What a paradox – Australia losing The Oval Test and celebrating as they had earlier retained the Ashes.
Regardless of the outcome, Steve Smith’s feats will never be forgotten. The man booed in June was justifiably cheered lustily in September. But for his consistent high-scoring, Australia would have surrendered the urn.
He amassed 774 runs in four Tests at an average of 110.57, scoring 144 and 142 at Birmingham, 92 at Lord’s, 211 and 82 at Manchester, and 80 and 23 at The Oval.
The next best batsman, England’s Ben Stokes, scored 333 fewer runs, despite playing one more Test. His average of 55.12 was less than half Smith’s.
In the 2017-18 series in Australia, Smith was equally run-hungry, registering 141 not out in Brisbane, 40 and 6 in Adelaide, 239 in Perth, 76 and 102 not out in Melbourne, and 83 in Sydney – 687 runs at 137.40.
Thus, in two successive Ashes series, Smith totalled 1461 runs in nine Tests at a Bradmanesque average of 121.75.
In these two series, he hit six centuries (including two double centuries) and five fifties. He recorded 50 or more in ten consecutive innings, from Perth in 2017 to The Oval in 2019, and was adjudged man of the match in Brisbane, Perth, Birmingham and Manchester.
His Ashes series average of 137.40 in 2017-18 in Australia is second only to Don Bradman’s of 139.14 in England in 1930. Next best is Englishman Wally Hammond’s 113.12 in Australia in 1928-29, followed by Smith’s 110.57 in 2019.
In the series just concluded, Smith’s 774 runs is fifth only to Bradman’s 974 in England in 1930, Hammond’s 905 in Australia in 1928-29, Mark Taylor’s 839 in England in 1989, and Bradman’s 810 in Australia in 1936-37.
But against four Tests played by Smith this season, Bradman and Hammond had played five each and Taylor six.
Sir Donald Bradman in action batting against Worcester. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
Just as Smith could not put a foot wrong in this series, David Warner flipped and flopped and gave Australia horror starts. However, his three ducks in a row is not a record for a specialist batsman.
Mark Waugh registered four zeroes in succession against Sri Lanka in August-September 1992 – 0 and 0 at Colombo and 0 and 0 at Moratuwa. It was the sixth instance in history, but the first by a top-order batsman.
However, in his next two Tests, against the West Indies three months later, Waugh scored 39 and 60 in Brisbane, and 112 and 16 in Melbourne. Warner could manage only 5 and 11 following his three ducks.
This series also produced a first when, in the second Test at Lord’s, Marnus Labuschagne became the first ever concussion substitute in international cricket, replacing Smith. Lambuschague scored 59.
Another curiosity was that no English bowler took wickets in both innings of the final Test – Stuart Broad took zero and four, Jofra Archer six and zero, Sam Curran three and zero, Chris Woakes one and zero, Jack Leach zero and four, while Joe Root did not bowl and then claimed two.
Paul
Roar Guru
Only when he pulled a stump out if the ground and played a cover drive at the opening of the Bradman Stand - in '73.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Au, di should have scored more?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Paul, did you really not see The Don play live? Don't be coy. I'm not ageist!
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Kersi, stop it with the Smith stats. It's making my brain hurt! Crazy stuff.
johnb
Guest
Which one should be rated ahead of the other is open to debate but it's clearly a furphy that the 1970/71 WI attack was anything remotely ferocious. The pace attacks Gavaskar faced were 2nd test Vanburn Holder (emphasising Vanburn Holder, not Michael Holding) - solid fast medium tryer career stats 40 tests, 109 wickets at 33; Grayson Shillingford - also fast medium, career stats 7 tests, 15 wickets at 35; Garry Sobers - all-time great all-rounder and quality fast medium bowler, aging by then; 3rd test Keith Boyce on debut quickish fast medium with a good county reputation but 60 wickets at 30 from 21 tests isn't anything great, Shillingford and Sobers; 4th test Holder and Sobers, along with Uton Dowe who was quicker than the rest but had a career record of 4 tests 12 wickets at 44, and is mainly remembered for the sign held up in the crowd during the tour by Australia a couple of years later after, having had a lot of hope invested in him, he failed to fire - "Dowe shalt not bowl" and John Shepherd who Cricinfo describes as a medium pacer although to be fair career figures of 5 tests, 19 wickets at 25 are far from poor - he took over 1100 FC wickets presumably mostly in county cricket so possibly someone who did better on green pitches than on the flat pitches then common in the WI; 5th test, Sobers, Dowe and Shepherd. West Indies in 1970/71 simply were not the same as the West Indies from 1977 on.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
Great piece as always Kersi! Thoroughly enjoyed it! Steve Smith is an acquired taste, wine that matures with time and tastes extraordinary when it does. I wasn’t a fan as it hurt my puritanical batting sensibilities and made me wince. But now I am in love with the genius of the man.
C Keshava Murthy, Bangalore
Guest
As usual Mr Kersi's write up on overall performance of Steve Smith in the recent Ashes series is very nice and interesting. It is also true that but for Smith's heap of runs, Australia would not have possibly levelled the sesries. Smith's heroics are no doubt great but personally speaking I feel that India's Sunil Gavaskar's aggregate of 774 in his 4 tests against West Indies in 1970/71 will stand ahead of Smith's performance as Gavaskar scored 774 ON DEBUT series and faced more ferocious bowlers than the English pacers. C Keshava Murthy
Rajesh Kumar
Guest
Dear Kersi, Superb piece by you. A few other interesting statistical highlights being: England became the first team in the Oval Test to dismiss the opposition in both innings of a Test match with none of the bowlers who bagged wickets in the first innings, capturing wickets in the second innings. Steve Smith became the first batsman to top-score in six consecutive innings in the same Test series - 144 and 142 at Birmingham; 92 at Lord's; 211 & 82 at Manchester and 80 at The Oval. Shivnarine Chanderpaul had achieved the feat seven times against Pakistan, England and South Africa between 2006 and 2008 while George Headley had done the same six times against England between 1935 & 1939. His feat of ten consecutive innings of fifty-plus against England is a record by a batsman against any opponent in Tests. His feat of aggregating 1251 at an average of 139.00 in ten consecutive innings is a record in Tests involving England and Australia. Don Bradman had scored 1236 runs at an average of 154.00 in ten innings in succession. Smith, with 774 runs (ave 154.80) in four Tests vs England in 2019 and 769 runs (ave 128.16) in four Tests vs India in 2014-15, became the first batsman to manage 750-plus runs in four matches in a Test series twice. Regards. Rajesh Kumar Cricket Statistician
Hugo au Gogo
Roar Rookie
As a side note, I believe that M.Waugh's 4 ducks in a row lead to the nickname "Audi"...
Raimond
Roar Guru
I think Smith’s first Test performance was the best of the modern era, and possibly the best of all time.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
And more to come with the looming depression.
Paul
Roar Guru
nice story Kersi. The numbers put up by Smith are simply scary. I never saw Bradman play live, but thankfully Smith is giving us a small taste of what he must have been like in the '30's & '40's.