Woakes upon resuming his innings - though Arcer did manage to dismiss him on a horizontal bat in a limited-overs match during the previous season.
"Can Jofra Archer provide the answer?" Broad asked. "Getting him to edge from back of a length, going after the ball."
"Since Archer maintains that line of moving inward toward the target, could he produce an outgoing delivery? Smith looks for the nip-backer."
