Just imagine you start cricketing, wishing to become Shane Warne, but end up emulating Don Bradman. Steve Smith is an interesting player, with a fascinating story. Steve Smith’s 36th Test century has made matters more clear as to who Smith emulates.
Smith was made the skipper of the Australian side for 2 Test series in Sri Lanka, and the batter scored centuries in both Test matches. His skyrocketing form is something to talk about.
Steve Smith Joins the Elite List
As the right-handed Australian skipper went into bat for Australia in the 2nd Test match, hopes were high, and he made them count. Smith went on to score a brilliant century. The pitch of Galle wasn’t easy, as the ball was turning square.
Alex Carey supported Steve Smith’s 36th Test century. As he scored his 36th ton, Smith was level-headed with Joe Root and Rahul Dravid, in the century count.
Above the right-hander are batters like Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, and Sachin Tendulkar. If Smith goes on to play for 3 more years, one can expect him to score many more runs in the red-ball format.
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Steve Smith Dominates Some Records
On his way to fun runs, Steve Smith’s 36 Test century had everything in store. Being the skipper, he took his team to a stronger position. Not only that, Smith was also able to score second-quickest 36 Test centuries as a batter.
Smith took 206 innings to score 36 centuries, which is only behind the legendary Ricky Ponting. Punter achieved the feat in 200 innings, which is a class on its own.
Smith has made runs all around the world. He was able to score a total of 1994 Test runs in Asia, which is highest by any Australian batter in Asian conditions.
Previously, the record was held by Ricky Ponting, who had the tally of 1889 runs with the bat in hand. Smith looked totally out of form before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but his twin hundreds against India have brought the form and rhythm back.
Records, however, don’t stop right there. Smith also scored the 17th Test century as a Test skipper. Even with a ban for 1 year, Smith made comebacks and scored magical runs in the Test arena.
Australia Dominate the Second Test Match
On the back of Steve Smith’s 36th Test century, the Australian cricket team seems to be dominating the display with ease. Smith has been one of the finest batters, but Alex Carey showed his mettle with the willow. The left-hander made 156 runs with the bat.
Carey has been a successful wicketkeeper batter, and also made valuable runs for the team. He holds the record of highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asian conditions, surpassing the likes of Adam Gilchrist.
Following the end of day 2, the Australian pair of Smith and Carey put on more than 200 and were unbeaten through to the stumps. If Sri Lanka is to make a comeback, and make Karunaratne’s innings more memorable, they will have to bowl well and bat efficiently in the second innings.
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