At this pace Steve Smith can break my record of Test hundreds: Ricky Ponting

Australian skipper Steve Smith amassed his 21st Test hundred in the first Test match of the Ashes series at the Gabba, on Saturday. He achieved the landmark century in just 105 innings and became third fastest to 21 hundreds, behind Sir Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar.

His innings was compiled with a lot of patience and calculative stroke-making, which also helped his team bail out of trouble. While looking at Smith’s consistency of scoring hundreds, former Australian skipper and batting legend Ricky Ponting thinks that his record of 41 Test centuries is surely in danger.

Ponting said that if Smith keeps on scoring at the current rate, he can break his record in four or five years. He also regarded Smith as one of best batsmen that the game has ever produced. The former Aussie captain also revealed some insights into his own career and the joy of winning matches for his country.

Ponting’s records in danger

The No. 1 ranked Test batsman would surely rate this 141 runs unbeaten knock a little higher, as it has come in a very difficult situation and can also turn out to be a match-winning knock. The Australian captain has had a great year when it comes to the longer format, he had scored 3 hundreds in India, earlier this year. Which is why Ricky Ponting feels his record of 41 Test hundreds is under danger and Smith is well capable to catch it.

“Hopefully it’s in danger (41 centuries record), I’d love to see that. If he keeps going like he is, he’s going to catch me in four or five years. It’s well and truly in danger,” said Ponting as quoted by cricket.com.au.

He also stated that comparisons can only be made depending on the longevity of the career.

“What we’re seeing is potentially one of, if not the best batsman that the game has ever seen. The hard thing about trying to make those sort of judgements is the longevity of the players, you just never know what’s going to happen,” Ricky added added.

Insights about his own career

The 42-year old also revealed that he is very proud of the duration of his career and the years he gave to his country. He also feels blessed to be part of 108 Test wins and all the records he achieved in his long career.

“The thing I was most proud of in my career was my longevity. Longevity in the game allows you to achieve a lot of great things around the team, and I was able to play in 108 winning Test matches,” he concluded.