Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has showered praise upon Steve Smith, who is set to make his 100th international appearance in a Test match. Smith will walk out in his 100thmatch when England and Australia take the field for the third Ashes Test on July 6 at Headingley, Leeds.
He will become only the 15th Australian cricketer to conquer the 100-Test mark. Ahead of his milestone Test, Ponting has called Smith the second-greatest batter of Australia after legendary cricketer Don Bradman. During an interview for Daily Mail, ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain asked Ponting to express his thought about Smith’s upcoming 100th Test and where he would rank middle-order batter among Australian greats.
Underlining Smith’s excellence in red-ball cricket, Ponting was quick to admit, “If it all ends tomorrow, he would be the second-greatest batsman Australia has produced after Don Bradman. And statistically, you cannot argue with that.”
Steve Smith has been a key in Australia showing their dominance in the ongoing Ashes, having taken a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series. In the last match at the Lord’s, Smith achieved a historic feat as he became the second-fastest batter in history to reach 9000 runs in Tests. He also notched up his 32nd century in the game and was the standout batter for his team in the first innings. Thanks to his 110-run knock, Smith was named the Player of the Match in the second Test, which Australia won by 43 runs.
Smith will be hopeful of continuing his red-hot form in the remaining games. Speaking about his 100th Test, Smith pledged to produce something special that would fulfil his dream to “win an Ashes series in England.” “It is something that has been on my bucket list,” he said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
Since making his debut for Australia in 2010, Steve Smith’s career has witnessed a lot of turbulence. From starting off as a leg-spinner to becoming one of the best batters for his country, Smith’s rise in international cricket is certainly a story to tell. He was stripped of the captaincy following the infamous ball tempering saga in 2018. But after serving a 12-month ban, Smith was able to make a roaring comeback to the squad with a 774-run Ashes series in 2019.
Donning the whites for Australia in 99 Tests so far, Steve Smith has aggregated a total of 9,113 runs at an outstanding batting average of 59.56. He has recorded 32 centuries and 37 half-centuries in the longest format. Smith’s stats in the limited-over formats is equally commendable. He has played 142 ODIs and has amassed 4939 runs including 12 tons and 29 50-plus scores. In 63 T20Is, Smith has produced 1008 runs, registering four half-centuries.
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