Former Test captain Greg Chappell praised Steve Smith as he surpassed Chappell’s 7,110 runs-mark on day one at the MCG with an easy single in the 51st over, moving into 10th position on Australia’s list of all-time Test run-scorers. His average of 63.49 at the time he went ahead of Chappell was the highest.

Australia’s top 10 Test run-scorers

Ricky Ponting | 13,378 @ 51.85

Allan Border | 11,174 @ 50.56

SR Waugh | 10,927 @ 51.06

MJ Clarke | 8,643 @ 49.10

ML Hayden | 8,625 @ 50.73

ME Waugh | 8,029 @ 41.81

JL Langer | 7,696 @ 45.27

MA Taylor | 7,525 @ 43.49

DC Boon | 7,422 @ 43.65

Steve Smith | 7,111 @ 63.49 (after reaching 39* in Melbourne)

Steve Smith had a fabulous year after returning to international cricket due to Australia’s ball-tampering scandal in March 2018. He returned to Tests and scored 774 runs at 110.57.

“I would think he’ll be in his peak for another three of four years,” the 87-Test great told cricket.com.au. “He’s the outstanding player of his era, he’s playing exceedingly well and he’s built up a record which is comparable with the very best. The indications are he’s going to finish his career in the very top bracket of batsmen through the history of the game.”

“He doesn’t lie in bed worrying about getting out; he might be wide awake but he’s excited about batting, and thinking about how he’s going to make runs,” he said. “Most players spend a lot of their time anxious about whether they’re going to make runs, and they hit a lot of balls to make up for that anxiety. Smith isn’t doing that. He genuinely loves batting, and a lot of that hitting balls (in the nets) is just filling up the day, waiting for the real cricket to start.”

“But the real work is done in his room, inside his head, preparing himself for the bowlers he’s going to face. That’s where he’s honing his knowledge; he’s seeing the bowlers bowl to him, working out the angles, so by the time he gets to the game, all he has to do is react. He’s unique in that way – he has a mind that works differently. It’s been brilliantly trained for his profession,” he shared.

Greg Chappell has seen the evolution of Steve Smith as a selector and national talent manager across the past decade. He said that Smith possessed an insatiable hunger for batting.

“His mind sets him apart,” Chappell says. “His ability to focus. His ability to work out bowlers and make runs in any conditions against any attack. He picks up the cues and clues better than anyone else. He’s a better decision-maker than most, he’s got a hunger that comes from somewhere and has always been there, and he’s developed his game through his Test career according to his experiences.”

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In six years, Smith has 26 Test hundreds so far. Smith’s form has increased since then.

“I watch batsmen at the point of (the bowler’s) release – I don’t care what happens before then – and Smith’s idiosyncrasies disguise his orthodoxy,” he explains. “Forget all the pre-movements – the dusting the pads, the touching the box – that’s all just window dressing.”

“Whether it’s something that just happens or whether it’s something he quite happily developed because it may distract bowlers, it doesn’t really matter; what matters is he gets into good positions at point of release and point of contact. They’re the same positions that all the players who have averaged 50 and above in Test cricket have gotten into. I don’t think you could make the runs he has made by being as unorthodox as I’ve heard him described,” he added.