Steve Smith’s telling statement in Boxing Day Test after nine-year low too big

Steve Smith has provided another emphatic reminder that he is far from a spent force in red-ball cricket after reaching his 34th Test century on day two of the fourth Test against India. The Aussie veteran resumed Friday on 68 not out and Australia 6-311, hoping to build on an excellent day one that included a flamboyant debut Test century for Sam Konstaswhich was also at the center of a showdown with India’s Virat Kohli.

Smith reached his 33rd Test ton in the first innings of the Gabba Test to overtake Australian legend and former captain Steve Waugh on the all-time list of Test centuries. And in Friday’s opening session on day two at the MCG, the 35-year-old made it two centuries in as many Tests to move into equal seventh on the all-time list and hammer home Australia’s advantage. Skipper Pat Cummins just missed out on his own half-century after being dismissed for 49 as Australia went to lunch on 7-454.

Smith brought up his latest milestone when he drove Nitish Kumar for four midway through the first session to move alongside a host of cricketing icons, including India great Sunil Gavaskar and Windies legend Brian Lara, with 34 Test hundreds. It was Smith’s 11th Test century against India, surpassing England star Joe Root (10) for the most by any batter and adding to the 12 Ashes tons he has made in an extraordinary career.

It also continues Smith’s love affair with the MCG, where he averages more than 80 across his career in Boxing Day Tests, with that figure set to rise even further. Smith has now scored five tons in Boxing Day Tests and looks to have rediscovered some of his best form on the back of his 101 in the first innings of the rained-out Gabba Test.

Prior to that, Smith had not hit a Test ton since June 2023 and his Test average had fallen to a nine-year low of 56.09. Smith also failed to hit a boundary in the opening two Tests of this series against India and had just one fifty to his name in seven matches this year, leaving critics questioning his future in Test cricket.

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A combined 19 runs across Smith’s first two Tests in the Border-Gavaskar series sparked serious concerns about the 35-year-old’s form and whether he still had what it takes to play at the highest level. However, Smith has proved in the last two Test matches that form is temporary but class is permanent, having put Australia in the saddle to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Smith was eventually removed for 140 shortly after lunch, his latest Test ton coming after Konstas took on Jasprit Bumrah and smashed an unforgettable 60 on Boxing Day. Usman Khawaja (57) and Marnus Labuschagne (72) both capitalized on the platform laid by the bold 19-year-old rookie as Australia’s top four all passed 50 in the same innings for the first time since March 2022 against Pakistan.

Ricky Ponting criticizes Virat Kohli’s penalty kick

The dramatic opening day was somewhat overshadowed by Kohli’s class with 19-year-old Konstas, with the India veteran fined 20% of his match fee and given a point for deliberately hitting the youngster during a change of ends. Kohli’s punishment was the same teammate Mohammed Siraj received for his tirade against Travis Head during the second Test in Adelaide, with Ricky Ponting among those who questioned why Kohli was not suspended.

“It could have escalated and gotten out of hand really easily,” Ponting said on Seven’s coverage. “As far as I’m concerned it was premeditated, it was deliberate and it showed how confused India were at that point. There’s no doubt that the way Sam played, the way the Australians approached the morning’s game yesterday , really got under the skin of India.

“(Kohlis) someone the cricket world looks up to and I don’t think the punishment was harsh enough. I know there are precedents and they’ve generally been fined 15 to 25%, but the contact was reasonably harsh when you think about it compared to some of the others we’ve seen.”