"It’s not easy to solve, but he solves problems better than anyone" - Nasser Hussain on England's plans against Steve Smith in the Ashes

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has outlined how the hosts limited Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

The duo were not among the runs in Australia's nervy two-wicket win, with Labuschagne being dismissed by Stuart Broad across both innings. He scored a mere 13 runs in the second essay after copping a golden duck in the first innings.

Steve Smith, on the other hand, was trapped in front by Ben Stokes in the first innings for just 16. During the second time of asking, the batter was caught behind off the bowling of Stuart Broad and ended with only 22 runs in the entire contest.

Observing that England have trapped Steve Smith and left him indecisive by bowling wide off the crease, Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail:

"What England did well in the first Test was to create a different angle for him to contend with — essentially by going wide on the crease. If that ball goes straight on, he’s an lbw candidate, as Ben Stokes proved in Smith’s first innings."

Hussain continued:

"If it straightens off the surface, he’s in danger of nicking off, as Broad showed in the second. The only way for a batter to deal with a geometrical problem like that is to go away and train the brain.

"It’s not easy to solve, but Smith solves problems better than anyone."

Steve Smith has a tremendous record in England over the years. He also recently scored a match-winning hundred against India in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final and will back himself to get back amongst the runs soon.

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"Question is whether he can change his technique in the week before Lord’s" - Nasser Hussain on Marnus Labuschagne's slump in form

With below par scores in the WTC Final as well as the first Ashes Test, Marnus Labuschagne has been dethroned as the No. 1 Test batter in the ICC rankings. Former England skipper Joe Root has began yet another stint at the top of the pile following by his unbeaten hundred and quickfire 46 in the Ashes 2023 opener.

Labuschagne was dismissed off his first ball in the first innings and in a similar fashion in the second as well. Opining that the former No. 1 ranked batter's issues could be stemming from his county stint with Glamorgan, Nasser Hussain wrote:

"It was surprising to watch Marnus Labuschagne bat on off stump at Edgbaston, and I wonder if it was something that started during his time with Glamorgan.

"Usually, he’d take a middle or middle-and-off-stump guard, but it’s possible he’s been trying to get outside the line of off stump on those slow, low wickets at Cardiff to lessen the chances of falling lbw."

Hussain concluded:

"Now his off-stump guard means he is playing at those balls, and that brings the outside edge into play. The question is whether he can change his technique in the week before Lord’s."

Labuschagne had a prolific home season in late 2022, which helped him climb to the top of the Test rankings. His string of poor scores began with the Border-Gavaskar series in the subcontinent and he has now has scored only one fifty across his last 12 innings.