Ahead of WTC Final, Steve Smith joins Cheteshwar Pujara at Sussex in County Championship

Australia star batter Steve Smith has joined India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara at the Sussex Cricket Club in the ongoing County Championship season ahead of the World Test Championship final.

The former Australia captain will be playing under the captaincy of Pujara, who has been with Sussex since last summer and has a mind-boggling 7 centuries in 12 innings for them.

Smith will be available for three County Championship matches for Sussex, beginning with a match against Worcestershire on May 4 and a match against Leicestershire on May 11, followed by a home game against Glamorgan on May 18, which could pit him against Marnus Labuschagne.

"I've never played four-day county cricket, so I'm looking forward to that experience. Sussex have a lot of really young batters, hopefully I can impart



some knowledge and help in any way I can. I'm going in with an open mind. I love playing cricket over in England. It should be good fun and also a good lead-in for the winter ahead," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Steve Smith acknowledged the importance of adapting to vastly different conditions in England after the Test series in India earlier this year.

"It's just recognising what England entails and how I want to play over there. It's completely different conditions to Australia or India, where we've just been. Understanding the swinging ball, the nipping ball, a lot less spin than what we faced in India. Getting myself into a frame of mind and sort my technique to play in those conditions. I'm looking forward to that and hopefully, I can replicate something like I did last time I was over there," Smith added.