Steve Smith returned to international cricket to a chorus of boos but he walked off the pitch at the Oval to a standing ovation after a summer of Ashes redemption. The former Australia captain enjoyed a remarkable series in England, scoring a total of 774 runs in just seven innings and played a pivotal role in his side’s two victories in the drawn series.
The catch by Ben Stokes that sent Smith on his way on Sunday ended an astonishing run of scores — 144 and 142 at Edgbaston, 92 at Lords, 211 and 82 at Old Trafford, and 80 and 23 at the Oval.
Asked when he felt he was back to his best, an exhausted but “proud” Smith said it was after his first innings at Edgbaston, when he rescued his side, who had stumbled to 122-8.
“That gave me a lot of confidence,” he said. “That was probably my favourite innings of the whole series that I played.
“The first Test match, as we know, is always incredibly important in an Ashes series and to sort of pull the team out of a bit of trouble at the time and give me that confidence straight up that I could slot back in and perform, that gave me a lot of confidence.
“It was a long 18 months out of the game and I’ve got a lot of people to thank, in particular my wife.”
Smith averages 64.56 after 68 Tests, second only to Bradman in the all-time list.
