Steven Smith has once again etched his name into cricketing folklore with a masterful innings at Lord’s, a venue where he has consistently shone.
The Australian stalwart, known for delivering on the biggest stages, reaffirmed his reputation in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2025 with a composed knock that blended class with grit.
On a challenging opening day, with South Africa’s fiery pace attack making life difficult for the batters, Smith stood firm. His 66 off 112 deliveries was not just a display of resilience—it was a record-breaking performance that rewrote the history books.
With this innings, Smith became the visiting batter with the most 50+ scores on English soil—an astonishing 18 in total. In doing so, he surpassed a host of legendary names who once topped the charts. At the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground, Smith now holds the record for the most runs by a foreign player, with a tally of 578. This puts him ahead of icons like Warren Bardsley, Garry Sobers, and even the great Don Bradman.
But Smith’s achievements don’t stop there. He is the first batter in World Test Championship history to notch fifties in multiple finals. In ICC knockout matches, Smith has become the first non-Asian cricketer to register more than five half-centuries. His seventh such knock, scored on Wednesday, takes him past none other than Sachin Tendulkar in this elite category.
Remarkably, this 66-run effort was Smith’s fifth 50+ score at Lord’s. In the long annals of cricket, only one other foreign player—Shivnarine Chanderpaul—has matched that feat at this hallowed ground.
Steven Smith’s innings was not just another statistic—it was a statement. A statement that in the house of cricket, he remains one of the greatest visiting players the sport has ever seen.
