\u201cIt was dark and overcast. It was pretty challenging,\u201d Smith recalled. \u201cObviously, it was his first Test match. I\u2019m sure he was up and about. He was quite quick that spell. It was tricky. I was trying to find a way to navigate through it. The wicket was tough. I was trying to find a way to play it with the variable bounce. It was hard work.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Smith, unbeaten on 80 at the time, was struck twice by Archer \u2014 first on the arm, then on the neck \u2014 forcing him to retire hurt. The incident brought Lord\u2019s to a standstill and marked the birth of one of cricket\u2019s fiercest on-field rivalries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cHe obviously hit me on the arm, which hurt quite a bit,\u201d Smith said. \u201cFrom there, I was actually in quite a bit of pain. I was struggling to get my hands up. Then it was trying to navigate through an up-and-down wicket. Overcast conditions, pace, sore arm. Then he obviously hit me on the neck. He was bowling quickly on an up-and-down wicket.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite the painful blow, Smith was cleared to return after a brief medical assessment. \u201cWhen I came off, I was feeling alright after getting hit,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was more of a bit of shock to begin with. I was okay, I felt fine. I passed all the tests for the concussion, so I could come back out and bat. It wasn\u2019t ideal at that stage, but it was a nice little battle.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
When he returned to the crease, Smith was met with a mixture of applause and boos from the Lord\u2019s crowd. He struck a couple of crisp boundaries off Chris Woakes before being trapped LBW for 92 \u2014 a rare dismissal in which Smith later admitted his judgment had been clouded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI was obviously struggling a bit with my arm at that stage, so that was probably weighing on my mind more than anything else,\u201d he said. \u201cI was in a bit of pain, I think I slogged one off Woakes, played one of the best back-foot punches I\u2019d ever hit. And then maybe the concussion symptoms were kicking in then because I left one on the middle stump. (Woakes) bowled me a beautiful in-swinger, actually, I\u2019d never seen it from him before. I was normally lining him up to balls going away or straight, and he bowled me an in-swinger. It was the first time I\u2019d seen it from him. I reviewed it because I was the last batsman, but I knew I was dead. Maybe the symptoms came in a little early,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Later that evening, Smith began to feel the delayed effects of the blow. \u201cWhen all my adrenaline went out of my system later that night was when I started to get some symptoms and feel pretty ordinary,\u201d he admitted. \u201cIt felt like I\u2019d had ten beers, which obviously isn\u2019t a good sign.\u201d He was ruled out of the third Test at Headingley under concussion protocols and replaced by Marnus Labuschagne \u2014 who, famously, went on to cement his own Test career from that point.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite missing a match, Smith still finished the 2019 Ashes as the leading run-scorer with 774 runs at an astonishing average of 110.57. His comeback from the ball-tampering ban had already been the talk of world cricket, but that series elevated him to mythical status.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI went to another level in the way I was playing,\u201d Smith reflected. \u201cWe played on a few wickets where there was quite a bit going on, and it was tricky, and I was able to navigate through different situations, particularly that first Test. That was a huge moment for me. Obviously, I\u2019d been out for a year and didn\u2019t know that I was even going to come back into the team, let alone score another hundred. I felt like I was batting really nicely and to back it up with my second hundred in that game as well, something I\u2019d never done before and haven\u2019t done since, was pretty cool as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In 20 Ashes Tests since his debut, Smith has scored 3417 runs at an average of 56.01, with 12 centuries \u2014 second only to Sir Donald Bradman\u2019s 19.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI went to another level in the way I was playing,\u201d Smith reflected. \u201cWe played on a few wickets where there was quite a bit going on, and it was tricky, and I was able to navigate through different situations, particularly that first Test. That was a huge moment for me. Obviously, I\u2019d been out for a year and didn\u2019t know that I was even going to come back into the team, let alone score another hundred. I felt like I was batting really nicely and to back it up with my second hundred in that game as well, something I\u2019d never done before and haven\u2019t done since, was pretty cool as well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The upcoming Ashes series, starting November 21 at Perth Stadium, will once again see Smith in the battle against Archer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n