Australian batting stalwart Steve Smith registered his 36th Test century on day 2 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Friday. With this century, Smith has now equalled the legendary Rahul Dravid and England’s Joe Root in the list of most Test centuries, making him the joint-fifth highest century-maker in Test history. Smith, leading Australia in the absence of Pat Cummins, played a captain’s knock, anchoring the innings after the visitors suffered early blows. Walking in at 37/2, following the dismissals of Travis Head (21) and Marnus Labuschagne (4), Smith faced immediate pressure but remained unfazed. He survived a close lbw appeal on the first ball, as the Sri Lankan review revealed the ball was missing the stumps.
Once he got off the mark on his sixth delivery, Smith quickly found his rhythm, dispatching Parabath Jayasuriya for a boundary through mid-wicket. He went into lunch on 23 and built a crucial 54-run stand with Usman Khawaja (36) before the latter fell right at the start of the second session to Nishan Peris.
Undeterred, Smith found an able partner in Alex Carey, and together, they put on a massive century partnership, frustrating the Sri Lankan bowlers and propelling Australia into a commanding position.
Smith brought up his fifty off 98 balls, executing a sweep shot with sheer precision. After reaching his half-century, he looked in complete control, finding boundaries at will through cover drives and rotating the strike effectively. Despite a few nervous moments – an edge falling short of the slips and the ball narrowly missing the stumps – Smith remained composed.
His milestone moment came when he pulled Kamindu Mendis for a boundary, bringing up yet another Test century in his illustrious career. This was his second consecutive century in the series, following his magnificent 141 in the first Test.
Smith also surpassed former Australia cricketer Ricky Ponting to become Australia’s highest Test run-scorer in the Asian subcontinent during
This milestone came just a day after Smith broke Ponting’s record for the most Test catches by an Australian outfielder (197). Heading into the match, Smith needed 27 runs to overtake Ponting’s tally of 1,889 Test runs in Asia, and he achieved the landmark shortly after lunch, taking a single off Sri Lankan spinner Nishan Peiris.
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