Steve Smith Surpasses Clive Lloyd and Inzamam-ul-Haq to Create THIS Rare Test Record on Day 2 of Fifth Ashes 2019 Test

Steve Smith extended his record-breaking streak to another Ashes Test match with another half-century. The 30-year-old continued his remarkable form against England by slamming his 10th successive Ashes half-century making him the first cricketer ever to hit 10 consecutive fifty-plus scores against a single opposition in Test cricket. Smith, who now has amassed an astonishing 730 runs in just six Ashes 2019 innings, had equalled Inzamam-ul-Haq for most successive half-centuries against a single opposition prior to the start of the fifth and final Test of Ashes 2019 series at the Oval cricket ground. England Vs Australia, Live Cricket Score 5th Test Match.

Smith, who just made his return to the Australian Test team after serving a year ban for the ball-tampering scandal, is also the World No 1 batsman in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen. He usurped Kohli to become the top-ranked Test batsman – after initially beginning Ashes 2019 in the fourth position – in just three innings since his Test return. Steve Smith Workout & Diet: How the World's No 1 Test Batsman Manages To Stay Fit (View Pics).

The lowest Smith has scored in Ashes 2019 is the 82 runs he hit at Old Trafford. His other scores read 144, 142, 92, 211 and 59 not-out. The half-century at Old Trafford on Day 2 of the fifth Ashes 2019 Test match was also Smith’s 27th Test fifty, 10 of which has come against England. Steve Smith Batting Stats in Ashes 2019: Modern-Day Bradman Makes and Breaks a Flurry of Records in Fourth Test at Old Trafford Stadium.

Inzamam-ul-Haq with nine successive fifty-plus scores against England is the next best batsman in the illustrious list, while cricket giant and two-time World Cup-winning captain Clive Lloyd is third in this prestigious list with eight consecutive fifties against England. Interestingly, all top three batsmen in this elite list have smashed successive fifty-plus scores against a single opposition – England. South African legend Jacques Kallis, who hit eight consecutive fifty-plus scores against Pakistan, and Kumar Sangakkara, who has eight fifties against Bangladesh, complete the top five.

Meanwhile, Smith’s fifty has once again put Australia in command on Day 2 of the fifth Ashes 209 at The Oval. Earlier, Jofra Archer had reduced Australia to 14-2 in six overs before Smith, in the company of Marnus Labuschagne (48), rescued the defending Ashes champions with a vital 69-run stand for the third wicket. Australia currently lead the five-match Ashes Test series 2-1 and have already retained the Ashes urn – making it the first time that they successfully took the urn back home from English soil since 2001.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 13, 2019 08:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).