• Australian tops ICC Test rankings ‘but weakness will emerge’ • ‘He does not strike fear into you like the Aussies used to’

The former England spinner Graeme Swann admits the rise of Steve Smith to the top of the Test batting rankings is a surprise and claims weaknesses in the Australian’s technique will be capitalised on in the forthcoming Ashes series.

Smith has averaged 102 in a 12-month spell that has taken him past South Africa’s AB de Villiers and the Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara in the official ICC charts and he will represent the key wicket for England’s bowlers come the first Test in Cardiff on 8 July.

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Despite those figures Swann, who played when Smith made his maiden Test century at The Oval in 2013, believes previous Australians have represented a more intimidating sight for opposition fast bowlers. Asked if he was surprised by the 26-year-old’s rise, Swann replied: “Yeah, because I didn’t think he was a great player.

“I still don’t think he’s got a great technique,” Swann added. “He must have surprised himself, as well as everyone else, with his output. The trick for him is to try to keep that going. Whether he can, time will tell. I don’t think he’ll score runs at three if it’s swinging.

“Weakness will emerge with Steve Smith. He’s not like a Steve Waugh – a nugget with no obvious ways of getting him out. I hope for England’s sake that he’s a flash in the pan. He doesn’t strike fear in you like the Aussies used to, with a Matthew Hayden or an Adam Gilchrist.

“Cricket Australia put a tweet out the other day saying ‘See you soon, @englandcricket … ’ with a picture of Steve Smith up close. Whether it’s supposed to be intimidating or not … but it wasn’t. Had that been 2004 and a close-up picture of Matt Hayden, opening bowlers would genuinely have been going ‘oh fuck’. They’d have been losing sleep over it. But Steve Smith … he still looks … Smithy.”

Would Mitchell Johnson, following his 37-wicket series in the 2013-14 Ashes whitewash, have been a more appropriate image. “No, because he’s just so lovely, isn’t he?” replied Swann.

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“He’s not the Mitchell to worry about. Mitchell Starc is above and beyond the best match-winning player they’ve got at the minute. Forget about the batsmen. If Mitchell Starc bowls well, I don’t think England have got any hope of winning the Ashes. If they nullify him in some way, then they’ve got a chance.”

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