Sheffield Shield: Steve Smith to lead NSW ahead of Ashes
What's the story
Star batter Steve Smith will lead New South Wales (NSW) against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield, Australia's premier First-Class competition. He is replacing Jack Edwards, who is the official captain of NSW. However, he was happy to accommodate the switch for a one-off game. This will be Smith's first time captaining NSW in eight years, according to ESPNcricinfo. Notably, Smith will also lead Australia in the first Ashes Test in place of the injured Pat Cummins.
Captaincy record
Smith's role in the upcoming Test series
As mentioned, Smith will lead the Australian side against England in the first Test at Perth. Cummins is ruled out due to a back injury, making Smith's role even more crucial. Since Cummins took over as captain in the 2021/22 season, Smith has led Australia six times and won five Tests. Notably, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are also part of Smith's New South Wales squad.
Squads
A look at two squads
New South Wales squad: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Ryan Hadley, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Konstas, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Will Salzmann, and Mitchell Starc. Victoria squad: Will Sutherland (captain), Scott Boland, Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, Todd Murphy, Fergus O'Neill, and Oliver Peake.
Form
Victoria squad for the upcoming match
Smith recently sent a warning to England ahead of the Ashes series by scoring a brilliant 118 for NSW. The match was part of the Sheffield Shield tournament against Queensland at The Gabba. Despite not playing cricket for more than two months, Smith looked in great touch. Smith is currently Australia's fourth-highest run-getter (10,477), behind Ricky Ponting (13,378), Allan Border (11,174), and Steve Waugh (10,927).