Watch: Steve Smith becomes the first men's centurion for Sydney Sixers after hitting a towering six

Star Australian batter Steve Smith has lit up the ongoing season of the Big Bash League (BBL) as he became the third centurion of the current edition.

The Sydney Sixers batter reached the elusive three-figure mark in the 15th over of the first innings of the match against the Adelaide Strikers on Tuesday, January 17. He did so with a six deep over the square leg region off Benjamin Manenti's bowling.

In the process, Steve Smith also became the first Sixers' men's player to score a hundred in the BBL, eclipsing James Vince's unbeaten 91.

The match against the Strikers was Smith's second game of the season. He made a brisk 36 against the Perth Scorchers on Sunday.

Having opened the innings with Josh Philippe, the New South Wales man lost his partner off the third delivery of the innings, bowled by Matthew Short. However, Smith took charge of the innings going forward.

The former Australian skipper joined hands with Kurtis Patterson to put on 149 for the second wicket as the pair were all over the Strikers. Smith reached his fifty off 30 deliveries with a boundary off Colin de Grandhomme. By the time he reached his hundred, he had five fours and seven sixes.

However, he perished in the very next over for 101 off 56 deliveries, run out after a mix-up with captain Moises Henriques, who also departed for a single-figure score.

Despite Steve Smith's departure, the three-time champions did not slow down as Jordan Silk's 16-ball 31 propelled them to 203/5 in 20 overs.

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Steve Smith featured in only one game during the T20 World Cup 2022

Steve Smith. (Image Credits: Getty)

Steve Smith played only one game during the T20 World Cup on home soil last year, with his modest numbers in the format keeping him out in favor of hard-hitting batters. The only match he played was against Afghanistan, where he managed only four runs before Naveen-ul-Haq trapped him in front.

Despite Australia losing only one game in the tournament, they missed out on a semi-final spot as a heavy 89-run loss to New Zealand affected their net run-rate adversely. The defending champions needed to win handsomely against Afghanistan, but managed to prevail by only four runs.

This meant eventual champions England sneaked through after emerging triumphant over Sri Lanka.

With his productive performance in the BBL, Smith will hope to add more T20I caps to his name in the future.