Lords, the mecca of cricket, is a ground where records are meant to be broken. And when they are, it’s nothing short of historic. Australian batsman Steve Smith just made history on the first day of the World Test Championship final. He broke a 99-year-old record held by Warren Bardsley, his fellow Aussie, while batting in tough conditions against South Africa.
The day started poorly for Australia, losing two big batsmen in just seven overs. But Smith stood firm, batting patiently and scoring 66 runs off 112 balls with 10 fours. This innings not only helped Australia get a decent score but also earned Smith several records.
He became the foreign batsman with the most runs in Test cricket at Lords, surpassing Bardsley’s record of 575 runs in 7 innings between 1909 and 1926. Smith now has 591 runs, including 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries, at this iconic ground.
In the process, Smith also left behind cricket legends like Sir Don Bradman and Gary Sobers. Bradman had scored 551 runs in 8 innings, while Sobers had 571 runs in 9 innings. If Smith scores just 9 more runs in his next innings, he’ll become the first batsman to reach 600 runs in Test cricket at Lords, a remarkable achievement.
Smith has made a heap of records at Lords. He’s now the top batsman in England with the most 50-plus scores in Test cricket, with 18 such scores in 23 matches. He surpassed Alan Border and Viv Richards, who had 17 such scores each. Smith’s name is now etched in gold at this prestigious ground.