It was a long, long 18 months that felt like an eternity.
A 547-day wait, to be precise.
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But after 16 innings without one, Steve Smith finally broke his century drought on the first day of the Second Test between Australia and Sri Lanka.
It took Smith 193 balls to get there and ultimately finished the day unbeaten on 109 and will be joined at the crease by Alex Carey who is on 16.
You’d have struggled to find a more relieved man in Galle than the former Aussie skipper, although his good pal Marnus Labuschagne ran a close second.
Labuschagne himself scored a century — his first overseas Test ton — and shared a happy snap of him and Smith on the team bus after the day’s play.
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Funnily enough, it was the first time both Labuschagne and Smith had scored a century in the same Test match.
While Labuschagne enjoyed his moment, there were many more who lapped up Smith’s latest accomplishment.
It was a special moment that Cricbuzz reporter Bharat Sundaresan described as relief, although it wasn’t just Smith feeling that emotion.
“The Australian dressing room looked as happy and if anything more relieved than Steve Smith when he finally got to that century today,” Sundaresan wrote on Twitter.
“They’ve after all seen the incredible hard work he’s put in over the last 18 months since the last time he got to three figures.”
Speaking on SEN’s broadcast, Adam Collins stated that the 33-year-old was “back to doing what he loves doing best.”
“Steven Smith, all the hard work finally pays off,” Collins said.
“This 28th Test ton has been a long time coming and it means so much to him. Waving his bat to his teammates on the balcony. His fifth in Asia, second against Sri Lanka, 14th away from home.
“Chanceless and authoritative, Steve Smith back to doing what he loves doing best: making Test tons.”
Australian cricket fans no doubt have their fingers and toes crossed in hope that this is the breakthrough century Smith needed to get back into triple figures going forward.
Now that he’s just three shy of holding the record for the most Test centuries away from home by an Australia, can the Kogarah-born star make history yet again?
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here