New Delhi: Steve Smith extended his dominance on English soil with a masterful half-century on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final between South Africa and Australia at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Amidst the chaos that ensued from the regular fall of wickets, Smith stood firm and played with typical resilience, grit and determination.
And once he was set, South African bowlers found it difficult to contain the prolific batter, who smashed his 42nd half-century and continued his love affair with Lord’s.
By crossing the 50-run mark, Smith surpassed legends like Allan Border and Vivian Richards to take the top spot in the list of visiting batters with the most 50+ scores on English soil. With 18 50+ scores, Smith went past Border and Richards, who both have 17 50+ scores.
Visiting batters with the most 50-plus scores in England
18 – Steven Smith
17 – Allan Border
17 – Sir Vivian Richards
14 – Sir Don Bradman
14 – Sir Garfield Sobers
Smith also became the highest run-getter at Lord’s when he touched the 55-run mark, surpassing Warren Bardsley.
Most runs by a visiting batter at Lord’s
578 – Steven Smith
575 – Warren Bardsley
571 – Sir Garfield Sobers
551 – Sir Don Bradman
512 – Shivnarine Chanderpaul
508 – Dilip Vengsarkar
503 – Allan Border
Smith also joined West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul atop the list of the most 50+ scores with his fifth 50-plus total at Lord’s in Tests.
The Aussie great, however, failed to convert the start into a big score as he was caught in the slip by Marco Jansen off the bowling of part-time spinner Aiden Markram. Smith’s 66-run knock came in 112 balls and included 10 boundaries.
Earlier, South Africa made a brilliant start after opting to bowl first with Kagiso Rabada picking up two wickets (Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green) in the seventh over. Marco Jansen then dismissed Marnus Labuschagne (17) and Travis Head in quick succession to further jolt the Australian innings.
Smith and Beau Webster joined hands for a 79-run partnership to steady the ship for the defending champions.
Steve Smith broke a couple of records during his 66-run knock on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
