In front of the WTC final and Ashes next month, Australian batsman Steve Smith says he is looking forward to “learning more about” Cheteshwar Pujara when he makes his County debut.
As part of his preparation for the WTC final on June 7 and the highly anticipated Ashes match against England beginning on June 16, Smith is anticipated to play three games for Sussex against Worcestershire (May 4-7), Leicestershire (May 11-14), and a home game against Glamorgan (May 18-22).
Smith said that the IPL has helped him get used to playing with competing international athletes, and he is excited to team up with Pujara, who has been leading Sussex this year.
“The day I decide not to continue improving and learning is the day I would definitely give up. As also, I'm eager to play with Puj (Pujara). I've played against him a lot and watched as he often scored runs against me. In the middle, perhaps, we can come to know one another better by spending some time together.
How would it feel to play alongside Pujara one day, then the Indian hitter the next?
“You are playing for the same team, have seen that for years playing the IPL While you are playing with each other you try as hard as you can have to success as a team and we will take care of their rest later on,” Smith said on the Sussex Cricket website.
When Sussex plays Glamorgan, Smith will face off against Australian teammate and friend Marnus Labsuschagne. They already laughed about it together.
There was some light joking. He believes he will be able to free me. We'll see what transpires. Maybe he'll enter the bowl when I do. It would undoubtedly be enjoyable, Smith assured.
“It's pleasant to be here. It's hard to imagine that I'll be playing county cricket for the first time, but I've always wanted to.
He said, “It's going to be an incredible summer. Over the past year, England has played some incredible cricket that is very different from anything we have seen before, and we have also been playing well.
