Australian Test veteran Steve Smith has achieved a major milestone in his career which even the great Ricky Ponting could not do. Smith is the second highest run-scorer in the history of Ashes after the great Don Bradman.
The Ashes never fails to entertain you, even when the fate of the trophy is already decided. Australia have already sealed their home Ashes victory with 3 consecutive wins in the first three matches. However, the MCG Test produced a treat for the seamers and an unforgettable victory for England.
Similarly, the SCG Test has been marked with many records. From Joe Root scoring his maiden red-ball century in Australia, Travis Head scoring 500 runs in the Ashes series with a strike rate of over 75 and finally, Steve Smith becoming the second best batsman in Ashes history by surpassing the England greats, the match has seen it all.
Steve Smith moves closer to Don Bradman’s Ashes record with mammoth century at SCG
Steve Smith continued his love affair with the Sydney Cricket Ground as he stunned the SCG crowd with another brilliant innings in his hometown. Smith reached triple figures while building partnerships with Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and finally Beau Webster.
During his brilliant innings, Smith became the second highest run-scorer in the history of Ashes, surpassing former English legend Jack Hobbs. Only the great Donald Bradman is ahead of him in terms of number of runs.
Steve Smith’s Ashes statistics:
| matches played | 41* |
| innings played | 73* |
| scored runs | 3665* |
| average | 57.23 |
| half century/century | 14/13 |
| highest score | 239 |
List of top 5 run scorers in Ashes history:
| number | Country | player name | it goes | batting average |
| 1 | Australia | don bradman | 5028 | 89.8 |
| 2 | Australia | steve smith | 3665* | 57.23 |
| 3 | England | jack hobbs | 3636 | 54.2 |
| 4 | Australia | alan border | 3222 | 55.6 |
| 5 | Australia | steve waugh | 3173 | 58.8 |
| 6 | England | david gower | 3037 | 46.0 |
Steve Smith overtakes England legend in terms of century in Ashes
Steve Smith scored his 37th Test century in the final match of the Ashes series and made a commendable start to the year 2026. This is also his fifth century at the SCG as he has continued his excellent form at the venue.
With this, Steve Smith overtook former Australian legend Steve Waugh in terms of highest 50+ score in the Ashes and equalized with Jack Hobbs. Smith now has 27 50+ scores in Ashes history.
He also surpassed Hobbs’ century record and now has 13 Ashes centuries, second only to Don Bradman who had 19 in his career. He is officially the second highest century-scorer in Ashes history.
Highest score of 50+ in the Ashes!
31 – Donald Bradman
27 – Jack Hobbs
27 – Steven Smith*
26 – Alan Border
24 – Herbert Sutcliffe
24 – Steve Waugh
24 – Joe Root#ash25 #AUSvsENG #Ashes2025 pic.twitter.com/GWqOIYqZde— Cricket Capture! (@cricketcapture_) 6 January 2026
Australia dominate England at SCG as first Test of 2026 inches closer to dramatic draw
Australia has once again dominated the English team at SCG. However, on prior occasions, Sydney has been one of the most respite grounds for England as the ground often provides a healthy batting track, but this time, the Australian batsmen have taken advantage of the pitch, where the ball is making sweet contact with the bat.
However, Australia’s intentions could be seen on the third day, with centurion Steve Smith, along with Beau Webster, looking to score some runs quickly before they could either declare on the third day or play on and build up a commanding lead over the English batsmen to avoid a draw in the final game of a challenging series.
However, it seems clear that the SCG Test is going to be the longest match played in this Ashes series, with many games finishing within 2 or 3 days. However, the first Test of 2026 currently looks set to end in a contested draw.
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