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).
Smith brought up his century after running three off a shot to fine leg bowled by Jacob Bethell. The atmosphere at the SCG was electric as he removed his helmet, raised his bat, and soaked up the applause, with his wife among those cheering him on. He was batting on 110 off 178 balls.
This marked Smith’s 13th Ashes ton, with only Don Bradman (19) producing more. It was also Smith’s first hundred of this series. With this, the veteran batter became the second-highest run-scorer at the SCG with 1206 runs, trailing former skipper Ricky Ponting, who tops the chart with 1480 runs. Smith is also second in the list of all-time Test centuries at the SCG.
Additionally, the 36-year-old Aussie ranks second on the all-time list of Ashes Test runs with 3663, only behind the legendary Don Bradman (5028). Smith made his Ashes debut in 2010 at Perth and it took him 15 innings to record his first hundred, achieved in 2013 at The Oval. His best performance in an Ashes series came in 2019 when he amassed 774 runs at an average of 110.57 during Australia’s tour of England.
In the overall Test centuries list, Smith has now surpassed former India batter Rahul Dravid (36 centuries) and is one short of equalling Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara. The record for the most Test centuries remains with India legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has 51.
Smith’s century was pivotal, taking Australia’s lead past the 100-run mark on Day 3 after Travis Head had provided a solid foundation. Head brought up his 12th Test century at nearly a run a ball, finishing with 163 runs before being trapped lbw by Jacob Bethell. Usman Khawaja, playing his final Test match, contributed 17 runs before falling to Brydon Carse.
Smith, well supported by Cameron Green, helped Australia establish a position of strength while achieving his own milestones.