Steve Smith Breaks 77-Year-Old Ashes Record, Joins Aussie Greats in Elite List

Australia batsman Steve Smith's purple patch with the bat continued when he struck his maiden double century during the second day of the Ashes Lord's Test on Friday. He achieved the feat in 336 balls. He justified his status as one of the world's best batsmen as he smashed his sixth hundred in last eight Tests, his 10th overall.

Smith became the third Australian batsman to post a double hundred at Lord's and first since Bill Brown -- 206 not out in 1938. He went on to score 215 before being dismissed by Joe Root, falling short of breaking Sir Donald Bradman's record of 254 in 1930. (Watson Can Return to Australia Team: Lehmann)

England paid the price for Ian Bell's costly drop of Smith on 50 on Thursday as the Aussie hit 25 fours and a maximum in his 346-ball innings.

Tear-away pacer Mitchell Johnson, who now aims at complimenting Smith's brilliant knock to put Australia on level terms after losing the Cardiff Test, showered praises on the world No.2 batsman. "I've seen him since he's first started...I'm really proud of what he did," Johnson said.

The 26-year-old Smith also became the first batsman in 18 years to register a double hundred in an Ashes Test in England. Nasser Hussain had scored 207 at Birmingham in 1997.

Smith's knock was the seventh-highest individual Test score at Lord's, a list headed by former England opener Graham Gooch's 333 against India in 1990. (Explosive Device Found Near Haddin Home in Sydney)

- Graham Gooch (England) 333 vs India in 1990, Graeme Smith (South Africa) 259 vs England in 2003, Bradman (Australia) 254 vs England in 1930, Sir Wally Hammond (England) 240 vs Australia in 1938, Jonathan Trott (England) 226 vs Bangladesh in 2010, Rob Key (England) 221 vs West Indies in 2004.

Other statistical highlights of Lord's Test Day 2:

# Chris Rogers is now the first Australian opener to have recorded five hundreds after the age of 35 in Tests, eclipsing Matthew Hayden's tally of four.

# The top five opening batsmen with most centuries after the age of 35 are Geoff Boycott (10), Graham Gooch (10), Jack Hobbs (9), Gordon Greenidge (7) and Len Hutton (6).

# The 284-run partnership between Rogers and Smith for the second wicket is Australia's highest for any wicket at Lord's. Mark Taylor and Michael Slater had put on 260 for the first wicket vs England in 1993.

# Overall, the above stand is the seventh highest for any wicket by any pair at Lord's - the highest being 370 for the third wicket between Denis Compton and Bill Edrich for England vs South Africa in 1947.

# Since posting 148 vs England at Adelaide in December 2013, Michael Clarke is without a fifty in his last ten Ashes innings.

# Twenty eight double centuries have been registered by Australian batsmen in away Tests. Jason Gillespie (201 not out vs Bangladesh at Chittagong in April 2006) was the last Australian player to do so).

# Bradman holds an Australian record for posting five innings of 200-plus, including two triple hundreds, in away Tests.

(With inputs from Rajesh Kumar and AFP)