Steve Smith vs Joe Root: ODI Comparison Before AUS vs ENG Champions Trophy Match

Steve Smith and Joe Root [@KallisserySujil, @JoeRoot66Fan/X]

On Saturday, Australia and England will kickstart their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a high-voltage face-off at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. The clash is important for both teams as they would be keen to get off the mark instantly in the Group B points table. 

Australia and England have been historic rivals in the Ashes, while numerous legends have served them in international cricket over the years. It will be nothing different this time, as Steve Smith and Joe Root are all set to represent these two extremely competitive outfits. 

Smith and Root, two contemporaries and absolute greats of the game have consistently been compared to each other. As they are set to collide once again, let's analyse who has been a better ODI batter. 

Steve Smith vs Joe Root: Overall ODI Stats

If we compare the overall ODI stats of Steve Smith and Joe Root, the latter comes out as the clear winner. Root has been more consistent than Smith (as suggested by his superior average) while also striking at an almost identical rate. 

Steve Smith vs Joe Root: ODI Stats At Home

As shown in the above table, Steve Smith has comprehensively outclassed Joe Root in home ODIs. His strike rate exceeds his career strike rate by a significant margin, while he has maintained his consistency for Australia on home soil. 

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Steve Smith vs Joe Root: ODIs Away From Home

Meanwhile, Joe Root has been class apart in away and neutral ODIs. While the English superstar averages 48.46, Steve Smith has struggled to convert his fifties into three-digit scores. So, Root wins the battle in this criterion. 

Steve Smith vs Joe Root: Stats In ICC ODI Events

Steve Smith has been consistent in the ICC ODI events; however, Joe Root again betters him with a superior average and strike rate. The English batting maestro has converted four of his twelve fifties into hundreds while scoring at a faster rate than Smith in the World Cups and Champions Trophy. 

Conclusion

Steve Smith has definitely been the backbone of Australia, especially in Test cricket. Although he has played some stellar match-winning knocks, England's prominent batter Joe Root has clearly outperformed him in every criterion. 

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