Just few days after Australia’s linchpin batsman Steven Smith's unbeaten (80 off 51 balls) knock powered Australia to victory in a T20I match vs. Pakistan, the Aussie powerhouse scored his slowest-ever first-class century in the Marsh Sheffield Shield on Tuesday. One of World’s best Test batsmen in recent times - Smith took 290 deliveries to reach his 42nd first-class ton against Western Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.


Smith was eventually dismissed for 103 before lunch on Day Two with an umpiring howler.

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"After playing the T20s, it was about coming back and getting back into that red-ball cricket and finding the right way to go about it," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au after NSW declared on 444/8.

"I was a bit slower than I would have liked but it wasn't easy. The wicket was pretty slow. There were no slips for the majority of the innings, there was a ring field and the surface was slow and the square is quite soft as well.

"It's probably the way I play my best, when I'm just patient and playing each ball on its merit. They bowled some pretty good spells and didn't let me score too much.

"I just hung in there... I just had to grind it out. We got 450 so we're in a pretty good spot."

Smith will be looking to continue his great run in the two Tests against Pakistan beginning November 21 at The Gabba.