Ashes 2019 Test series may have drawn to an end after two months of gruelling cricket between England and Australia but that didn’t mean England Cricket would stop itself from pulling off a cheeky banter involving Steve Smith and Jack Leach. Both England and Australia concluded the five-match Test series on level terms with Ashes 2019 ending in a 2-2 draw but the visitors retained the Ashes and will take the Urn home, courtesy of winning the previous Ashes Test series. Smith – the Player of the Series – and Leach – one of England’s hero at Headingley – played influential roles in deciding how the Test series ended. England Vs Australia, Highlights And Cricket Score 5th Test Match.

The Ashes 2019 Test series was highly competitive. It involved personal duels and several verbal spats between the players, including those between Ben Stokes and David Warner; Matthew Wade and Jofra Archer. But both England and Australia –after showing the competitive nature of cricket – showed the other side of the game when they agreed to share a drink together following the conclusion of Ashes 2019. Ashes 2019, 5th Test Match Report: England Level Series with 135-Run Win; Australia Retain Ashes.

It led to England cricket pulling off another cheeky banter that involved Jack Leach and Steve Smith. The latter had earlier imitated England spinner’s batting stance and also mimicked his appearance and perhaps England cricket’s latest post was a cheeky reply to Smith. Steve Smith Keen To Take Few Weeks Off After Ashes 2019 Show.

Steve Smith With an All-Time Great

In its post on Monday, a day after Ashes 2019 drew to a conclusion, England cricket’s official Twitter handle posted a picture in which both Smith and Leach posed wearing spectacles. “An all-time great - and Steve Smith,” said the tweet which possibly was the last banter of this famous series as both sides head into a new season.

But outside the banter, England Cricket still did not forget to wish Smith for his incredible Ashes 2019 Test series. “Congratulations on an incredible #Ashes series @stevesmith49. Leachy loves the glasses," added the post. Smith scored an astonishing 774 runs in just seven innings, making him the fifth-highest run-scorer in a single Ashes Test series.

One of the Greatest Batsman And Steve Smith

Smith is also ranked 12th – he equalled Sunil Gavaskar’s 49-year-old record – in the all-time list of most runs scored in a single series. His exploits included three centuries, one double ton and three fifties. Smith failed to score at least a half-century only once in the seven innings he played, with 23 – which he managed in his final Ashes 2019 innings – being his lowest score in the five-match Test series.

This, however, wasn’t the first time an England based Twitter account took a dig at Smith during Ashes 2019. Earlier Somerset Cricket’s – England based County Club which plays in the English Championship – Twitter account had also taken a similar dig at the World No 1 Test batsman in one of its posts. “One of the greatest batsmen of this generation having a chat with Steve Smith at the Oval this evening,” Somerset Cricket had posted in its handle.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2019 07:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).