Australian batter Steve Smith has become the second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history, with 3,682 runs, behind only Sir Donald Bradman’s 5,028.
Smith reached the milestone with a century in the fifth and final Ashes Test, adding several records to his name.
Standing in as captain in the absence of Pat Cummins, Smith was unbeaten on 129 at the close of the third day at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It was his first hundred of the series.
His innings guided Australia to 518 for 7 in reply to England’s 384, giving the hosts a lead of 134 runs.
With this knock, Smith passed England great Jack Hobbs to move into second place on the Ashes run-scoring list. Hobbs now sits third with 3,636 runs.
The century was Smith’s 13th in Ashes Tests, placing him second on the list for most hundreds in the series. Bradman remains top with 19.
As captain, it was Smith’s 18th Test century, including six against England. This is the most centuries scored by a captain against a single opponent.
In Test cricket overall, the innings took Smith past Rahul Dravid and into sixth place for most Test centuries, with 37.
Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 51 Test hundreds, followed by Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting and Joe Root (41 each), Kumar Sangakkara (38), and then Smith.
The innings in Sydney underlined Smith’s standing as one of the leading batsmen of the modern era and a central figure in Australia’s success in the Ashes.
