Steve Smith is being called the world’s best batsman after scoring two centuries in an Ashes Test, something that not even Aussie great Don Bradman could do.
The former captain, who was banned for a year for cheating in March 2018, reached 142 on Sunday after scoring 144 in Australia’s first innings.
His masterful knock left cricket fans all over the world stunned as Australians called him a genius and said ‘we don’t deserve him’.
‘It was a dream comeback in a way,’ Smith said after his first Test since the sandpaper cheating scandal.
The 33-year-old’s hit led Australia to an impressive 487, leaving England needing an unlikely 398 to win the match.
Australia’s Steve Smith recorded another century at Edgbaston to pile the pressure on England on the fourth day of the Test
‘To be able to score two hundreds in a match in the first Ashes Test match – it’s something I’ve never done in any form of cricket in my life so it’s incredibly special and special to be able to put us in the position we’re in now going into day five,’ Smith said.
‘I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I would have liked at the start of the week and made sure I put in the hours to find my rhythm and my groove.
‘Going into day one I felt in a really good place and was ready to go out and play so… just pleased to have done what I’ve achieved over the last four days and being able to put the team in a really good position going into the last day.
‘I’m over the moon, it’s what dreams are made of.’
The last Australian to score two centries in an Ashes Test was Matthew Hayden 16 years ago.
Smith was almost flawless. He did flick Ben Stokes just wide of leg gully on 74 and would have been run out on 133 had Root got behind the stumps to collect Denly’s exceptional throw from the deep.
Otherwise there was not a sniff of a chance.
It says everything for the redemption of Smith that even the bulk of this crowd, who have been loudly but never over nastily reminding the disgraced former captain of his ball-tampering past throughout this Test, rose to him when he again reached three figures.
And it says everything about Smith’s hunger for runs that he looked devastated to be dismissed wafting at a wide one from Woakes for ‘just’ 142 before he acknowledged the whole of the ground, even raising his bat to the Hollies Stand who had mocked him.
Smith lifts his bat in celebration after becoming the third Australian hit a century in each innings of an away Ashes Test
The talisman’s superb knock of 142 handed Australia a commanding lead before they declared with a lead of 397
The ball pitched outside off-stump, spat off the worn and ultra-dry Edgbaston surface and turned sharply to bowl Tim Paine through the gate. It was the perfect off-spinner’s dismissal but it was the moment that summed up England’s desperate first Test plight.
Even Moeen Ali could barely summon up the energy to celebrate a classic example of his art to dismiss the Australian captain because it was far too little and far too late to stop England facing nothing but a monumental fight for survival at their Birmingham fortress.
If only Moeen had been able to conjure up something similar much, much earlier to the man who has produced one of the great Ashes performances here in Steve Smith, then perhaps this first Ashes episode might have been following a very different script.
Instead England’s premier spinner, bereft of all confidence with the bat, was similarly abject with the ball on a fourth day pitch in his home city that could have been made for him as Australia seized the initiative after three compelling, evenly-matched days.
Any plan for England to capitalise on green pitches in this Ashes with last year’s batch of seaming Dukes balls, just as they did in the 2015 series, has gone up in a puff of dust from an Edgbaston surface that instead has been tailor-made for spin.
It has hardly helped that England have been a bowler down since Jimmy Anderson limped off on the first morning while Chris Woakes was mysteriously restricted to just seven overs as Australia piled on the misery and runs.
But cometh the hour, England hoped, cometh the spinner who has been exceptional with the ball since returning to the side against India last summer in direct contrast to his ever-diminishing returns with the bat. Sadly, Moeen simply could not deliver.
He had made a reasonable enough start on Saturday night by sending back Cameron Bancroft but from the moment Moeen bowled a looping moon ‘no ball’ over Smith’s head in his first over yesterday it was clear this would not be his day.
Chris Woakes (second left) celebrates finally taking the wicket of Smith on day four but the damage had already been done
But the controversial figure departed to a respectful reception from all corners of the ground after his day four heroics
Matthew Wade celebrates after hitting the second century of the innings from just 132 balls to further the Australia’s lead
Tim Paine is bowled by Moeen Ali late in the day, showing signs that the surface will take spin on day five on Monday
By the time Moeen finally produced that pearler to bowl Paine he had disappeared for more than 100 runs at close to five an over and Australia were perfectly positioned to push for their first victory at England’s favourite ground since 2001.
And the worst indictment of Moeen’s display is that he was outbowled by Joe Root and even Joe Denly when the captain turned in desperation to the Kent man’s leg-breaks.
It would, of course, be a completely different story if it were not for the quite remarkable comeback of clearly still the best Test batsman in the world in Smith in his first Test since his world fell apart in Cape Town 16 months ago.
England’s Stuart Broad has his hands on his head as the hosts struggle with Australia piling on the runs in the second innings
Tim Paine had been clean bowled by Moeen Ali while the visitors threatened to run away with the contest
Home skipper Joe Root and his teammates were set an almost insurmountable target as Australia switched on the style
This time Smith, who had rescued Australia from the depths of 122 for eight in the first innings, had support firstly of Travis Head and then spectacularly in a stand of 126 from Australia keeper turned specialist batsman in Matthew Wade.
Wade rushed along to his third Test century and hit more boundaries than Smith, surviving the latest howler from umpire Joel Wilson who wrongly and woefully adjudged him lbw to Stuart Broad with the new ball, before becoming a third victim for Stokes.
James Pattinson and Pat Cummins swung productively until Paine gave England a surely hypothetical 398 to win but surprisingly only seven overs to survive on day four.
It was a display of conservatism from Paine that helped England survive without loss until the close but with Nathan Lyon already gaining turn and bounce England have a mighty task to come through this first Test unscathed.
And whatever happens they will have much to ponder before these teams reconvene at Lord’s in 10 days’ time. Not least Moeen’s position.
England openers Jason Roy and Rory Burns walk off after the end of the day having survived the final seven overs