Steve Smith century - (Source: X.Com)
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith has got off to the perfect start in 2026 as the right-handed batter has slammed his 37th Test hundred. The 36-year-old brought up the special feat in the ongoing fifth Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Smith slammed a 166-ball century, which featured 11 fours and a solitary six. With the ton, the Aussie great surpassed Rahul Dravid in the list of most centuries in red-ball cricket.
The two legends had 36 hundreds to their name before this match, but now Smith is only behind Kumar Sangakkara, Joe Root, Jacques Kallis, and Sachin Tendulkar in the elite list.
Overall, Smith now has 13 hundreds in Ashes history and 49 centuries across formats, equalling with his former teammate David Warner.
Steve Smith becomes the second leading run-getter in Ashes History
With the historic feat on Day 3 of the fifth and final Test, Steve Smith also went past Jack Hobbs to become the second-leading run-getter in Test history.
At the time of writing this article, Smith has 3650 runs and counting in 73 innings. He is now only behind the legendary Don Bradman, who has 5028 runs in just 63 innings.
Smith reached the feat when he scored his 84th run in the first innings of the Sydney Test by taking a single off Jacob Bethell’s bowling. Here is the top-five leading run-getters in Ashes history.
- 5028 - Don Bradman
- 3642* - Steve Smith
- 3636 - Jack Hobbs
- 3222 - Allan Border
- 3173 - Steve Waugh
Steve Smith having an Ashes to remember
Before the start of the Ashes, Smith was handed an important task to lead the Baggy Green in Pat Cummins' absence. The 36-year-old took the onus on his shoulders and helped Australia gain momentum by winning first two matches under his leadership.
Besides captaincy, Smith was struggling for runs and it was his first century in the entire tour. The right-handed batter had a disastrous opening game, but scored a fifty in the 2nd Test. He missed the 3rd Test and returned for fourth, but failed to get going with the bat.
The Sydney ton will surely be a boost to his confidence as he is only behind Don Bradman in terms of most centuries in Ashes history.
Most 100s in The Ashes:
- 19 - Don Bradman (Australia)
- 13* - Steven Smith (Australia)*
- 12 - Jack Hobbs (England)
- 10 - Steve Waugh (Australia
Steve Smith's love affair with Sydney Cricket Ground
For the unversed, it was Steve Smith's fifth Test century at the SCG and he loves playing here at this venue. Smith has scored five tons at MCG as well, which is the most for him at a particular venue in Tests. Here is the list of most 100s by Steven Smith at a Venue in Tests:
- 5 - Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia
- 5* - Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia*
- 4 - Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia
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