‘Best Ever Strength Test’: Steve Smith Gears Up for the Ashes with Intense Training

Australian cricketer Steve Smith is working diligently to improve his preparations before the Ashes series. Speaking about his preparations, he mentioned that his strength test score was the best ever. Speaking to Fox Sports, the 36-year-old said, "I've been training very hard. Lifting a lot of weights. Trying to strengthen myself. I did all my strength tests yesterday, and the results were the best ever. I think I'm ready for a great summer."

Smith has not played competitive cricket since The Hundred, which concluded in August. He returned from New York last week and has since completed three net sessions. He will face bowlers for the first time on Tuesday to begin his preparations for next month's Ashes.

The Ashes series between England and Australia is starting on the 21st of November. Smith will play the opening match of the series in Perth, prior to which he has scheduled two Sheffield Shield matches. He may play against Queensland at Brisbane next week, followed by a match against Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground in November.

The New South Wales player has delayed the commencement of his summer season because of fears of mental exhaustion. The aim of Smith is to prevent overexertion prior to the five-Test series. Cricket Australia (CA) has endorsed this move.

Smith said, "I feel I get mentally tired faster now than I used to. I know that if I play too many matches at the beginning of the season, I become mentally exhausted by the end of the summer and may not perform as well. Balance is definitely important, but it doesn't take me as long to get back into the swing of things. I try to stay mentally fresh as much as possible."