Australia captain Steve Smith scored his 36th Test century on day two (February 7) of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, inching closer to several cricketing greats.
Smith, leading Australia as a stand-in captain for Pat Cummins, hit his second successive hundred of the series. He finished the second day unbeaten on 120, having shared a massive double-hundred stand with Alex Carey, who became only the second Australia wicketkeeper-batter to score a Test century in Asia.
Smith is now tied with Joe Root and Rahul Dravid on the list of most Test centuries. He trails Kumar Sangakkara (38), Ricky Ponting (41), Jacques Kallis (45) and Sachin Tendulkar (51). The century was Smith’s 17th away from home (excluding Tests at neutral venues), the most by an Australia batter in the format.
Steve Smith brought up his 36th Test hundred today, and his 17th away from home.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 7, 2025
It is the most among all Australia batters in the format. Overall, only four others are ahead of him on the list. #SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/8l5pB4hQsF
Smith, placed fourth on the list of most Test hundreds as captain, inched closer to the top three – Graeme Smith, Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting. With 17 Test tons as captain, he is closing in on Ponting's Australian record of 19, while his contemporary Kohli, who is placed second for his 20 hundreds as India's Test skipper is at touching distance as well.
It will take some doing to break Graeme Smith's record tally of 25 Test centuries as South Africa's captain. Smith is currently in the midst of a second wind as a batter, but his opportunities to captain Australia will be limited. Ever since undergoing a technical change in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Smith's numbers have seen a turnaround, with four centuries in five Tests.
On day one, Smith took his 197th catch in Test cricket, breaking an Australian record. The all-time record is held by Rahul Dravid with 210 catches.
Full list: Most Test hundreds as captain
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