Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith scored his 37th hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) against England in the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26. Leading the team, he made 138 runs off 220 balls as Australia responded with 567 to England’s first innings total of 384.

Australia resumed their first innings on Day 4 at 518-7, with Smith on 129 and Beau Webster on 42. His long stay at the crease ended with a special delivery from Josh Tongue. Smith was caught behind off a fuller-length ball that angled in and moved away slightly. His innings lasted 332 minutes and included 16 fours and a six.

With this hundred at the SCG, Smith moved to second place on the list of batters with the most hundreds in the Ashes. Let’s take a look at the top five batters with the most centuries in the England vs Australia Test rivalry.

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5. Wally Hammond & David Gower (9)
The England duo of Wally Hammond and David Gower scored nine hundreds each in the Ashes. Hammond played 33 Tests against Australia, scoring 2,852 runs at an average of 51.85, with nine hundreds and seven fifties. Gower played 38 Ashes Tests and scored 3,037 runs at an average of 46.01, with nine hundreds and several fifties.

Hammond’s best Ashes score was 251 in Sydney in December 1928. He also scored 240 at Lord’s in June 1938 and 231* in Sydney in December 1936. Gower’s highest score against Australia was 215 in Birmingham in August 1985. He also scored 166 in Nottingham (July 1985) and 157 at The Oval (August 1985). Gower made 732 runs in nine innings in the 1985 Ashes.

4. Steve Waugh (10)
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh is fourth on the list with 10 hundreds. In 45 Tests against England, he scored 3,173 runs at an average of 58.75, with 10 hundreds and 14 fifties. Waugh’s best Ashes score was 177* in Leeds in June 1989. The 242-ball innings lasted 310 minutes and included 24 fours.

Waugh famously scored 157* at The Oval in August 2001 while batting with a severe calf injury. He also scored 157* in Leeds in July 1993. In the 1989 Ashes, he scored 506 runs in eight innings at an average of 126.50.

3. Jack Hobbs (12)
England legend Jack Hobbs is third on the list with 12 hundreds in 41 matches. He scored 3,636 runs at an average of 54.26, including 15 fifties. Hobbs’ highest score against Australia was 187 in Adelaide in January 1912. The innings lasted 334 minutes and had 15 fours.

He also scored 178 in Melbourne in February 1912, 154 in Melbourne in January 1925, and 142 in Melbourne in March 1929. Hobbs scored 662 runs in nine innings in the 1911-12 Ashes, 505 runs in 1920-21, and 573 in 1924-25.

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2. Steve Smith (13)
With his hundred at the SCG, Steve Smith moved to second place with 13 Ashes hundreds. In 41 matches, he has scored 3,691 runs at an average of 56.78, with 14 fifties. His highest Ashes score is 239 at the WACA in Perth in December 2017, which lasted 578 minutes.

Smith also scored 215 at Lord’s in July 2015 and 211 in Manchester in September 2019. In the 2019 Ashes, he scored 774 runs in seven innings at an average of 110.57, with three hundreds. In 2017-18, he scored 687 runs at an average of 137.40, also hitting three hundreds in the series.

1. Don Bradman (19)
Aussie legend Don Bradman tops the list with 19 hundreds in 37 Ashes matches. He scored 5,028 runs at an average of 89.78, with 12 fifties. His highest score against England was 334 in Leeds in July 1930. The innings lasted 383 minutes and included 46 fours.

Bradman also scored 304 in Leeds in July 1934, 270 in Melbourne in 1937, and 254 at Lord’s in June 1930. He made 974 runs in seven innings in the 1930 Ashes, averaging 139.14, with four hundreds. In 1936-37, he scored 810 runs and 758 in the 1934 series.

The Ashes 2025-26 is about to start. Cricketers of England and Australia are doing their last-minute preparations for one of the most celebrated rivalries in cricket history. Off the field, analysis with stats on various aspects is going on. 

From the beginning of the prestigious series, there have been many cricketers from both nations who have graced the game with their skills, techniques, resilience, and greatness. Out of them, few were able to leave a permanent mark on the record book. Through this article, we will try to find the top 5 all-time leading run scorers in the history of The Ashes. 

Top 5 leading run scorers in the Ashes: 

Australian star Steven Smith has finally found his form by scoring a memorable Test century against India in the first innings of the Brisbane Test.

After Indian captain Rohit Sharma chose to bowl first in the Brisbane Test, the hosts Australia were once struggling at 75/3 as the Indian pacers got control of the match. However, once the ball got older, Steven Smith and in-form Travis Head enjoyed the batting as the Indian bowlers had a hard day.

Smith and Head had a 241-run partnership for the third wicket, where both the batters scored valuable centuries to put the hosts into a commendable position. 

Although Smith was struggling in the initial moment, Head eased the situation by playing his natural innings. Once the ball became old, Smith confidently batted and returned to his familiar form. While he scored his first 50 runs in 128 balls, he completed his hundred in 185 balls.

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Steven Smith surpassed Steve Waugh

After failing in 24 innings, Smith finally added one Test century to his tally. His previous Test century was recorded in June 2023, when the Australian batter recorded his 32nd Test century at Lord's. 

It was Smith's 33rd Test century, which helped him to surpass the former star Steve Waugh (32 Test centuries) and climb to the second place in the list of most Test centuries by an Australian batter. Only the legendary batter Ricky Ponting is on top of him with 41 Test centuries. 

Smith equaled the record for most Test centuries against India

Also, it was Smith’s 10th Test century against India. After the English cricketer Joe Root, who already recorded 10 Test centuries against India, Smith became the second batter to record 10 Test hundreds against India. 

Smith set a new world record against India

It was Smith's 15th century in international cricket against India. With his latest hundred, Smith set a new world record for most international centuries against India. Former Australian batter Ricky Ponting previously held the record with 14 international hundreds against India.  

On this day 23 years ago, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid stitched together a 376-run partnership that marked one of the historical moments of Indian cricket. On March 14, 2001, at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata the duo scripted an unreal fightback that laid the foundation for one of the greatest victories in the history of Test cricket.

How it all started?

After losing the first Test against Steve Waugh-led Australia, India were all set for another heartbreak in Kolkata. Australia put a mammoth 445 in the first inning and India were bowled out for a mere 171. The hosts were asked to follow on and they were soon 232/4 with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly back to the pavilion. Rahul Dravid joined VVS Laxman and set the stage for an epic fightback.

Laxman scored 281 while Dravid played the perfect supporting role to add 181 to his name. The grit and resilience showcased by the duo changed the tone of the match in favour of the hosts. India were not just back in the game, they started showing dominance.

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Eden Test 2001 changed mindset of Indian cricket

The partnership laid the foundation for a magical spell from Harbhajan Singh that eventually saw India winning the match by 171 runs. Nobody could believe what they saw. Nobody could imagine that the match would be unfolded in such a way.

The match is significant in various ways in Indian cricket history. This was one of those matches that made Indians believe in the team India led by Sourav Ganguly. The magnitude of the Eden Test 2001 was recalled by Hemang Badani once. He tweeted in 2023, “Not many know that at the end of day 3 we had packed our suitcases, they were to be taken straight to airport and the team was to go straight to the airport from ground. And then these two batted like magicians without losing a wicket the entire day.”