Sydney Sixers 220 for 3 (Smith 121*) beat Perth Scorchers 206 for 7 (Turner 66*, Abbott 4-43) by 14 runs
And while Scorchers provided some fireworks of their own, this was a day for Smith.
Globally, Smith has been something of a forgotten star in T20 cricket, compared with his status as Australia’s best Test batter since Sir Donald Bradman with a return to runs this summer.
The 35-year-old has not played a T20I for Australia since last February, and was overlooked for the World Cup squad last year. 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. Smith’s last 95 runs came off 40 balls, after Sixers were particularly patient early and 24 for 1 after five overs.
Smith regularly targeted the short boundary at the SCG, while also cutting behind point with glee when 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.
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 Scorchers, going for 0 for 62 from his four overs while also being taken to by Ben Dwarshuis.
Richardson also went for 0 for 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.
