The odds were against the former Australian captain, the crowd was unfriendly and the atmosphere was nothing less than extremely demanding but Steve Smith conquered all the negatives and emerged as the winner on Day 1 of the Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
In his comeback Test for Australia, Smith played the knock of his life to shun every single critic who was questioning his ability to perform in the most challenging format of the game after the infamous ball-tampering scandal.
Coming in to bat at number four, the former World No. 1 Test batsman showed no signs of rustiness and conjured up his 24th hundred to deny England the honors on the opening day of the first Test.
Smith added a fourth-wicket partnership of 64 with Travis Head and then a crucially ninth-wicket stand of 88 with Peter Siddle. However, he received a reward for his performance by bringing up three figures with a wonderful cover drive.
Smith’s hundred marked his 24th in Test cricket and his fifth in his last seven Ashes matches and, in the circumstances, could be considered the most memorable of his glittering career.
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A superb Smith innings came to an end for 144 when he was clean bowled by Stuart Broad, giving him a five-for, but Smith was the star of the day.
He lifted Australia to 284, a very competitive total, especially from where they were when the 30-year-old walked out to the middle.
Comeback king, Steve Smith
Scorecard –> https://t.co/GabRz0MGG6#Ashes #ENGvAUS #SteveSmith pic.twitter.com/qCn026Q6Ge— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) August 1, 2019
Also, England had two overs to bat at the end of the day and finished on 10-0.
