DARREN STEVENS

So, Steve Smith has arrived on these shores to play three County Championship matches for Sussex. Or, to put it another way, he’s come over for a net in the lead-up to the Ashes, and from that point of view it’s disappointing. We’d rather he’d be hitting balls against the machine back in Australia, wouldn’t we?
Smith (below) is just interested in facing as many balls as possible, getting used to the pitches and to the climate. He’ll not be fussed about how many runs he makes for Sussex. What he’s thinking about is that first Test at Edgbaston beginning on June 16.

It’s a h...