Internet Desk: It needed an act of brilliance from Australian captain Steve Smith to give his team a slight edge over England after Day 3 of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba on Saturday. The Australian captain played one of his greatest Test knocks as he scored an unbeaten 141 runs that spanned for eight and half hours. The visitors are in back-foot having already lost both openers Alastair Cook (7) and James Vince (2), with the score at 33/2. They have taken a slender lead by just seven runs with Captain Root (5*) and Mark Stoneman (19*) at the crease. Both the English openers were snapped off by Josh Hazzlewood.
England captain Root kept a ‘Bodyline’ like field settings for his counterpart Smith, but without any result as he grafted his way to a magnificent hundred. As many as six fielders were placed on the leg-side with three in the deep and had no-one in front of the bat on the off-side while his pacemen ripped in short-pitched deliveries to Smith for a time. But the Australian captain defied all odds to bring up his 21st test ton.
It was unlike Steve Smith as he played 326 balls to score 141 runs that included 14 hits to the fence.
Smith now averages 61.23 in 57 Tests but his average (72.46) as test captain is even more impressive, second only to the great Don Bradman. Smith reached the three figure with a cover drive for four off Stuart Broad amidst a huge roar from the home crowd.
The Aussie captain effectively carried his team past England’s total, but needed resolute lower-order support from Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon as the last six wickets added 252 runs.