England captain Ben Stokes has reacted to the news that Australia star Steve Smith will enjoy a short stint at Sussex ahead of the Ashes in May.
Smith is set to play three County Championship matches against Worcestershire, Leicestershire and Glamorgan and some fans have criticised Sussex for allowing one of Australia's key players extra preparation in England before the Ashes.
However, several former England cricketers have rejected that suggestion, with Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan calling it a "great signing for our game". Ex-England bowler and BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew also downplayed the impact Smith's stint could have on the Ashes.
In a BBC Sport column, he wrote: "Yes, Smith could enter the Ashes brimming with confidence, but he could also be searching for runs after a lean spell on some early-season English pitches.
"I honestly do not believe Smith's spell at Sussex will have any bearing on which captain, Ben Stokes or Pat Cummins, gets his hands on the Ashes urn at The Oval at the end of July." And Stokes responded to Agnew's assertion on his Instagram story, simply writing: "Correct".
Stokes was asked back in December about the prospect of Smith enjoying a short county stint before the Ashes and, while he said it would be "good for the county game", he admitted "you'd probably prefer them not to get any game time out here before the Ashes".
"I guess it's good for the county game to see players of Steve's calibre want to come over and play," Stokes said. "But I don't know. I think it's one of those where you'd probably prefer them not to get any game time out here before the Ashes. But at the same time, it is what it is."
ECB performance director Mo Bobat had a similar view, stating: "Any good player coming over to our domestic system, he's going to raise the standard of it. In many ways it's good. It's good for our bowlers to bowl at Steve Smith, and it's good for the young batters to see him play and get a chance to bat with him.
"You could argue that it helps him prep and that might represent a disadvantage to England. I don't spend too much time thinking about that. We tend to just worry about what we can control. If we play to potential we're a match for anyone and we can challenge anyone."
