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Cricket

'Steven Smith is well and truly back' - Twitter users praise Steve Smith as Australian batter scores hundred after 18 months

Steven Smith smashed his 28th Test hundred and surpassed Indian star Virat Kohli in number of centuries, he is now on level with Joe Root

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Steve Smith has finally ended his long wait for an international century. He smashed an unbeaten 109 runs against Sri Lanka on Day one of the first Test match at Galle International Stadium on Friday. This is his 28th Test century from just 87 matches and the first of this year. Marnus Labuschagne also scored his first overseas century as Australia end day one at 298/5.

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This was Smith's only second century after the 2019 Ashes and the first in his last 16 innings. He was unfortunate to get run out on just six runs in the first Test match at Galle. His angry reaction was a clear sign of his frustration. However, he was full of a smile after ending his century drought and fans witnessed a big relief on his face at the end of day one.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and surprisingly decided to bat first on the spin-friendly surface. They made no changes to their starting eleven, who dominated the first match with spinners taking 18 off 20 wickets. The right-arm pacer Kasun Rajitha removed David Warner on just five runs to give Sri Lanka a flying start. However, in-form batter Usman Khawaja and Labuschange controlled the game and put 55 runs partnership for the second wicket. All-rounder Ramesh Mendis clean bowled Khawaja on 37 runs with Australia struggling on 70 for two after the 22nd over.

Smith and Labuschange, who have gone to have several iconic partnerships over the years, then played some beautiful cricket and it was truly a joy to witness their batting skills. Smith seemed in control with his shot selection throughout his inning. He scored four on a full-toss delivery by Ramesh to reach 49 and took a single on the next ball to score his fifty in 98 balls.

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The Kangaroos lost Labuschage soon after Smith's fifty but the latter continued his concentrated game from another end. Smith played the spin with some spectacular drives on the legside, especially to Prabath Jayasuriya. Both Travis Head and Cameron Green struggled against Jayasuriya and Australia were down to 252 for five with just 13 overs remaining of the day. But Alex Carrey remained unbeaten on 16 runs off 35 balls, to avoid any further slip-ups. Smith completed his hundred in some style with a beautiful cover drive on Rajitha's delivery in 84th over.

Fans were quick to celebrate his long-awaited century and took social media to congratulate the Australian ace. Some fans also pointed out that Smith surpassed Indian batter Virat Kolhi, who has 27 Test hundreds to his name. One fan highlighted Smith reaching a remarkable 60-plus Test average again.

Here are some Twitter reactions to Steven Smith scoring the 28th Test century:

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