"Steve Smith can score big": David Warner threatens Ben Stokes & Co. ahead of Ashes

Former Australia National Cricket Team opener David Warner has backed the modern-day batting great Steve Smith to shine in the upcoming Ashes 2025-26 series against the England National Cricket Team.

David Warner said that the Ben Stokes-led England will be in huge trouble if Steve Smith scores runs with the bat in the high-voltage Test series.

Steve Smith smashes a brilliant century

The arch-rivals England and Australia are gearing up for the Ashes series, which is set to start in November. The Optus Stadium in Perth will host the first match from November 21 to 25, and the second Test will be played at The Gabba in Brisbane from December 4 to 8.

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The third Test will be hosted by the Adelaide Oval between December 17 and 21, and the fourth Test will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from December 26 to 30. Also, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) will host the fifth Test from January 4 to 8, 2026.

Steve Smith is all set to lead the Aussies in the Test series opener as Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the match as he continues his recovery from an injury.

Before the series, Smith will play some Sheffield Shield matches for New South Wales to prepare him for the challenging series.

In his first match in 2-plus months, he looked scratchy initially, but quickly got back to his best and slammed a sensational century. He sent a massive warning to England by scoring 118 for New South Wales against Queensland.

If Smith gets on a roll and he starts scoring runs, it's going to be a challenge for England - David Warner

Speaking on Fox Cricket on Wednesday, David Warner said that Australia will be heavily dependent on Steve Smith in the series, and if he scores consistently, they will be fine.

"If that man Steve Smith can score big runs (this summer), they'll be fine. If Smith gets on a roll and he starts scoring runs, it's going to be a challenge for England."

David Warner also backed Steve Smith to score five tons in the Ashes and didn't hesitate in saying that he is only behind Don Bradman in the list of greatest Australian batters. He said:

"I reckon he's got five centuries in him. He only had one (net session) the other day and came out and scored a hundred today; that's Steve Smith."

The one thing missing from him is winning in India - David Warner

Warner further said that the only thing Smith has not been able to do in his legendary career is win a Test series in India, and he might be looking forward to achieving that. He said:

"The one thing missing from him is winning in India. He knows his body now, he knows what he's capable of - if he wants to get to that Indian series, he will."

"He's still learning. If he's still learning, god help everybody else," Warner further stated.

Meanwhile, former India head coach Ravi Shastri stated that Smith has also left him amazed with his exceptional ability to adapt. He said:

"What's always amazed me about Steve... is his ability to adapt to different conditions and improvise, even in the middle of a series, sometimes in the middle of an innings. (Captaincy) will get the best out of him, that's for sure. He'll be tuned on, absolutely."

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