Steve Smith scores record-equalling Big Bash century for Sydney Sixers against Perth Scorchers

He has also been brushed in the past four IPL auctions, featuring only in the Major League Cricket last year of all overseas franchise leagues.

But in the BBL Smith continues to prove his worth, with this his third century in his past seven games. And it may have been his best yet.

The right-hander’s last 95 runs came off 40 balls, after the Sixers were particularly patient early and 1-24 after five overs.

Smith regularly targeted the short boundary at the SCG, while also cutting behind point with glee when the Scorchers went too wide outside off to try to counteract him.

Two of his sixes came off switch-hits to the short rope, and another was a crisp flick off his pads from Jhye Richardson that sailed into the Bill O’Reilly Stand.

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Still, Smith’s shot of the day went to the long boundary, picking up a full and wide ball from AJ Tye and hitting it inside out over backward point for six.

Tye copped the brunt of the damage for the Scorchers, going for 0-62 from his four overs while also being taken to by Ben Dwarshuis (23 not out off seven balls).

Richardson also went for 0-51 from his four overs, as Smith and Moises Henriques took him for 24 from the first over of the power surge during a 113-run partnership.

This was a day when everything Smith touch turned to gold, including being caught in the deep in the last over before replays fielder Nick Hobson had put a foot on the rope.

In reply, the Scorchers’ faced an uphill battle from the moment Abbott took back-to-back wickets in the fourth over.

Ashton Turner hit 66 from 32 balls to give the Scorchers a late hope, but 23 from the final over proved too much as Perth stayed fifth on the ladder.

At the Adelaide Oval, Short blasted the Adelaide Strikers’ fastest century and anchored the BBL’s second-highest team score as they hammered Brisbane by 56 runs.

Returning from a broken toe, Short belted 109 from 54 balls, and brought up his ton in 49 balls, a team record.

Adelaide scored 5-251 in front of 27,212 fans, easily beating their previous best of 3-230 and second only to the Melbourne Stars’ 2-273 three years ago.

The Heat, fourth before Saturday’s loss, were never in the hunt. D’Arcy Short took his fourth wicket with the last ball of the game as Brisbane were dismissed for 195.

Brisbane slumped from 4-146 to 9-158 before Spencer Johnson (27) and Matt Kuhnemann put up some late resistance.

The flat pitch yielded 26 sixes for the game – seven of them to Matt Short – equalling the BBL record.

One of them, hit by Brisbane’s Nathan McSweeney off Liam Haskett, was caught in the crowd by the bowler’s dad.