On Day 2 of the second Test at the Galle International Stadium, Steve Smith recorded his second century of the current tour, continuing his run-scoring rampage throughout the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. Interestingly, this was his 36th career Test match.
With his most recent achievement, Smith surpassed seasoned English batter Joe Root and renowned Indian batsman Rahul Dravid in terms of the number of century scored in the game’s longest format. Additionally, he rose to become the format’s fifth-highest century-maker.
Steve Smith fluid technique at the crease helped guide his team clear of danger when he came in to bat with Australia in a bind at 37/2.
A short delivery from Kamindu Mendis was pulled through mid-wicket for a smashing boundary on the last delivery of the 63rd over of Australia’s innings, marking a special moment. Intriguingly, Smith reached his 36th century in Test cricket in just 206 innings, but Dravid and Root reached their 36th hundreds in their 276th and 275th Test innings, respectively.
Australia dominates the second day.
Two early wickets gave Australia a setback, but they bounced back nicely. Usman Khawaja and Smith worked together to steer his side towards calmer waters. Khawaja was out in the twenty-fifth over. Khawaja was replaced by Alex Carey. To further irritate the hosts, Smith and Khawaja created a huge century stand.
Smith appeared at ease and reached his century after a short while, despite riding his luck a few times after surpassing his 50. For those who don’t know, he got his second straight tonne today. He followed up his first Test score of 141 with an undefeated knock of 120 runs. Carey had 139 at the end of the day. The visitors will be eager to increase their advantage.
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