The English bowler faced the Australian batsman in 32 matches and managed to dismiss him 11 times.
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The veteran bowler admitted that he still lacks a reliable method to remove Steve Smith and suggests that the historic series could become a lengthy battle if the English team cannot dismiss Smith during the initial stages.
Smith's Remarkable Career
Steve Smith, recognized as one of the finest batters of this generation, boasts a remarkable average of 56.01 in Ashes cricket with 12 hundred-run innings to his name.
The right-handed batsman, who has participated in all Ashes contests since 2010-11, was the top scorer during both the 2017-18 and 2019 matches, accumulating 687 and 774 runs while the English bowler was in the national team.
Facing Smith's Batting
"I remember clearly when he compiled that substantial innings in the 2017 Perth match and I failed to miss the sweet spot for the full duration," Broad commented on a cricket podcast.
"Every delivery I attempted just connected his bat's middle."
"He maintains that particular mindset of 'this pitch suits me, and I'm determined not to get out."
Record-Breaking Performance
The English bowler succeeded in removing Smith 11 times in international tests - exceeding by three other bowlers - yet admits he hasn't identified a reliable method.
The batsman's lifetime average of just over 56 climbs to nearly 60 when batting in Australia. Just the iconic Ricky Ponting with 41 tons has registered higher figures than 36 hundred-run innings for the national side.
Bowling Difficulties
Broad remarked: "Obviously his method has developed during different phases, but I still cannot confidently state 'this is the way to remove him'."
"That represents a remarkable quality of his. He's exceptionally difficult to bowl against. At times it appears as if you didn't send a poor ball and it still races to the boundary."
Recent Form and Preparation
The batsman's form experienced a slight decline between June 2023 and December 2024 when he had 23 batting opportunities failing to score a hundred, but he recovered with double tons against the Indian team recently and scored 131 and 141 runs against Sri Lanka at early 2025.
After an eight-week rest, he commenced his training for the England-Australia contest in the end of October and immediately scored a 118-run innings in his initial outing.
Series Strategy
"To win the series, we need to contain his output to under 50, correct?" Broad pondered.
"He will score a century, it's his specialty."
"Assuming he scores 40 runs, that amounts to at least 15 under his lifetime figure, so you're performing excellently. I believe you have to get him early in his innings."
"If England don't succeed in getting him out within the first forty scoring shots, it's going to be a drawn-out battle."
Adapting Approaches
England has experimented with different approaches to combat Smith's unique technique over 14 years of Ashes matches.
Broad discussed developing a new outswinger designed against Smith before last year's contest, while English bowlers have aimed at his pads, delivered outside from off stump and even attempted the leg gully position during 2019 - a contest where Smith began with twin centuries at the Birmingham ground.
Unforgettable Instances
"I remember when Jason Roy was positioned at that specific fielding spot, and he repeatedly dove side to side for the first 30 deliveries, narrowly missing on several occasions," the bowler remembered.
"Smith escaped, scored two centuries in that contest, unbelievable innings."
The bowler continued: "I participated in a bowlers' meeting about Steve Smith in 2017-18 and the coaches proposed 'oh, you could try going for the base of the stumps early'}."
"Is that so, let's verify how many times he's been bowled in Australian conditions during recent years?' A single instance."
Archer's Potential Impact
The upcoming series, commencing in Perth on Friday (early morning GMT), appears likely to feature the batsman confronting Jofra Archer for the first test matchup since the previous encounter, when he was notably unsettled and hit by a short ball during Archer's aggressive bowling at the London ground.
Smith regularly mentions that the bowler didn't get him in that game - he temporarily retired and got out later lbw to Chris Woakes upon resuming his innings - though the bowler succeeded to dismiss him on a horizontal bat in a limited-overs match during 2024.
"Can Jofra Archer provide the answer?" Broad asked. "Getting him to edge from that specific line, going after the ball."
"Because Jofra Archer maintains that line of nipping back towards the wickets, can he deliver a ball leaving the bat? Smith's anticipating the nip-backer."
