ADELAIDE: England’s all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson says getting Steve Smith’s wicket cheaply is crucial to the tourists’ chances of squaring the Ashes series in Adelaide this week.
Smith was the difference with his defiant unbeaten 141 in Australia’s 10-wicket win over England in the first Brisbane Test.
Anderson, who looms as England’s big hope in tomorrow’s historic first-ever Ashes day-night Test at Adelaide Oval, is hoping quicker pitch conditions will help the tourists’ cause.
“He was the difference between the two teams. That first-innings lead would’ve been huge for us,” Anderson told reporters Thursday.
“So, getting him out here will be crucial. Hopefully more pace in the wicket might help us, but we’ve just got to be as relentless as we possibly can to someone like that.”
Anderson, who has 508 wickets in 130 Tests, is expected to be suited by the swing and movement with the pink ball off the Adelaide pitch in the twilight conditions along with his new-ball partner Stuart Broad.
Anderson said England have their plans to dismiss the Australian captain, who is the world’s top-rated Test batsman, and will continue to execute them in Adelaide.
“Obviously, the plans to him, I wouldn’t say they didn’t work, but we didn’t get him out, so they worked to an extent,” Anderson said.
“We dried his runs up and made him work really hard for his hundred but obviously we want to get him out.”
Smith was made to grind out his runs. It took 261 deliveries for Smith to reach triple figures in Brisbane in what was the slowest of his 21st Test centuries in terms of balls faced.
Smith’s Test-defining unbeaten century over eight-and-a-half hours gave Australia a 26-run first-innings lead which helped swing the momentum firmly toward Australia over the closing days of the Gabba Test.
“The encouraging thing for us is we came up with plans to all their batsmen before the series started and probably 70 percent of them worked,” Anderson said.
“For us that’s encouraging, we can build on that. But there’s still that small matter of someone getting 140 which we need to deal with.
“We know the dangers of David Warner at the top of the innings as well, so we’ve got to keep working hard at getting those guys out because we know how pivotal they are in their line-up.”
Anderson said the touring squad had rallied around Jonny Bairstow, who caused an unwanted distraction when details emerged of a late-night head-butting incident involving Australia’s new Test batsman Cameron Bancroft in Perth at the outset of England’s Ashes tour.
The England wicketkeeper said the incident was blown out of proportion, but a midnight curfew has been put in place for the players for the rest of the Australian tour.
“If anything it will galvanize us as a group,” Anderson said. “If we need any more incentive to get back in the series, it will give us that.”
Anderson said he was delighted to hear that Australia would “go hard at us” in Adelaide.
“It’s something I’ve always enjoyed. When someone is trying to get under my skin in all walks of life it makes me more determined,” he said.
The Ashes: England need to find an answer to Smith
The Ashes: England need to find an answer to Smith
Rocky 2025 for Green Falcons leaves Saudi fans anxious ahead of 2026 World Cup
- Herve Renard’s team secured a seventh qualification for the Kingdom, but the year ended in disappointment after the semifinal exit at the Arab Cup
RIYADH: Just over three years ago, the Saudi men’s national team did the unthinkable, defeating eventual world champions Argentina in their opening match at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, with just under six months until the Green Falcons kick off against Uruguay, the contrast in sentiment surrounding the national team could hardly be starker.
The road since 2022 has been anything but smooth. While Herve Renard was head coach during Saudi Arabia’s memorable 2022 campaign, this is now his second tenure in the Kingdom. A brief spell under Roberto Mancini, one many Saudi fans would rather forget, saw progress stall on the road to 2026.
Despite significant excitement surrounding Renard’s in October 2024, the second chapter so far has failed to inspire.
A draw against Australia and a loss to Indonesia marked the beginning of Renard’s return, followed by an underwhelming campaign at the 26th Gulf Cup. Saudi Arabia did make it through to the semifinals, but for a nation that has not lifted a trophy since early 2004, supporters were desperate for silverware, even at the regional level.
There were signs of improvement at the start of 2025. Wins against China and Bahrain, alongside a draw in Japan, left the Greens one victory away from direct World Cup qualification — albeit requiring a favorable swing in goal difference after Australia’s last-minute win over Japan.
However, defeat to Australia, followed by another disappointing campaign, this time at the 2025 Gold Cup in the US, saw fans’ pessimism creep back in ahead of the fourth round of World Cup qualification.
A narrow win over Indonesia, coupled with a draw against Iraq, meant Saudi Arabia ultimately secured World Cup qualification for the seventh time. With the 2025 Arab Cup on the horizon, the Greens found themselves at a crossroads: Win the Arab Cup, and momentum heading into 2026 would be sky-high. Lose, and uncomfortable questions would resurface.
Saudi Arabia did reach the knockout stages, but once again, doubts remained. Renard’s trip to the US for the World Cup draw meant he missed out on the Comoros group stage clash, and that did little to ease concerns. Still, the Greens were three matches away from their first title in 21 years.
Palestine proved stern opposition in the quarterfinals, but Mohammed Kanno’s late intervention sent Saudi Arabia through to face Jordan, the 2023 Asian Cup finalists.
Jordan’s rise has increasingly unsettled the Saudi fanbase. Between 1970 and 2018, Saudi Arabia had lost to their neighbors just three times in 11 meetings. That has all changed since 2019, with Jordan triumphing in three of their last four outings against the Greens.
They would ultimately make it four from five, as a solitary second-half goal was enough to launch Jordan to their first-ever final, and disappointment once again took over the Saudi camp.
That result intensified calls for Renard to be sacked ahead of the World Cup. Rumors suggested his departure was imminent, but the Saudi Arabian Football Federation swiftly denied anything of the sort.
It is worth noting that Renard himself has already made history, becoming the first coach to lead Saudi Arabia to World Cup qualification in 2022 and remaining in the role for the start of the tournament. Should he remain in charge for 2026, he would also become the first to manage the team at two consecutive World Cups.
Yet while SAFF and Renard turn their attention to their next challenge, Saudi fans remain anxious.
Speaking to Arab News, local fan Ahmed Al-Bawardi said the issue extends beyond results. “It’s not so much about the results, but the national team’s identity,” he said.
“We don’t look like a well-oiled team on the pitch, and we don’t feel the same excitement as we did in 2022.”
Asked whether he would like Renard to stay, Al-Bawardi added: “Sacking Renard might solve some problems, but what we’re seeing is deeper than just bad tactics.”
Renard himself has repeatedly pointed to the limited game time afforded to domestic players in the Roshn Saudi League. Al-Bawardi responded with a sentiment shared by many Saudi fans: “The Premier League is the best in the world. How many domestic players start there?”
According to TransferMarkt data for the 2025/26 season, the Premier League has 544 players registered, 388 of whom are foreign — a staggering 71 percent. The Roshn Saudi League, by comparison, is still some way off — only 37.5 percent of the league’s players are foreign.
Balancing the national team’s development alongside the league’s rapid expansion was never going to be easy. Nor was switching managerial philosophies, only to return to one whose previous work was partially undone.
As Saudi Arabia looks ahead to 2026, unease remains among the fanbase. With a World Cup group that includes former world champions Spain and Uruguay, the road to the US, Mexico and Canada may still prove to be rocky.
