Steve Smith – 199 v West Indies at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

Let’s get stuck into this meaty little innings played at a venue with a long history of test cricket. A recipe for some severe stat-mining, let alone the symbolic nature of the score alone.

This was the 91st century made at Sabina Park. Steve Smith became the first person to pass 163 and not make it all the way to his double hundred at this venue. That 163 was made by Roy Fredericks in 1972. 15 double hundreds (including two triples), so Smith slots in at #16. One boundary hit and he would have moved past two Aussie legends to become the innings record holder for his country at Sabina Park. Steve Waugh’s 200 in the series clinching win in 1995, and if it had been a six, Neil Harvey’s 204 in 1955 would have been shunted down to the minor placings. The highest score by a non-West Indian at Kingston is Andrew Sandham, and we’ve mentioned him before in Century Watch.

Only one player with three initials (SPD Smith) has made a higher score at Kingston in tests. Sir FMM Worrell was his name. Reasonable player. The two with just one initial to do it were both English. A Sandham and L Hutton.

This was Smith’s highest score in test cricket beating his 192 in the Boxing Day test against India just six months ago. It is his third score of 150 or above in seven months. No wonder he is world #1 at the moment. It was his first test hundred batting at #3 in the order. He now has 9 test hundreds.

So to 199. I’ve not seen one. I saw Vaughan get out in the 190s, and saw Hayden get out for 197 at Brisbane, so been close. This was the 75th score of between 190 and 199 in tests, and the list of those to make two scores in the 190s is as follows.

• Mohammed Azharuddin – 199 and 192
• Ian Chappell – 196 and 192
• Rahul Dravid – 190 and 191
• Herschelle Gibbs – 196 and 192
• Brian Lara – 191 and 196
• Mohammad Hafeez – 196 and 197
• Mohammad Yousuf – 192 and 191
• Ricky Ponting – 197 and 196
• Sachin Tendulkar – 193 and 194*
• Marcus Trescothick – 194 and 193
• Michael Vaughan – 197 and 195 (in the space of four or so weeks)
• Everton Weekes – 194 and 197
• Frank Worrell – 191* (carried his bat) and 197* (captain declared on him – man, look at the scorecard.)
• Younis Khan – 199 and 194
• Steve Smith – 192 and 199

And with three scores in the 190s…

• Kumar Sangakkara – 192, 199* and 192

That’s quite a list to be in.

So to the 199 score. This was the tenth in test cricket history. The first was made in 1984 by Mudassar Nazar for Pakistan against India in Faisalabad. This was in a turgid test series between the two rivals where a result never seemed on the cards. In this particular match, India made 500, and Pakistan replied with 674/6, and then everyone went home. Qasim Omar made a double hundred, and Mudassar was caught behind off the spin of Shivlal Yadav. The other eight 199s were made as follows.

• Andy Flower v South Africa at Harare 2001 – not out
• Kumar Sangakkara v Pakistan at Galle 2012 – not out
• Mohammed Azharuddin v Sri Lanka at Kanpur 1986 – LBW Ratnayeke
• Matthew Elliott v England at Headingley 1997 – Bowled Gough
• Sanath Jayasuriya v India at Colombo SSC 1997 – Bowled Kuruvilla
• Steve Waugh v West Indies at Bridgetown 1999 – LBW Perry
• Younis Khan v India at Lahore 2006 – Run Out
• Ian Bell v South Africa at Lord’s 2008 – Caught and Bowled Harris
• Steve Smith v West Indies at Kingston 2015 – LBW Taylor

So three LBWs, two bowled, one caught and bowled, one run out, one caught behind and two not outs. Of those above, just Azharuddin and Elliott finished their careers without making a test double.

This was the 110th hundred by an Australian against the West Indies, and places him 10th equal with Steve Waugh. Australia are four away from their 800th century in test cricket. Smith’s 199, to put it into context, places him 68th=. Compared to England, where 199 (Ian Bell) places him 53rd (in 829 test centuries). Ian Bell has the 800th test century for England – 116* in the tedious Nagpur test in 2012 had that honour. I’m digressing!

Steve Smith’s 199 came up in 361 balls with 21 x 4 and 2 x 6 – his hundred came up in 200 balls with 13 x 4 and 2 x 6.