Aussie cricket identity outlines why Steve Smith is a superior player to England star Joe Root – ‘a rung below’

Cricket great Darren Lehmann has declared that Joe Root is a ‘rung below’ Steve Smith because the decorated England batsman has never scored a Test century on Australian soil.

Lehmann, 54, said Root – who has plundered more than 12,000 Test runs in his career – is a “great player but not an all-time great.”

“He’s played the Ashes four times (in Australia) and still hasn’t made a hundred,” the former Australia coach said, commentating for ABC during the first Test against India in Perth.

‘He is a step below the likes of Steve Smith and (Virat) Kohli for that reason.’

Lehmann went on to point out that the likes of Smith, Kohli and Kiwi Kane Williamson have repeatedly made centuries in different conditions against different nations.

‘Is he (mess) in the upper layer?’ he added.

‘He has three, maybe four going on it…David Warner is the same, he never made a hundred in England.

‘You have to earn hundreds all over the world (to be in that elite category).’

Cricket great Darren Lehmann has declared that Joe Root is a ‘rung below’ Steve Smith because the decorated England batsman has never scored a Test century on Australian soil

Smith’s last hundred was last June against England at Lord’s, with ‘Smudge’ now going 23 runs without a century (pictured after he was dismissed for a golden duck on day one of the first Test in Perth)

Lehmann’s view of Joe Root was a source of debate with cricket fans at X (Root is pictured after scoring 200 against Pakistan in October)

It comes after Smith struggled in the first Test at Optus Stadium with a golden duck and 17 from his two innings on the field.

Smith’s last hundred was in June last year against England at Lord’s, with ‘Smudge’ now going 23 innings without a century.

Cricket fans at X also weighed in on Lehmann’s opinion about Rod.

“(Joe) literally carries an average batting line-up,” said one supporter.

‘Joe Root hasn’t gone 500 days with a Test century like Smith or Kohli? He hasn’t averaged in the 30s in a long time.

‘He has scored 12,000 plus Test runs with 35 centuries. If he surpasses (Indian great) Sachin (Tendulkar) for all-time Test runs, will he still be behind Kohli & Smith?’ asked another.

A third weighed in with: ‘Smith is done as a player. Yes, he was Imperial at one point, but it lasted five years tops.

‘Kohli, I rate highly, so I would place him near Root, but Williamson has scored the majority of his runs at home and against the minor nations. Root is number one for me.’

Meanwhile, ahead of the second Test in Adelaide, which begins on December 6, retired Australian batsman David Warner offered some good advice for the struggling top order.

‘They (Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne and Smith) need to meet, have a conversation, train with each other…what can we do differently? How do we approach it?, he said on Fox Cricket.

‘We saw that Steve Smith adapted (in the second half) not going too far across.

‘The blowtorch will be on them if they don’t score runs in the next few Test matches.’