Steve Smith scripts history, becomes first non-English batter to achieve this feat in 99 years

Steve Smith’s exceptional batting performance in the 2025 World Test Championship final against South Africa prevented Australia from defeat after an early loss of wickets. His innings included a record-breaking feat, surpassing a 99-year-old mark, showcasing his continued excellence in Test cricket.

New Delhi: Steve Smith’s strong performance in the first day of the World Test Championship 2025 final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 11 solidified his place in Test cricket history.

After South Africa elected to field, Smith entered the crease in the eighth over. Rabada exploited the cloudy weather, removing Khawaja (0) and Green (4) in the seventh over.

Marco Jansen dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head early in the session. However, Smith’s 66-run innings off 111 balls kept Australia’s progress steady despite difficult playing conditions, until Aiden Markram eventually bowled him out.

Smith surpassed Warren Bardsley’s 99-year-old record for the most runs scored by a non-English batter at Lord’s Cricket Ground. This is Smith’s fifth fifty-plus score at the venue, making him only the second overseas player after Shivnarine Chanderpaul to achieve this milestone. His previous notable performances at Lord’s include a double century in 2015, 92 runs in 2019, and a century in 2023.

Steve Smith holds the second-highest Test run total by a visiting batsman in England, surpassed only by Don Bradman. He also surpassed Viv Richards’ record for most scores of 50 or more by a non-English batsman in England, achieving 18 such scores compared to Richards’ 17.

Smith surpassed Ajinkya Rahane’s record, achieving the unprecedented feat of scoring over 200 runs in the World Test Championship final. His performance built upon his previous century (121 runs) in the first innings of the 2023 final against India, adding another 34 runs in the second innings to reach this milestone.

In the World Test Championship final, Steve Smith achieved a unique feat, becoming the first player to score multiple fifties. Several other players also reached fifty runs, including Rahnae, Alex Carey, Devon Conway, Travis Head, Shardul Thakur, and Kane Williamson. Head is the only other player besides Smith to have scored a century in the match.

Smith’s recent performance places him second only to Virat Kohli in the number of 50+ scores in ICC knockout matches, with seven compared to Kohli’s ten. He also shares second place for most 50+ scores in ICC event finals, tied with Adam Gilchrist and Virat Kohli at three. Kumar Sangakkara leads this category with four such scores.