SYDNEY: Steve Smith is prepared to sacrifice playing at this year”s Twenty20 World Cup to ensure he is fit for the Ashes series against England, with the star batsmen making clear Test cricket is his priority. The former Australia captain pulled out of their current limited-overs tour of the West Indies with an elbow injury and said recovery was proving a slow process. “There”s still a bit of time between now and (the World Cup), and I”m tracking okay at the moment — it”s slow, but I”m going okay,” he told cricket. com. au on Friday. The World Cup is scheduled to take place from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman after being moved out of India due to the coronavirus situation. “I”d love to be part of the World Cup, for sure,” he added. “But from my point of view, Test cricket, that”s my main goal — to be right for the Ashes and try to emulate what I”ve done in the last few Ashes series I”ve been involved in. ” Smith was the standout performer during the last Ashes on his return from a ban for ball-tampering. Despite bearing the brunt of hostile English fans, he smashed an incredible 774 runs in four Tests, at an average of 110.57, including twin centuries on his Test return at Edgbaston.
