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Australian batting ace Steve Smith announced the return of his sublime form in the recently concluded ODI series against rivals England. But the unorthodox batter has further enhanced his stature as one of the most incredible red-ball batters of this generation after equalling the great Don Bradman’s tally of 29 Test centuries for Australia. His record-equalling ton came on the second day of the First Test between Australia and West Indies in Perth.

The former Australian skipper was controversially dropped from the majority of the matches during their disappointing T20 World Cup title defence on their home soil. He featured in just one game for the defending champions as they surrendered their crown to the Three Lions. However, after the ICC mega event, Smith was back to his fluent best in the three-match ODI series against England.

Smith registered back-to-back half-centuries against an uninspired English side who were riding high on their triumph in the T20 World Cup just a few nights ago. The 33-year-old toiled hard on the first day of the Test series opener against the Windies of Wednesday, managing 59 runs before stumps. He turned on the heat the following morning and went on to register his 29th ton in red-ball cricket. His century means that only three Australian cricketers have more centuries to their name on the all-time list – Matthew Hayden (30), Steve Waugh (32), and Ricky Ponting (41).

Steve Smith is on course for a second record-breaking Australian summer

The Sydney-born cricketer started his career as a legspinner who could bat a bit. But the Aussie turned his career around to become one of the best Test batters of this era. With an astonishing batting average of 60 in the traditional format of the game prior to this match, Smith is quite clear of his peers and is likely to smash more records in a busy Australian summer of cricket.

The influential batter’s 29th ton, along with a massive 251-run stand with Marnus Labuschagne, has propelled Australia to a commanding position in the match, with the former still going strong at the crease, eyeing his fourth double ton in Test cricket. Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist was in awe of the batting stalwart’s brilliance. “You’re watching the history of a true champion,”Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket commentary.