Steve Smith smashes brilliant century in final Ashes Test, breaks multiple records
Australian batting maestro Steve Smith scored a magnificent century in the fifth and final Ashes Test and etched his name in multiple record books, 24NewsHD TV reported on Tuesday.
Leading the team in the absence of Pat Cummins, Smith remained not out on 129 at the end of the third day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, marking his first century of the series.
His stellar innings helped Australia reach 518 for 7, responding to England’s 384, giving the hosts a commanding 134-run lead.
With this innings, Smith overtook England legend Jack Hobbs to become the second-highest run scorer in Ashes history, accumulating 3,682 runs, just behind Sir Donald Bradman’s 5,028.
Hobbs now ranks third with 3,636 runs.
Additionally, Smith’s century elevated him to second place in terms of most Ashes centuries, with 13 hundreds, while Bradman remains first with 19 centuries.
As captain, this marked Smith’s 18th century, including six against England, setting a record for most centuries by a captain against a single opponent.
In the broader context of Test cricket, this century also pushed Smith past Rahul Dravid, placing him sixth on the list of players with the most Test centuries, with 37 hundreds.
For comparison, Sachin Tendulkar leads the all-time list with 51 Test centuries, followed by Jack Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting and Joe Root (41 each), Kumar Sangakkara (38), and then Steve Smith (37).
Smith’s masterclass in Sydney further cements his reputation as one of the greatest modern-day batsmen and a key figure in Australia’s Ashes dominance.