Last update: May 03, 2023, 10:52 a.m. HST
Steve Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara (AFP)
Australian Steve Smith and Indian Cheteshwar Pujara are set to play together for Sussex in the English County Championship
Australian striker Steve Smith said he was delighted to ‘learn more about’ Cheteshwar Pujara as he makes his county debut with the two star players playing for the same team ahead of the WTC final and Ashes on next month.
Smith is set to play three games for Sussex against Worcestershire (May 4-7), Leicestershire (May 11-14) and a home game against Glamorgan (May 18-22) as part of his preparation for the WTC final on June 7 and the flagship battle of the Ashes against England from June 16.
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Smith said the IPL had helped him get used to playing alongside rival international players and he was looking forward to playing alongside Pujara, who captained Sussex this season.
“The day I don’t want to keep improving and learning is the day I would probably quit. I also want to play with Puj (Pujara). I played a lot against him, I saw him score a lot of points against me. Hopefully we can spend some time together in the middle and learn more about each other.”
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How would it be to play with Pujara and then against the Indian striker in a few days?
“You are playing for the same team, you have seen that for years you are playing in the IPL. While you are playing with each other, you are doing your best to be successful as a team and we will take care of their rest more late,” Smith said. told the Sussex Cricket website.
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Smith will face his Australian teammate and friend Marnus Labsushagne when Sussex take on Glamorgan. The two have already had a good laugh.
“There was a bit of talk. He thinks he’s going to get me out. We’ll see what happens. Maybe he’ll come in the bowl when I walk in. I’m sure it would be a lot of fun,” Smith said.
“It’s nice to be here. I’ve always wanted to play county cricket and it will be my first time, which is hard to believe.”
On the Ashes, he added: “It’s going to be an exciting summer. England have played amazing cricket over the last 12 months, very different to what we’ve seen before and we’ve played well too.”
(With agency contributions)
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