Steve Smith smashes 144 on Test comeback (Source: @mufaddal_vohra/x.com)
The Australian cricket team has produced some of the finest cricket talents in the world, but even the brightest stories have their shadows. Amid countless historic triumphs, the infamous sandpaper scandal remains a dark chapter in the otherwise glorious journey of Australian cricket.
In 2018, Steve Smith and David Warner faced a one-year ban for this mishap. A player becomes a legend when they craft a way to a comeback more fierce than the setback, and Smith proved the fact right.
Returning from a ban, Steve Smith made a thunderous comeback in the Ashes, showcasing his brilliance with a sensational century. Let’s relive Steve Smith’s heroics on the big stage of the Ashes.
Smith rises to rescue Australia in their darkest hour
Whenever the world talks about the top four players of the game of cricket, undoubtedly, Steve Smith’s name comes along with Joe Root, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson. The four superstars from four nations delivered some of the best cricketing memories to the fans. But when Smith was implicated in the infamous sandpaper scandal, the cricketing world was left stunned, marking one of the darkest days in Australian cricket history.
Staying away from cricket for one whole year didn’t take the game away from the superstar, as he made himself better in that time. Even after making a return to cricket in the series against Afghanistan, Test cricket welcomed the star on the big stage of the Ashes. As the tournament itself is a thrilling documentary of cricket, Smith's return added more drama to it.
The arch-rivals locked horns at Birmingham, and Steve Smith delivered a masterclass when the world expected the least from him. While batting first, Australia lost three quick wickets in just 35 runs as English bowlers shattered the Aussie batting lineup. Just when a hero was needed, Smith rose from the ashes, turning the nightmare around and leaving the English attack reeling.
Smith blasts a courageous 144 to shut critics
A legend proves his abilities when he brings out his beast with best effort in under pressure, and Smith replicated this in that match and at Edgbaston witnessed another classic knock from the Aussie great. Standing on 35/3, Australia needed a boost, and he took charge. Facing a fierce English bowling attack, Smith battled through to score a resilient 50 off 119 balls.
Even rain couldn’t shake Smith’s focus as he smashed his 24th Test century in 184 deliveries. As Australia was losing wickets quickly, Smith held his grip tight and set his eyes on a historic 150-run knock. But Stuart Broad dashed the dream.
After losing nine wickets in 210 runs, Australia was still in the game, depending on Smith and Nathan Lyon’s last-wicket partnership. But in the 81st over, Steve Smith faced a massive heartbreak as Broad dismissed him in 144 runs in 219 balls with 16 boundaries and two sixes.
On that day, Steve Smith may have missed a 150-run knock by just six runs, but the knock was much more than a classic Test innings. After that unfortunate incident when critics started raising concerns over Smith’s future, he has much more to offer. That courageous 144 at the Ashes stands as a testament to one of the fiercest comebacks after his toughest setback.
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