Steve Smith’s telling statement in the Boxing Day Test after hitting a nine-year low for greatness

Steve Smith has once again given a stark reminder that he is far from a spent force in red-ball cricket after scoring his 34th Test century on the second day of the fourth Test against India. The Australian veteran continued on Friday with 68 not out and 6-311 for Australia, hoping to build on a great first day an extravagant Test century debut for Sam Konstaswho was too at the center of a dispute with the Indian Virat Kohli.

Smith scored his 33rd Test ton in the first innings of the Gabba Test, overtaking Australian legend and former captain Steve Waugh on the all-time list of Test centuries. And in the opening session of day two at the MCG on Friday, the 35-year-old managed to hit two centuries in as many Tests, finishing seventh on the all-time list and extending Australia’s lead. Skipper Pat Cummins narrowly missed out on his half-century after being dismissed for 49 as Australia took 7-454 to lunch.

Smith brought up his latest milestone when he bowled Nitish Kumar four times in the middle of the first session to reach 34 Test hundreds alongside a host of cricket icons including Indian star Sunil Gavaskar and Windies legend Brian Lara. It was Smith’s 11th Test century against India, surpassing England star Joe Root (10) for the most by a batter and adding to the 12 Ashes tons he made in an exceptional career.

This continues Smith’s love of the MCG, where he has averaged more than 80 points in Boxing Day Tests over the course of his career, with that number expected to rise further. Smith has now scored five tons in the Boxing Day Tests and appears to have rediscovered some of his best form with his 101 in the first innings of the rainy Gabba Test.

Previously, Smith had not achieved 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 first two Tests of this series against India and has only one fifty to his name in seven matches this year, prompting critics to question his future in Test cricket.

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Steve Smith’s career growth continues at the MCG

A total of 19 runs in Smith’s first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar series sparked serious concerns about the 35-year-old’s form and whether he still had what it took to play at the top level. However, Smith has proven in the last two Test matches that his form is temporary but his class is permanent, having put Australia in the box seat and taking a 2-1 series lead.

Shortly after lunch, Smith was finally taken out for 140. His last Test victory came after Konstas took on Jasprit Bumrah and hit an unforgettable 60 on Boxing Day. Usman Khawaja (57) and Marnus Labuschagne (72) both benefited from the courageous 19-year-old rookie’s platform as Australia’s top four all surpassed 50 in the same innings against Pakistan for the first time since March 2022.

Ricky Ponting leads criticism of Virat Kohli’s penalty

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

“This could very easily have escalated and gotten out of hand,” Ponting told Seven’s coverage. “For me it was premeditated, it was deliberate and it showed how nervous India were at that time. There is no doubt that the way Sam played, the way the Australians approached the game yesterday morning, really got under India’s skin.

“(Kohlis) someone the cricket world looks up to and I don’t think the punishment was harsh enough. I know there’s precedent and they’ve generally fined 15% to 25%, but the contact was pretty serious considering that compared to some of the others we’ve seen.