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The traditional rivalry between England and Australia is set to resume as the two heavyweights will lock horns in a five-match Ashes Test series. The opening game is scheduled to take place at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham from June 16 to 20.
While England should be a handful in home conditions, Australia will also be motivated to assert their dominance, especially after their maiden World Test Championship (WTC) title. The Pat Cummins-led side beat India in the WTC final for the 2021-23 cycle to become the first-ever country to win all the major ICC trophies.
Australia have one of the strongest batting lineups in the sport, with world-beating individuals filling in every number. However, one name stands out, and that is Steve Smith.
The Australian maestro is considered the best Test batter of this generation by many. His record speaks for itself, having mustered a total of 8,947 runs at an exceptional average of 60 across 171 Test innings.
Smith's current form is also great as he recently scored a century against India in the first innings of the WTC Final at the Oval. He will be looking to stamp his authority in the highly anticipated series against England and spearhead the Australian batting unit.
The upcoming Ashes series will also offer Steve Smith a chance to reach multiple individual milestones. Let's take a look at three of those.
#3 Second-most centuries in Ashes history
Steve Smith's gritty character and ability to play marathon innings makes him an invaluable asset for Australia.
The talented right-hander has always loved to pile up huge runs against England and has 11 Ashes centuries to his name. This is the third-most by any batter in the history of the series.
Another two hundreds in the upcoming series will take Smith to the second spot in the all-time tally. Currently, England legend Jack Hobbs is above Smith with 12 Ashes tons. While Smith can surpass Hobbs' tally, it is virtually impossible for him to overtake Sir Don Bradman's 19 Ashes centuries in this series.
#2 Second-most runs by a visiting batter in England
Steve Smith thrives in challenging conditions. While he is unstoppable at home, his record in England is also impregnable.
In fact, there are currently only three visiting batters who have mustered more runs than Smith in England. The upcoming series offers a chance for the modern-day Australian legend to go past two of those individuals.
Smith has scored 1,882 runs at an amazing average of 60.70 across 17 Tests in England. Only Sir Viv Richards (2,057), Allan Border (2,082), and Sir Don Bradman (2674) have scored more runs than Smith in England (among visiting batters).
If Smith scores 201 runs or more in the upcoming Ashes, he will overtake Sir Viv Richards and Allan Border's tally, becoming the second-highest scoring visiting batter in England.
#1 Second-most runs in Ashes history
The Ashes rivalry brings the best out of Steve Smith, who loves batting against England. His 3,044 Test runs against England is his highest against any country.
Smith's tally is also the fifth-highest in Ashes history. However, if the 34-year-old scores 593 runs across the five Tests against England, he will become the second-highest leading run-getter in Ashes history.
If he scores 593 runs, Smith will surpass Jack Hobbs' tally of 3,636 runs in the Ashes. However, it is another record where Smith will be second only to Bradman, who scored 5,028 runs in his Ashes career.
