Steve Smith will join an illustrious group of players on Thursday as he becomes the 14th Australian to play 100 Test matches for his country.
Smith, 34, has been a mainstay in the national team for 10 years, establishing himself as one of the best batters on the planet and Australia’s go-to man for runs at No 4.
Along the way, he’s gone from spin bowler to team captain and is now a leading voice in Pat Cummins’ dressing room as the Aussies stand on the verge of their first Ashes victory on enemy soil since 2001.
Smith believes securing the urn will be the perfect way to mark his 100th Test.
‘That’s the goal,’ Smith said.
‘I have said it for a long time, it is something that has been on my bucket list to win an Ashes series in England.
‘What a way to top it off, if I could do it in my 100th game. It would be special for sure.’
There have been many cheers – and some tears – for Smith throughout his Test career. Here, Mail Sport takes a look at some of the most defining pictures of the superstar’s time in the Baggy Green.
2010
There’s no greater place to make your Test debut than Lord’s, the Home of Cricket. Coincidentally, Steve Smith made his debut alongside Tim Paine, the pair later having to leave their respective posts as captain of Australia in disgrace.
Initially joining the team as a spinner, Smith took 3-51 in Pakistan’s second innings, helping Australia win by 150 runs. His promise with the bat was shown in the second Test, where he scored 77 while batting with the tail.
He played three of the five Tests in the 2010-11 Ashes series, which England won Down Under. Failing to impress, he did not play another Test for two years.
JULY 2010: Steve Smith makes his Australia debut alongside Tim Paine (L), who would succeed him as captain
JULY 2010: Smith receives his Baggy Green from captain Ricky Ponting ahead of his Test debut for Australia
JULY 2010: Steve Smith was primarily picked as a spinner for Australia’s Test match against Pakistan in London
JULY 2010: Smith celebrates after taking his first Test wicket during Australia’s match at Lord’s over 13 years ago
DECEMBER 2010: However, he struggled to make an impact in Australia’s disastrous Ashes campaign and was dropped
2013
Smith was recalled for the tour of India where he was picked as a backup batter, but he earned a selection after four players were dropped for not doing their homework. He top scored with 92 in the first Test but Australia went on to lose the series 4-0.
The 34-year-old scored the first of his 31 Test centuries against the old enemy at the Oval, in an Ashes series Australia ultimately lost. But the urn was reclaimed six months later when Smith played a major role in their 5-0 rout Down Under.
AUGUST 2013: Smith scored the first of his 31 Test centuries with a sublime knock against England in the Ashes
NOVEMBER 2013: Smith established himself as one of Australia’s best fielders with a diving catch to dismiss Matt Prior
NOVEMBER 2013: Smith celebrates with the crowd after taking the catch to remove Ian Bell during the Ashes
DECEMBER 2013: Smith jumps out of the way to avoid a direct hit from a teammate at the Adelaide Oval
DECEMBER 2013: smith celebrates with David Warner after Australia regained the Ashes in Perth
2014
Fresh off their whitewash over England, Smith produced 269 runs at an average of 67.25 during Australia’s 2-1 series victory in South Africa, second to only David Warner. However, he failed to have a positive impact against Pakistan in the UAE as they lost 2-0.
Smith’s world was rocked at the end of 2014 after the death of Phillip Hughes. He scored 162* against India in their first Test since his death, and dedicated the knock to his old mate. Smith served as captain of Australia in the second Test match, owing to an injury to Michael Clarke.
OCTOBER 2014: Smith scrambles to avoid a run out during a Test match against Pakistan in the UAE
DECEMBER 2014: Smith looks to the sky as he his century against India to the late Phillip Hughes at Adelaide Oval
DECEMBER 2014: Smith waits in the middle for the coin toss as he captains Australia for the first time
DECEMBER 2014: Smith celebrates after scoring yet another ton for his country in the series against India
DECEMBER 2014: Smith watches on as Virat Kohli celebrates a century. The pair would be compared by fans for years to come
2015
Smith fell agonizingly short of a double-ton in the West Indies during Australia’s winter tour, where he became the eighth male player in Test history to make 199 runs. That performance earnt him status as the number ICC Test batter in the world, becoming the second-youngest player to reach the top spot.
This year was when Smith came into his own for Australia, becoming the first Aussie since the second World War to score a double ton at Lord’s. However, he was unable to save his team from an Ashes defeat. Come the end of the year, Smith replaced the retiring Michael Clarke as captain of the national team. He was also named ICC Test Player of the Year.
JULY 2015: Smith returned to the scene of his Test debut – Lord’s – where he made a century in the Ashes
AUGUST 2015: Smith cuts a lonely figure after being dismissed by Stuart Broad at Trent Bridge
AUGUST 2015: The batter enjoyed a successful tour of England but ultimately Australia lost the series
NOVEMBER 2015: Smith and Warner celebrate after Australia won the trans-Tasman trophy after beating New Zealand
JANUARY 2016: Smith poses with the Allan Border Medal after his sensational displays in 2015
2016
Smith’s reign as captain did not get off to the best of starts. While they won 2-0 away in New Zealand, the Aussies’ tour of Sri Lanka was a disaster, losing 3-0. They returned home for a series against South Africa, where they avoided another whitewash by saving the last Test, to lose the series 2-1.
By the end of the year, Smith begun to find his groove, guiding Australia to a 3-0 series victory over Pakistan where he was awarded Man of the Series after scoring a combined 441 runs across the three Test matches.
NOVEMBER 2016: Smith looks at the recently-retired Michael Clarke after replacing him as captain of Australia
NOVEMBER 2016: Smith watches the pink ball hang in the air as he bats at the crease for Australia
NOVEMBER 2016: Smith shows safe hands to dismiss Temba Bavuma during the day-night Test against South Africa
DECEMBER 2016: The batter celebrates after reaching his century against Pakistan at the Gabba
DECEMBER 2016: Smith places his hands on his knees as he prepares to take to the field for his country
2017
Smith paid a visit to the Dalai Lama and it’s fair to say he was in inspired touch during Australia’s tour of India at the start of 2017. His ton in the third innings in Pune was rated by commentator Hasha Bhogle and other Indian media as the best ever by a visiting player. He ended the series with 499 runs, averaging 71.29. They lost the series 2-1.
That form carried through to the 2017-18 Ashes series, where even England captain Joe Root admitted that Smith – who averaged 137.40 with three centuries and two fifties – was the difference between the two teams as Australia won 4-0. He was again named ICC Test Player of the Year for 2017.
MARCH 2017: Smith is greeted by the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala and he was in inspired form on their tour of India
AUGUST 2017: Smith plays a shot on the legside in Australia’s Test match against Bangladesh at Shere Bangla Stadium
NOVEMBER 2017: Smith pounds his chest after scoring yet another century against the Poms in the Ashes
DECEMBER 2017: Smith looks aghast at the ball after dropping Alastair Cook at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
2018
Smith started 2018 on a high, lifting the urn in another comprehensive Ashes series victory at home. But by the end of the year, his world had turned upside down.
Australia’s tour of South Africa was marred by controversial incidents. David Warner got involved in a heated confrontation with Quinten de Kock in the corridor, Kagiso Rabada saw a ban for making physical contact with Smith overturned before Australian cricket’s darkest moment arrived in the third Test.
Television cameras captured young opener Cameron Bancroft tampering with the ball, using sandpaper. Smith admitted that the ‘leadership group’ sanctioned the plan to tamper the ball, and both he and Warner stood down from their roles as captain and vice-captain. Upon his return to Sydney Airport, Smith held an emotional press conference where he broke down in tears before the world’s media.
Smith was banned from all international and domestic cricket for 12 months.
JANUARY 2018: Smith laughs with teammates Warner and Nathan Lyon after another dominant Ashes series
JANUARY 2018: Smith poses with the urn in the dressing room, but things would take a turn for the worse
MARCH 2018: Smith had endured a frustrating series in South Africa before Australian cricket was sent into total shock
MARCH 2018: Smith admitted to sanctioning the use of sandpaper during the third Test against South Africa
MARCH 2018: Smith breaks down in tears in an emotional press conference in Sydney. He was banned for 12 months
2019
Smith was named in the Ashes squad for Australia’s tour of England, placing him in the cauldron of opposing fans in his first Test appearance since sandpapergate. He responded in emphatic fashion, scoring centuries in both innings of the first Test at Edgbaston.
He was on track to hit a third-straight ton at Lord’s before being hit by a 148.7km/h ball on the left side of his neck from Jofra Archer. He later returned after passing the concussion tests, only to lose his wicket for 92 runs. Smith had to watch on as Ben Stokes saved the third Test at Headingley but came back firing on all cylinders at Old Trafford, scoring a double ton and went on to finish the series with 774 runs at an average of 110.57.
The British media rated Smith’s performances as one of the greatest batting displays in a Test series. Australia left England with the Ashes, having retained their title.
AUGUST 2019: Smith made a triumphant return to Test cricket and scored back-to-back centuries at Edgbaston
AUGUST 2019: Smith celebrates after scoring his first Ashes ton of the 2019 series against England
SEPTEMBER 2019: Smith was a constant thorn in England’s side and dominated the Ashes series
SEPTEMBER 2019: His battles with Jofra Archer gripped the cricket world as he stood against the bouncer
2020
Smith’s scintillating form was disrupted by Covid, with the pandemic forcing Australia’s series against New Zealand to be cancelled due to travel restrictions.
He suffered his worst performances for some time during India’s tour of Australia, scoring 1 and 1* in the first Test at Adelaide, plus 0 and 8 at Melbourne. His score of 131 in Sydney was not enough to save his country from an embarrassing series defeat, with India running out 2-1 winners.
DECEMBER 2020: The Covid pandemic seriously derailed Smith’s form and he struggled in the home series against India
DECEMBER 2020: Smith celebrates with Cameron Green and Joe Burns after dismissing Virat Kohli
DECEMBER 2020: However, he was unable to make a serious impact with the bat for much of the series
DECEMBER 2020: Smith cuts a dejected figure after being caught by Cheteshwar Pujara at the MCG
DECEMBER 2020: Australia went on to lose the series in humiliating fashion after appearing to be in control
2021
Smith suffered a slow start to 2021, with an elbow injury ruling him out of the tours of West Indies and Bangladesh, which was sustained during the IPL.
Further scandal hit the Australian cricket team on the eve of the 2021-22 Ashes series as Tim Paine – Smith’s successor – was forced to step down amid a sexting scandal. Pat Cummins was named his replacement, while Smith returned to a leadership position as vice captain.
Smith soon led the team as captain with Cummins ruled out of the second Test due to being a close contact of somebody with Covid.
‘It brought back some old memories in a way and I had fun out there, but it’s Patty’s team,’ he said after their win in Adelaide. ‘I’m the vice-captain and I will help him any way I can. That’s my job.’
While he didn’t play his best cricket with the bat, Australia still won the series comfortably, 4-0.
JANUARY 2021: Smith walks through a virtually empty SCG stand during Australia’s match against India
JANUARY 2021: Smith flies through the air to field a ball during day five of the Sydney Test
DECEMBER 2021: Smith talks with Australia coach Justin Langer, who would leave his post the following year
DECEMBER 2021: Smith acknowledges the crowd after walking off the field during the Ashes at Adelaide Oval
DECEMBER 2021: Alex Carey, David Warner, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne appeal for a wicket at the Adelaide Oval
2022
While he was unable to score a century in Australia two-Test series tour of Pakistan, Smith became the fastest man to reach 8,000 Test runs – achieving the feat in 151 Tests, fewer tests than Kumar Sangakkara (152) and Sachin Tendulkar (154).
Smith ended his 547-day wait for a Test century with his score of 145 in Australia’s second Test against Sri Lanka, although that series is remembered for his furious bust up with Usman Khawaja after he was run out for 6. Smith insisted shortly after that match that there was no lingering anger between the pair.
He wrapped up the year with a double century against the West Indies in Perth, before going some way to righting the wrongs of 2018 with a 2-0 series win over South Africa.
JANUARY 2022: Smith celebrates with his teammates after taking the wicket of fellow spinner Jack Leach
MARCH 2022: Smith plays a shot against Pakistan where he passed 8,000 Test runs – the quickest male player to do so
JUNE 2022: Smith looks on in anger after a mix up with Usman Khawaja caused him to be run out in Sri Lanka
DECEMBER 2022: Smith plays a shot off the pad towards a South African fielder at the Gabba
DECEMBER 2022: Smith takes a break during afternoon drinks alongside David Warner at the MCG
2023
Smith, unlike his tour of India in 2017, struggled with the conditions on the subcontinent during Australia’s four-match series earlier this year, registering a top score of 38 runs over the course of seven innings.
He avenged that series defeat by playing a role in Australia’s World Test Championship final victory over the same opponents at the Oval earlier this summer, setting the Aussies up well for their attempt to win the Ashes for the first time in England since 2001.
While Smith had a quiet first Test at Edgbaston by his lofty standards, he responded with aplomb at Lord’s, scoring 110 in the first innings to help Australia take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. He was awarded Player of the Match despite Ben Stokes’ heroic knock of 155 in the second innings.
FEBRUARY 2023: Smith and Warner inspect the pitch in Nagpur ahead of the series against India
JUNE 2O23: Smith takes a flying catch to remove Kohli during the World Test Championship final at the Oval
JUNE 2023: Smtih poses with teammates Josh Hazlewood, Warner, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Start after winning the final
JULY 2023: Smith practices an unorthodox shot during the second Ashes Test at Lord’s Cricket Ground
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