Steven Smith smashes his maiden Big Bash League century: Stats
Steven Smith smoked a magnificent century against Adelaide Strikers in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2022-23. The Sydney Strikers opener ended up scoring 101 runs off just 56 deliveries, a knock laced with five boundaries and seven maximums. Notably, the ongoing season marks Smith's return to BBL after the 2019-20 edition. Here we look at his stats in the competition.
A sensational knock from Smith
Batting first in Coffs Harbour, Sydney Sixers were off to a poor start as opener Josh Philippe (1) perished cheaply. However, Smith unleashed his A-game and tormented the Adelaide bowlers. He found boundaries for fun and even reached his hundred with a six, off just 56 balls. The veteran batter got run out right after touching the three-figure mark.
A look at his BBL numbers
Smith, who made his BBL debut in 2011, scored the ton in his second appearance this season. He managed a 27-ball 36 in his preceding outing against Perth Scorchers. Meanwhile, this was Smith's maiden century in BBL. He now owns 756 runs in 26 BBL games at 36. His strike rate reads 134.51. Besides a ton, the tally also includes five half-centuries.
A look at his T20 numbers
Overall, this was Smith's second ton in T20 cricket. He has now raced to 4,941 runs in the format in 237 appearances at 30.12. The talismanic batter has been striking at 126.01 in the format. The tally also includes 21 half-centuries. Meanwhile, in T20Is, he owns 1,008 runs in 63 games at 25.2 (four half-centuries).
How did the innings pan out?
The Sixers posted 203/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Kurtis Patterson, who scored a 33-ball 43, was involved in a 149-run stand for the second wicket with Smith. Jordan Silk's brief but fiery cameo was pivotal in taking the Strikers over 200. He smashed an unbeaten 16-ball 31. Fast bowler Wes Agar took a couple of wickets for the Strikers.
