A ton of courage
STEVE Smith has soared into a stratosphere occupied by the game’s greatest players as he delivered the rallying cry that could shape the course of the Ashes.
There may be no more important innings in this series than the epic masterclass Smith produced on day three at the Gabba, a memorable century the captain marked with a passionate beat to his chest, as if to implore his comrades to come with him.
“It was a bit of everything really,” Smith said of his emotional outburst.
“The situation we were in, to try and get us to where we are now.
“Ashes series are always huge. As the captain, I want to try and lead from the front as much as I can with my performance and the way I bat, so all of it came out when I got to a hundred.
“It’ll be up there, definitely (with my best hundreds). Obviously with the team in a bit of trouble at 4-70, I had to try and bat some time and dig really deep and it was nice to put on a few partnerships with Shaun (Marsh) and Patty Cummins at the back end there.”
Josh Hazlewood then bounced back from a poor start to the Test to lead a blistering onslaught with the new ball that left England ducking for cover and fighting for survival at the Gabba.
England will resume at 2-33 with Joe Root and Mark Stoneman desperately trying to get their heads above water, currently just 7 runs in front.
Hazlewood (2-11) had Alastair Cook hooking falsely to be caught brilliantly by Mitchell Starc on the boundary, before nicking off James Vince straight into the bread basket of a rampant Smith.
Starc then cannoned a ferocious bouncer straight into the meat of Root’s helmet, a collision so brutal it forced a piece of padding to fall off and prompted a concerned response from Australia, led by big left-armer and vice-captain David Warner.
It was a stunning turnaround in what has been one of the most captivating Ashes Test matches in recent history.
Before lunch it was Australia on the brink of oblivion after they had lost three early wickets still 93 runs behind, only for Smith (141 not out off 326 balls) to almost singlehandedly drag them back.
The freakishly talented Pat Cummins was also instrumental, and his 42-run contribution could not be underestimated, as Australia turned an almost certain deficit into a momentum-shifting 26-run first innings lead as they posted 328 to lift the 33,474 crowd.
Smith absorbed relentless THE FIRST TEST AUSTRALIA V ENGLAND DAY 3, THE GABBA tactical pressure from opposite number Root to be the last man left standing after eight and a half hours duking it out in the Brisbane sun.
It was the 21st career Test century for the batting genius of the 21st century, who now averages more than 60 from just 57 matches.
Smith has scored some magnificent tons, including one on a turning minefield in India earlier this year, but in the context of how much pressure he’s under as Australian captain to return the urn, his effort at the Gabba must rank in the highest bracket possible.
As a captain he has made 13 centuries at an average of 72 – only Sir Donald Bradman, averaging 102 as skipper, has a prouder record of leading from the front.
It was the slowest Test century by an Australian since Simon Katich took 262 balls against New Zealand in 2010, but his patience under fire only added to the excellence of the innings.
Nearly an hour was spent in the 90s, but Smith doesn’t get nervous like most, he simply thrives on the contest.
Root set bodyline-type fields and ordered his quicks to push the boundaries of how many bouncers could be bowled in an over in an attempt to suffocate Smith.
“It’ll be up there, definitely (with my best hundreds)”