'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAJZ4Uf/EACIQAAIBAwIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEAQMGEgAFBxETIjKCkf/aAAgBAQABPwDh7fT9/Pbme4sPYILSyYGyZRIZeIe2nHLeqt1zfRdquEZFWPqROR8+6fuv/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAyFhsf/aAAgBAgEBPwC2lA2OnU//xAAbEQACAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAkEAAwQRYf/aAAgBAwEBPwDHvMWZTGoHa//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Steve Smith, the boy who was considered a Shane Warne-regen when he made his debut at Lord's in 2010, will start his 100th Test as one of the world's greatest-ever Test batters in Leeds on Thursday. Smith has come a long way since scoring 1 (7) and 12 (17) and picking three wickets against Pakistan that summer.
He has since scored 32 centuries, four double-tons, 37 fifties, and become the second-fastest to score 9000 Test runs. All this while, the wickets column has only enhanced by 16 and that debut spell remains his second-best to date.
And although Australia remain as dominant as they were then in the format (they are currently leading the Ashes 2-0), Smith's teammates from his Test debut have all retired.
Here's a look at who those players were and where are they now:
Openers: Shane Watson and Simon Katich
Shane Watson scored 4 and 31 in that match. He played his last Test in 2015 after scoring over 3700 runs and picking up 75 wickets in his 59-match career in the longest format.
The all-rounder played in the IPL till 2020 and took up a few commentary and coaching stints, including Delhi Capitals' assistant coaching in IPL 2023. Recently upcoming T20 tournament Major League Cricket's San Francisco Unicorns appointed him as their head coach, his first such opportunity.
Simon Katich, meanwhile, formed an under-rated opening partnership with Watson. He played an important role in Australia's win on Smith's debut, scoring 80 (138) and 83 (174). Katich played his last Test at Adelaide in December 2010 where he braved an injury to score a half-century and give his best on the field in a losing cause.
He was at the fag end of his career and was soon deprived of a central contract. After multiple coaching stints in the IPL, including with Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, he's currently the head coach at MI Cape Town in the SA20 tournament.
Middle order: Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, and Marcus North
Australia's captain in that match, Ricky Ponting, who gave Smith his debut Baggy Green, played his last Test in 2012 and retired from international cricket as one of the country's greatest ever.
He's now the head coach of Delhi Capitals in the IPL and works as a pundit and a commentator for multiple Australian media organizations and the ICC.
Michael Clarke, too, retired as one of the best captains for Australia in 2015 with over 8600 Test runs to his name. He also works as a pundit and has been actively commentating on the 2023 Ashes. He's one of the few Australian batting legends who have stayed away from coaching stints.
Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey remained not out at 56 in the first innings and scored a duck in the second on Smith's debut. He played his last Test in 2013. He was part of England's coaching setup for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which they won, as a batting specialist and has been a long-term coach at Chennai Super Kings.
An organized left-handed batter whose Australia career started late but ended after 21 Tests (1171 runs at 35.48 and 14 wickets), Marcus North scored a 0 and a 20 on Smith's debut and picked almost half of his career wickets with a spell of 6/55 in the second inning. He is working as the director of cricket at Durham since 2018.
Wicketkeeper: Tim Paine
Australia's captain the last time they toured England in 2019, Tim Paine debuted alongside Smith at Lord's and kept wickets. He scored 7 (46) and 47 (85) in the match and played his last Test against India at the Gabba in 2021.
Although Australia lost the series, he stepped down from captaincy due to another reason - the public surfacing of his old, lewd texts to a former Cricket Tasmania employee.
He retired in March after playing a Sheffield Shield match against Queensland. The 38-year-old was appointed as the coach of Australia Under-19 and Australia 'A' last month and has occasionally been into punditry.
Bowlers: Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Doug Bollinger
Mitchell Johnson (1/105), Ben Hilfenhaus (3/74), and Doug Bollinger (2/81) didn't have much to do at Lord's on Smith's debut as part-timers shone brightly.
They played their last Tests in 2015, 2012, and 2010, respectively, but bowled some underrated spells in the IPL after retirement.
Neither of them took up coaching while Johson and Bollinger have become pundits.
