WTC Final: Decoding Steve Smith's sensational Test record in England
Steve Smith gave Indian bowlers a hard time in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final. He hammered a brilliant century as Australia posted a mammoth 469 while batting at London's Kennington Oval. The batter ended up scoring 121 off 268 balls, a knock laced with 19 fours. He has truly enjoyed batting in English conditions. Here we decode Smith's stellar stats in England.
Smith shows character in WTC final
Smith came to the middle after Australia lost both openers in the opening session (71/2). He joined forces with Travis Head, who turned out to be the aggressor between the two and scored a ton on the opening day. Smith took his time and tired out the bowlers throughout the day. Shardul Thakur eventually dismissed him on Day 2.
A Test average of 61.6 in England
While many batters have struggled against the swinging Dukes ball in England, Smith has enjoyed the challenge. Across 17 Tests in the nation, Smith has mustered 1,848 runs at 61.6. He boasts the fourth-best average among visiting batters with at least 1,700 Test runs in England. Only Sir Don Bradman (102.84), Allan Border (65.06), and Vivian Richards (64.28) are ahead of him.
Seventh Test ton in England
This was Smith's seventh Test ton on England soil. While he equaled Waugh in this regard, only Bradman (11) has more Test centuries in England among visiting batters. Two of Smith's tons in the nation were also converted into double centuries as his highest score in this regard reads 215. The batter has also smoked seven Test fifties in England.
500-plus runs at the Oval
Meanwhile, Smith has also raced to 512 Test runs at the Kennington Oval in four Tests. This was his third hundred at the venue as the tally also includes a half-century. Bradman (553) is the only other visiting batter with 500-plus Test runs here.
The memorable outing in the 2019 Ashes
Meanwhile, Australia's preceding Test assignment on England soil was the 2019 Ashes, which marked Smith's return to Test cricket after the sandpapergate fiasco. He celebrated his return in style, slamming 774 runs in four Tests at 110.57. These are the joint-sixth-most runs by a visiting batter in a bilateral Test series. The veteran batter smashed three tons and as many fifties in the tour.
Joint-most tons against India
Meanwhile, this was Smith's ninth Test ton against the Indian team. Only Former England skipper Joe Root has smothered as many tons against India. Overall, Smith has raced to 2,008 runs against them in 19 Tests at 66.93. Ricky Ponting (2,555) and Michael Clarke (2,049) are the only other Aussies with 2,000-plus runs against India. Smith's average is the highest among the three.
Smith goes past 8,900 Test runs
Smith has now raced to 8,913 runs in 97 Tests at a sensational average of 60.22. Among batters with at least 5,000 Test runs, only Bradman (99.94) has a better average. Meanwhile, Smith has struck 31 Test tons and 37 fifties. Ponting (45) and Waugh (32) are the only Aussies with more Test centuries. No other active cricketer owns more Test tons.
