Ton of disappointment for run-hungry Smith

IT says everything you need to know about Steve Smith’s infatuation with punishing the old enemy that anything less than a century almost feels like a flop to him.

It’s not, of course, but that is the lofty standard he has set for himself, so whenever he finishes with less than triple figures, he can’t help cursing himself for not getting more runs.

The Aussie vice-captain was at it again at the SCG on Thursday after making a sparkling 67 against England, a score that every other mere mortal would have been doing cartwheels about.

It was the second-highest contribution in Australia’s 8-416 and laid the foundations for an early declaration after he shared a 115-run stand with his former junior teammate Usman Khawaja. But as he ambled back to the Members’ Stand, Smith could hardly have looked more disappointed had he made a duck.

Smith muttered to himself and shook his head in disappointment at missing out on a bigger score.

His stats tell a different story, however.

Because while he may not have chalked up another ton at the SCG, his love affair with the grand old venue shows no sign of ever ending.

In 13 Tests stretching back over more than a decade on Sydney’s most sacred turf, Smith has blazed three hundreds and seven half-centuries, at an average of 74.

That’s 18 better than his overall Test average and 12 ahead of his astonishing career record in Ashes matches against the Poms, in which he has also made 11 hundreds and 11 fifties.

His frustration is in part fuelled by his performances in this series.

Smith has made two halfcenturies, including a 93 in the first Test in Brisbane, but his overall average is 38.

In the last Ashes series, in England in 2019, Smith made 774 runs at 110.

He hit three hundreds, including a double.

Perhaps then, it was no wonder he felt flat after just 67.