Steve Smith once again stood tall when Australia needed him most, scoring a gritty 138 off 220 balls in the fifth Ashes Test at the SCG to rescue the home side’s first innings.
Batting at No. 5, Smith walked in with Australia under pressure and slowly took control. He defended for long periods, punished loose balls, and showed why he remains Australia’s most trusted batter in big moments.
The knock was Smith’s 37th Test century, adding another milestone to an already elite career. More importantly, it came in an Ashes finale, where pressure is always high and every run counts.
With this innings, Smith went past Allan Border to become the second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history. Only one name now sits above him on that list, Don Bradman.
Smith’s day at the SCG also rewrote the record books in international cricket. He crossed 5000 international runs against England across formats, joining a rare club that includes Don Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
He then went a step further. Smith became only the second batter ever to score 5000 runs specifically against England in international cricket and soon overtook Bradman’s tally of 5028 runs.
Smith now leads the list with 5094 runs against England, scored in 122 innings across 90 matches. It is a mark of long-term dominance rather than a short peak.
Only two batters in history have scored more runs against a single opponent. Tendulkar made 6707 runs against Australia, while Kohli scored 5551 runs against Australia. Smith now sits just behind them.
Breaking it down further, Smith’s numbers against England are massive. In Tests, he has 3691 runs in 73 innings from 41 matches. In ODIs, he has 1245 runs from 40 games. In T20Is, he has added 158 runs.
In Test cricket alone, Bradman still leads the England rivalry with 5028 runs and 19 centuries. Smith has 3691 runs and 13 hundreds, but his overall impact across formats now stands unmatched.