'So many emotions came out in this moment' - Steve Smith recalls his favourite Test century

While Steve Smith has produced numerous scintillating knocks in his sensational Test career, his blitzes in Ashes 2019 stands head and shoulders above all. It was a test of Smith’s character as he making a comeback in the Test team after the infamous sandpaper-gate scandal. Moreover, the England fans in the stadium were leaving stones unturned in booing the former Australian captain over the episode.

However, Smith defied all the odds and tormented England bowlers throughout the series. He, in fact, scored twin centuries in the very first match at the Edgbaston in Birmingham. Australia’s decision of batting first didn’t seem spot-on as they suffered a batting collapse. The likes of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, and Tim Paine got out for low scores.

However, Smith didn’t put his guards down. He showed remarkable resilience and tackled the swinging red-cherry with precision. The former Aussie skipper went onto score a brilliant century in the first innings as the visitors posted 284 runs. In total, Smith scored 144 off 219 deliveries with the help of 16 boundaries and two sixes. Notably, that knock happens to be played on this very day (August 1) in 2019.

So many emotions came out in the moment: Steve Smith

As his masterclass in Birmingham completed two years, Smith took to Twitter and recalled the innings. Sharing a picture of himself from that game, the talismanic batsman called that hundred his favourite Test century. “On this day 2 years ago I scored my favourite Test 100. So many emotions came out in this moment and I’ll always cherish it,” he wrote.

On this day 2 years ago I scored my favourite Test 100. So many emotions came out in this moment and I’ll always cherish it pic.twitter.com/LV9OxFy5hi

— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) August 1, 2021

The comment section got flooded in no time as fans went down memory lane and remembered Smith’s batting exhibition. Coming back to the game, England posted 374 in their first innings, thanks to a brilliant hundred from opener Rory Burns. The hosts were firmly placed at the driver’s seat, having gained a lead of 90 runs.

However, Smith replicated his brilliance again and scored 142 in the second innings. As a result, Australia declared at 487/7 and went onto win the game by 251 runs. Needless to mention, Smith received the Player-of-the-match award.

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