History-making Smith at last leaves SCG tickled pink

Flashback exactly one year to Jane McGrath Day, 2025, and Steve Smith disappointed us all. With a pair of twos in Australia's second innings of the fifth Test against India in Sydney, he made his way to 9,999 Test runs.

And then, just like that, he was out, fending a rising ball to gully and leaving a stunned crowd feeling as though they'd been short-changed on their chance to witness history.

With Smith though, particularly at this advanced stage of his career, history is never far away. Turn up for the next pink day at the SCG and chances are he won't disappoint you twice.

And so it was. For while this match nominally belongs to the retiring Usman Khawaja, and Joe Root and Travis Head have added statement pieces to their respective campaigns, on the third afternoon, the spotlight finally swung back to Smith.

It had been a while between drinks. Far longer than we had long become accustomed to. But these past three Ashes series haven't been the fill-your-boots series for Smith as the three that preceded them.

Two hundreds in 14 Tests, and stretching back a little to the back-end of the 2019 series, two gaps of 13 innings between them. Not since he set out as a leg-spinning allrounder, when he was mocked by England for being tasked with adding some levity and energy to a struggling Australian group during the 2010-11 series, did he experience a more extended period without an Ashes hundred.

Today's was lucky number 13, which took him past Sir Jack Hobbs and behind only Sir Donald Bradman (19) as the second most prolific century-maker in cricket's oldest rivalry. On 84, he also ticked past Hobbs for runs scored, with Bradman again off in the distance.

Perhaps the more apt comparison for Smith is this one with his contemporary, Root:

Legends of the Ashes

Steve Smith

M: 41 | Inn: 73 | R: 3682 | Ave: 57.53 | 100s: 13 | 50s: 14 | HS: 239

Joe Root

M: 39 | Inn: 74 | R: 2822 | Ave: 41.50 | 100s: 6 | 50s: 18 | HS: 180

The England great has scored six fewer hundreds and more than 800 fewer runs at an average of 41.50. None of which is to diminish his achievements, but simply to better contextualise Smith's quite remarkable numbers.

In fact, drill down a little more and Smith's leaner returns in these past three Ashes series – 882 runs at 42 – actually reveal themselves to be more in line with Root's overall Ashes record; roughly the same average, similar hundreds-to-series ratio.

What makes Smith's more recent run in the Ashes feel leaner than it has actually been are the Bradmanesque heights he scaled from 2015-19: 14 Tests, 1,969 runs at 93.76 with eight hundreds.

"It's so hard to maintain that for a long period of time," Ricky Ponting said today on Seven. "Only one man did that in the history of the game, and that was (Bradman)."

For a long while, with the outcome decided and Head positively humming, it seemed as though this Ashes series might come and go without Smith making a meaningful imprint with his bat.

Even today he started scratchily, struggling to find the middle while picking out fielders with the sort of precision he typically avoids them. Stalled by Ben Stokes but aided by the rest of England's errant bowling attack, he patiently accumulated alongside Head.

Only one of his first 40 balls went to the boundary, by which point he had given a chance off Josh Tongue to Zak Crawley, who couldn't hang on to a diving effort at leg gully. Soon after, he found a way to score against Stokes, swivelling and hitting him behind square for a pair of fours in the same over.

Smith seemed intent on not letting Jacob Bethell settle, dispatching his second ball for four through extra cover. Yet even then he didn't quite seem to have settled into his groove. In his first 50, his most convincing shot was the straight drive he hit from Brydon Carse to reach the milestone. Perhaps that says as much as anything else; even when he isn't seeing them particularly well, the 36-year-old can still grind out a half-century.

It might have been the shot that moved him into his element. A short time later, he thumped the hapless Matthew Potts for a couple of fours through cover and point. Then in the final session, which Smith began on 65, the pieces – the trigger, the shuffle, the wristy stroke-play – seemed to be moving more fluently together.

He reached 70 with a crunching lofted cover drive off Stokes that put Australia in the green, and then crashed Bethell back over his head for six to move to 80.

Even in the 90s he could be heard on the stump mic, castigating himself for missing a triplicate of cut shots off the left-arm spinner. But soon enough he got there, pulling three runs behind square to make it Test hundred number 37.

Smith isn't one for grandiose century celebrations. He craves runs far more than the centre stage but knows one results in the other, so is happy enough to find himself there. In the absence of Pat Cummins, he is also the leader of this Ashes-winning group, a responsibility that many believe – and the numbers suggest – elevates his game: 18 hundreds in 44 Tests as captain, while averaging almost 70.

"He likes being the main man," said Ponting. "Likes being in control of this side. And it's brought out the best in his batting.

"The key with Smith is, he's able to compartmentalise captaincy from his actual batting. He's not out there thinking about his captaincy, he's out there now as Australia's number five batsman."

And so it went. Smith's next 28 runs came from just 38 balls as he took advantage of a tired England attack to finish the day unbeaten on 129. Through 123 Tests, he has learned many times over the rhythms of the game, which makes him such an important figure in this batting order in transition. In today's world of instant gratification, he plays the long game – quite literally – as well as anyone.

And for those who returned for another Jane McGrath Day in Sydney, he didn't disappoint twice.

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets

Third Test: Australia won by 82 runs

Fourth Test: England won by four wickets

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10am AEDT

Australia squad (fifth Test): Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue