Aaron Kirby: Steve Smith becoming second-leading Ashes run scorer all-time exactly where he deserves to be

The record and legacy of the great Sir Donald Bradman dogs every Australian Test player. Few more so than Steve Smith over the second half of his career. So, it’s appropriate that on his home ground, the stand-in skipper achieved a feat that officially puts him into a significant best-since-Bradman category, and then went on to Test match ton 37. Smith’s century at the SCG on day three was important in the context of the game as he ensured Australia took a large advantage into the second innings, but it was far from his most monumental knock. However, his innings was a nod to a career of plundering English bowlers and driving a proud nation mad while doing it. The Aussie champion now has 3682 runs against the old enemy, his 84th run on Tuesday taking him past Sir Jack Hobbs, one of only two Englishman in the top five all-time Ashes run-makers. It leaves his Ashes exploits sitting only behind Bradman, where it unarguably belongs. It’s been a bizarre series all told for Smith, who has only been dismissed three times in six knocks, hit the winning runs twice and then missed the most batting-friendly surface due to a bout of Vertigo. But when he got his chance on another flat Sydney surface, he didn’t waste it. As many of the great batsmen have done before him, Smith made it to his half century seemingly having done very little and even looking a little scratchy. From 50 onwards, though, he oozed class. He carved the quicks square as they continued to drop short, and he took the attack to any spinner that dared pitch up to him. Smith caused delays as fans moved around the sight screen. He rolled around on his back after losing his balance, ducking short balls. The only thing missing was his eccentric leaves, but the pitch was too flat to reject chances to score. His shovel-pull towards backward square-leg and sprint for three to reach the milestone brought the entire ground to their feet. It’s a nightmarishly familiar sight for the English. In 2019, in England, Smith smashed 774 runs at an average of 110.57. He amassed 508 at 56.44 four years earlier in England. At home, he hit 687 at 137.40 in 2017/18 and even in his first full home series averaged 40.87 for 327 runs in 2013-14. And the fever dream may not be over for England yet, with the 36-year-old expressing his desire to have one more crack at winning a first Ashes series on foreign soil in 2027, having drawn the previous two UK contests. MOST RUNS IN THE ASHES Don Bradman (Aus) - 5028 @ 89.8 Steve Smith (Aus) - 3682* @ 58 Jack Hobbs (Eng) - 3636 @ 54.2 Allan Border (Aus) - 3222 @ 55.6 Steve Waugh (Aus) - 3173 @ 58.8 David Gower (Eng) - 3037 @ 46