England left in a conundrum over Smith but Root can take positives

By Chris Stocks

Style: Rory Burns hits out during his first innings 133

HOW do you solve a problem like Steve Smith? It’s a conundrum England were unable to answer as the Australian produced a virtuoso display of batting to almost single-handedly give his country first blood in this Ashes series.
Smith’s twin centuries at Edgbaston turned this opening Test on its head, his first helping his side recover from 122-8 on day one and his second setting up victory for Australia after England had taken a 90-run first-innings lead.
In the process, Smith not only completed hi...

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