From being under siege from the English attack at 122/8, Australia were carried to 284 by a sensational hundred - a 219-ball 144 - from Steven Smith, out in whites for the first time since the Sandpapergate saga nearly one and a half years ago.
In a knock that rescued Australia from a precarious position after early bursts from Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes, Smith looked composed and barely perturbed. He found able support from Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon and put on 88 and 74 runs for the last two wickets.
The bulk of the workload was still done by the former captain who unleashed his T20 avatar after crossing a hundred. What Smith underlined with this knock was not just his importance to the Australian Test side, which lost to India at home in his absence, but also his position as the best in the Fab Four of Test cricket, a rather accepted list of four modern-day Test greats - Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Joe Root.
There has been debate surrounding who among the four deserves the top rating but with his Bradman-esque average, Smith was always leading the way. It still needed to be emphasized after his long absence from the scene and at Edgbaston on day one, his first in Test cricket in nearly 500 days, he did just that, showcasing little rust as he smothered the English attack with disdain.
His Test average has risen to a daunting 62.18 with this 24th Test ton. Only one batsman with more than 2000 Test runs averages better than Smith - the Don himself [Don Bradman]. To put things into perspective with the Fab Four, it is imperative to check how well they have done in the last three years.
Since 2016, Virat Kohli and Joe Root are the highest run-scorers in Tests with 3619 and 3601 runs respectively. Williamson comes outside the top 10 with 2244 runs. Smith, despite his one and a half year absence, ranks 5th with 2753 runs. Cut down to averages and Smith domimates the list with a stunning average of 68.82 including 11 hundreds.
With his statement innings at Edgbaston, Smith has solidified his psychological lead on the rest of the Fab Four and stamped his status as the best among the lot. Joe Root, for one, will have no qualms accepting this after bearing a large brunt of Smith's patience and excellence on Thursday.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Lindsey Parnaby
