Steve Smith gets to his 13th Ashes hundred: Stats
What's the story
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith has raced to his 13th century in Ashes history. The talismanic batter accomplished the milestone on Day 3 of the fifth and final Ashes Test match against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Smith batted with great intent in the second innings and put his team into the lead. Here we decode his performance and stats.
Knock
A fine hand from the skipper
Responding to England's first innings score of 384/10, the Aussies were well placed at 234/3 when Smith arrived to bat. The skipper took the innings forward with half-century stands with fellow centurion Travis Head (163) and Usman Khawaja (17). He further added 70-plus with Cameron Green (37) and Beau Webster (42*) as Australia ended the day at 518 /7.
Knock
Smith overtakes Hobbs
Smith finished the day with 129 off 205 balls, having smashed 15 fours and a six. He has scored 13 centuries in Ashes, second only to Australia's Sir Donald Bradman 19. The Australian great broke the tie with England's Jack Hobbs, who recorded 12 Ashes hundreds. Across 41 Ashes games, Smith has scored over 3,680 runs at an average of 55-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo.
DYK
Second-highest run-scorer in Ashes
Smith added another feather to his cap by becoming the second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history. He went past Hobbs, who finished with 3,636 runs. Bradman (5,028 runs) is now the only player to have scored more Ashes runs than Smith. Smith has six Ashes hundreds each in Australia and England. He averages over 57 in home Ashes, where he owns 1,680-plus runs.
Information
Smith only behind these names
With his 37th Test century, Smith has moved up to sixth place in the list of cricketers with the most centuries in Tests. He is now behind only Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Joe Root (41), Ricky Ponting (41), and Kumar Sangakkara (39).
Career
Here are his overall Test stats
Playing his 123rd Test, Smith has gone past 10,730 Test runs at an average of over 56 (50s: 44). Root is the only active batter with more Test runs than Smith. Meanwhile, 18 of Smith's Test tons have come while leading the team. Only Graeme Smith (25), Virat Kohli (20), and Ponting (19) have scored more Test hundreds as designated captains.
FC milestone
15,500 runs in First-Class cricket
With his 31st run, Smith completed 15,500 runs in First-Class cricket. Across 188 games, Smith has raced past 15,590 runs at an impressive average of over 54. His FC tally includes a staggering 54 centuries and 67 half-centuries, with his highest score being 239. Notably, Smith made his FC debut for New South Wales in the Pura Cup back in 2008.