Leeds: Jofra Archer has set the stage on fire in his very first Test match as his bouncer struck the neck of Steve Simth beacuse of which he is ruled out of the Headingly Test. The bouncer was the most higlighted part of the second Test. Another talking point from the match was Smith's unique style of leaving the ball.
In a video posted by cricket.com.au, Archer can be seen having a practice session. In the video, Archer plays a straight drive just like Smith and then he goes on to leave the ball in exactly the same manner as Smith.
Smith's antics with the bat in the second Test match had sent the Twitterverse into a tizzy as many cricket fans were seen voicing their opinion of how the batsman was leaving the ball outside the off-stump.
"I'd rather watch a 24-hour compilation of Steve Smith leaving the ball than face Jofra Archer. #bbccricket," one fan posted on Twitter.
"Leaving the ball is also a very important part of batsmanship in 5-day matches, but if the matter is how you leave it then Steve Smith might be the first batsman in the history of Test cricket to leave the ball in some style. #Ashes," another fan tweeted.
Both Smith and Archer were engaged in an intense battle in the second Test match, and the former was hit on the neck by a bouncer bowled by the latter.
Smith will be missing the third Test match as he has not recovered in time after suffering a delayed concussion.
The 30-year-old had to deal with two blows on day four of the second Test match. First, he was struck on the elbow by Jofra Archer and soon after he got a hit on the neck by a bouncer from the pacer.