Sydney: Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith raised his 37th Test hundred on Day 3 of the fifth and final Ashes match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and moved up in record books on Tuesday.
Smith brought up his 100 after running three off a shot to fine leg off the bowling of Jocob Bethell. It made for great scenes at the SCG, a happy hunting ground, as he took off his helmet, raised his bat and soaked up all the applause. His wife in the crowd applauded him. He is currently batting on 110 off 178 balls.
This was Smith’s 13th Ashes ton, with only Don Bradman (19) producing more. It also marked Smith’s first ton of this series. With this, the veteran batter became the second-highest run-scorer at the SCG with 1206 runs, with former skipper Ricky Ponting topping the chart with 1480 runs and also second in the list of all-time Test centuries at the SCG.
Moreover, the 36-year-old Aussie is second on the all-time list of Ashes Test runs with 3663, only behind the legendary Don Bradman (5028). He is also the second.
Smith made his Ashes debut in 2010 at Perth, and it took him 15 innings to record his first hundred, which came in 2013 at The Oval. The right-handed batter hasn’t looked back since. His best performance in an Ashes series came in 2019, when Australia toured England for four Tests, in which Smith amassed 774 at an average of 110.57.
In the overall Test centuries list, Smith moved past former India batter Rahul Dravid (36 centuries) and is one short of equalling Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara. India legend Sachin Tendulkar has the most Test centuries to his name (51).
The 36-year-old’s ton was crucial, as it took Australia’s lead past the 100-run mark on day three after Head had given the hosts the perfect platform.
Head proved imperious at the top of the order once more, bringing up his 12th Test century at a rate of nearly a run a ball. He finished on 163, trapped lbw by Jacob Bethell, while Usman Khawaja, playing his final Test match, made 17 before falling to Brydon Carse.
Smith, well supported by Cameron Green, then helped Australia take the lead and assume a position of strength while notching up his own milestones.
(IANS)
