If he was to retire today, Steve Smith’s career would stack up favourably against anybody.
But, at 27 years of age and in the prime of his career, he is a long way from finished and by the time he is he will sit among the highest echelon of the sport.
Much has changed since his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s in July 2010.
In that series, he was chosen as a leg-spinner, batting at number eight.
He scored 1 and 12 in his maiden outing and captured 3-51.
He held his place for the second Test at Leeds where he made 10 and 77 and returned bowling figures of 0-31.
He played a further three Tests in the subsequent Australian summer.
After five matches he was dropped, having not added to the three wickets from his debut match and having averaged 28.8 with the bat.
Smith spent 26 months out of the Test side prior to being recalled for the tour to India in March 2013.
Despite a modest return in the Sheffield Shield that domestic summer he was identified by the selectors as being a batsman who would cope well in the spin friendly conditions, a perennial Achilles heel for Australian squads to India.
The tour was a disaster with Australia being swept 4-0, its worst performance on the sub-continent.
Smith sat out the first two Tests but was recalled for the infamous ‘Homework Gate’ match at Mohali, scoring 92 and 5. In the final Test at Delhi he made 46 and 18.
He was retained for the subsequent Ashes in England, finishing the series with an unbeaten 138 at The Oval, his maiden Test century.
In the return series of 2013-14 he scored centuries at Perth and Sydney and was responsible for rescuing Australia from parlous positions on both occasions.
Another ton in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion in February 2014 gave Smith four centuries in seven Tests.
Since then there has been no turning back.
The 2014-15 summer against India was a pivotal one in Smith’s career.
It started with the tragic death of Phillip Hughes and ended with him captaining the Australian Test team.
In the first Test at Adelaide he made 162no. With Michael Clarke succumbing to injury during the match, Smith led the side for the remainder of the series.
He made a century in each of three remaining Tests – 133, 192 and 117 – to finish the series with 769 runs at 128.2.
With Clarke retiring after the successful World Cup campaign in March 2015, Smith took over the captaincy full-time in all three forms of the game.
In 17 Tests as skipper, he has scored seven centuries and averaged 68.1.
His 47-Tests to date have produced 15 centuries and an average of 57.5.
Only Don Bradman (99.94) and Adam Voges (61.9) average higher for those to have played 20 Test innings. Globally, only ten players have had a higher career average.
One of Smith’s strengths is the fact he is an all-pitch player, able to score in varied conditions.
He averages 63.3 at home and 57.6 away.
His explosive 164 in the ODI against New Zealand at the SGG on Sunday was his highest one-day score.
In 89 one-day appearances he has peeled off seven centuries and averaged 43.6. Only six Australian players have recorded a better average.
His ODI strike rate of 88 underlines the speed with which he compiles his runs.
By far the weakest of Smith’s three formats is T20. In 30 internationals he averages 21.6 but there is plenty of time for him to improve that figure.
Smith possesses a technique that would never be coached.
Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann said he would be undone by his technique in the 2015 Ashes series. He went on to average 56.4.
Before he takes strike, there are more movements than a Swiss watch factory – taps of the helmet, bending of the knees, rearrangement of his box, pad adjustments and glove fiddling.
Finally, he is ready to face the ball. He leans slightly forward in his stance with his level and his wrists cocked putting his bat above the horizontal.
Then there is the exorbitant lateral shuffle to the offside.
Many coaches frown on such a movement as they believe it is hard to replicate precisely each time and can therefore confuse a batsman as to where his off stump is.
But for Smith, the confusion often lies with the bowler.
Balls on off-stump, and sometimes outside, are routinely worked for runs through the led side.
The exaggerated lateral movement sees bowlers often attacking a line a couple of stumps width outside off however Smith is less prone to fiddle at them as he knows he has completely covered his off stump.
During his mammoth home series against India the opposition took to trying to remove him down the leg side by redirecting their line and operating with a leg slip and leg gully.
It was tantamount to a captain and team running out of orthodox methods with which to dismiss him.
Smith’s greatest test may come when he has a protracted period of poor form but as yet we have not seen one.
Since 1 January 2014, he has played 31 Tests and scored 3341 runs at 71.1, with 13 centuries.
With perhaps another eight years left in his career and a possible 80 Tests in that time he could go close to 12,000 Test runs.
And that will be quite some achievement.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Chris, if teams cannot figure it out it really isn't that big a problem. It certainly didn't impinge greatly on Ponting's care until the last few years.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Well said Don. Glenn, I think Ricky's issues were there much earlier, it just took teams a long time to figure it out that if you can get a ball on that length swinging in -early that he's a big LBW chance. That high bat arc that allowed him to drive and pull so well made it much harder to glance off his pads like Martyn and M Waugh use to do so well. Early on in his innings for a long time I think he was susceptible but very few bowlers attempted it until he'd been gotten a few times in a row later on in his career. He should have put the leg glance away in favour of a defensive shot until he was well set.
Don Freo
Guest
It doesn't really matter, Chris. Enjoy the ride watching a very good player. When age catches up, he'll retire...but that should have no impact on our enjoyment levels until then.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
I think S Waugh and Ponting's issues principally surfaced when they were around 35 years of age ... Smith has 7-8 years before he gets into that area.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
While Smith is a world beater now, and is so wonderful to watch now in his prime with such wonderful hand-eye coordination, I wonder how his technique will hold up as he goes into his thirties? As we've seen with a number of greats, Steve Waugh being a prime example. When they go through form drops as they get older, it's often a long scrappy innings that gets them to "click" again and it's usually a sound technique that allows them to get through the early rough touch. Like Ricky in the last years when he would have that front foot off the ground as he came forward and would fall over it when his timing was out and get done LBW. Thoughts?
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Smith also played some neutral Tests v PAK in ENG ... in fact his two Test matches.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
Wish people would call the majority of the neutral fixtures what they really are; away against Pakistan -- UAE may as well be home for them now.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
I have excluded them as that is the way they are treated on Cricinfo where averages are classified as home, away and neutral.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Yes those are his averages at home and away ... given neutral fixtures are just that and are designated as such in the Criinfo records I have not included them.
NovaKay
Guest
'Averages 57.5' '63.3 at home, 57.6 away.' Wut?
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
BT Yep Ponting was a lousy captain considering the human capital at his disposal . Also managed to lose three Ashes series and lost at home to SA for first time since 1970 . Although he was a great , great batsman his legacy was tarnished by inept leadership .
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Gotta say he surprised me. Pretty much picked on spec. Great eye though. Some selector somewhere is going "told ya". One other thing that's helped him was being picked in the lower middle order and having his low scores ignored. Fun fact. In losses vs England 2013 and 2015 ( 3 losses in each series ) he has identical stats 92 @ 15.33. Apart from being insanely talented he seems like a really nice bloke, amused and bemused by the old game of life. Nice guys can come first.
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
I must admit never respected Smith as a batsman until that innings. i never labelled him a flat track bully but saw him as a front runner where if the game was in Australia's favour he would plunder. Never seen many back to the wall innings or prevailing in the face of intense pressure that Hobart innings didn't fully change my mind on him but it certainly garnered a great deal more respect for him Going forward, I think his real test will be in India for I think he, despite the reputation of being a great player of spin is very average against him. Herath in SL certainly made him look very out of his depth and I think he might get exposed once more by the Indian tweekers, particularly Jadeja
AREH
Roar Guru
Yeah great call Tim, that innings required top levels of temperament, concentration and grit, and he displayed it in spades, it was a real credit to the captain and a shame he ran out of support.
Mango Jack
Guest
I sense a new, harder edge, call it maturity. It started with his press conference after the disappointment in Hobart. He was refreshingly honest in his appraisal of the team, not resorting to the CA prepared script. Then followed the convincing win in Adelaide, where he contributed strongly with the bat and he has continued that good form into the ODIs. There was a steely determined look on his face throughout his innings in Sydney. His best is definitely still to come.
BurgyGreen
Guest
I will admit prior to the 2013 India tour I didn't rate Smith. But since then I've been in awe of his brutal feats of runscoring and his immense fight and grit when the going gets tough. I don't think he gets the respect he deserves from the Australian or overseas public who can't get over his unorthodox technique. It never gets old how we hear on every tour that he'll be 'found out'.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Agreed, Tim. That and his half centuries in India and Dubai where others round him looked lost.
BrainsTrust
Guest
There were some very good signs with attacking field placings in the one day matches against New Zealand and holding his nerve instead of going into retreat once a boundary is hit. Unlike Ponting who despite being in a super team with a great captain as an example somehow managed to be a lousy captain, Smith looks like he can turn the corner after starting young in less ideal circumstances.
Fine Leg and Number 11
Guest
Tim makes a good point about Smith's 48. It was a fine innings, preserving his wicket while all around were losing theirs. The stats don't record the circumstances in which runs are scored. A 50 coming in at 4-30 might be far more valuable to the team than a 150 comng in at 2-400. Smith's ton in Perth in the Ashes came at a crucial time and with the team under pressure, batting with Haddin with the score at 5-143. It's innings like that which will mark him as one of Australia's best ever.
Christo the Daddyo
Guest
Perhaps one of the benefits of the recent upheaval in the Test team will be to allow Smith to stamp his leadership on what is now 'his' team, rather than one he inherited from his predecessor. Purely as a batsman I find him exhilarating to watch, albeit with my heart in my mouth just about every ball. He just never looks 'settled' to my eyes, regardless of what his score is - but that's me and my prejudices really...:)