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Steve Smith cheekily dodged a question about his on-field heated verbal exchange with England pacer Jofra Archer on Day 4 of the second Australia vs England Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Australia defeated England by eight wickets at The Gabba, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Chasing just 65 for victory, Australia reached the target in 10 overs, with stand-in captain Steve Smith (23*) and Jake Weatherald (17*) finishing unbeaten. Earlier, England posted 334 in their first innings, powered by Joe Root's unbeaten 138--his maiden century in Australia. Australia responded strongly with 511, gaining a 177-run lead thanks to several half-centuries, including a top score of 77 from Mitchell Starc. England's second innings began positively but fell apart as Australia's bowlers-- Scott Boland, Michael Neser, and Starc--regularly struck, bowling them out for 241 despite a fighting 50 from Ben Stokes. A highlight of the Test was also an on-field verbal exchange between Smith and Archer on Day 4. Archer, bowling full-throttle, had a go at Smith after the batter struck a leg-side boundary off him. Smith retorted by saying, "Bowl fast when there's nothing going on champion." At the post-match press conference, when a reporter asked Smith about the exchange, he humorously avoided the question, saying it is none of anyone else's business to know what they said to each other. "He (Jofra Archer) was bowling good pace. Not really too sure what he said and not sure what I said, either. And it's really none of your business, either (laughs)," Smith said at the post-match press conference. Smith, who hit Archer for two fours and one six in a single over in the fourth innings, described his aggressive batting against Archer, saying the adrenaline was high and he aimed to hit a few big shots given the short boundary. "The adrenaline was pumping. Obviously, we didn't need too many to win and Jofra was bowling pretty quick, had a short boundary behind me and I though why not just try and get up and under a few and put a few in the stands. That was a huge win, great to go 2-nil up." Michael Neser, who grabbed his first-ever five-wicket haul in the Brisbane Test earned heavy praise from the Aussie captain. "He was sensational. Super proud of him. He has been around for a long time. It's his first five-wicket haul. He has been on a lot of tours. He has played a few pink-ball games now and has done a tremendous job. He did a wonderful job," Smith said further. (ANI)
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