Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith reflected on his 37th Test hundred after scoring 129 not out at the end of Day 3, highlighting his home venue, Sydney Cricket Ground, where he became the second batter on the all-time list of Ashes Test runs with 3,663, only behind the legendary Don Bradman (5,028).
Smith reached his century by running three off a shot to fine leg off the bowling of Jacob Bethell. This was Smith’s 13th Ashes ton, placing him second only to Bradman, who has 19. Notably, it was also Smith’s first century of this series.
“I just love batting here. Obviously, it’s my home deck. I know the ground really well, (and) when I get in here, I really like batting here. The pace of the wicket sort of suits the way I play, and I just love playing in front of this crowd,” Smith told Fox Cricket at stumps.
Former Australian coach Simon Katich praised Smith’s performance on the ageing SCG pitch, stating, “As convincing as it always has been in terms of accumulating, it wasn’t easy when he first went out there. They actually bowled quite well to him, compared to how they were going to Travis Head. They had a conventional field; they bowled a full length, but he got through that, and then once he got to that second new ball, that was going to be another tricky period. It wasn’t (tricky) for him; he knew exactly what he had to do, and then he came through that, and he played, probably for me, the shot of the day (with) that cover drive towards the end, where he just threw his hands through the line of the ball, and that was just glorious to watch. His record as captain – I think he averages 70 as captain; that’s phenomenal,” he added.
This century in Sydney was the first of the series and Smith’s 18th as captain, with six of those centuries coming against England, the most against any team as skipper.