Steve Smith Tipped to Dominate England, Hit Record-Equalling Ton Tally in 2025-26 Series
PERTH, Australia: Former Australian opener David Warner has issued a stark warning to England ahead of the 2025-26 Ashes series, boldly predicting that Steve Smith will score an unprecedented five centuries and equal Ricky Ponting’s record of 41 Test tons for Australia this summer.
Warner’s prediction comes just after Smith, the stand-in captain for the first Test in Perth, made a stunning return to competitive cricket by scoring a magnificent 118 for New South Wales against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield at the Gabba on Wednesday.
“If that man Steve Smith can score big runs this summer, they’ll be fine. If Smith gets on a roll and starts scoring, it’ll be a real challenge for England,” Warner told Fox Cricket.
Smith’s 176-ball knock, featuring 20 fours and one six, underlined his fine form ahead of the first Ashes Test, which begins on November 21 in Perth. Smith will lead the side in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins.
The veteran batsman currently has 36 Test centuries, just five short of former captain Ricky Ponting’s national record of 41. Warner expressed confidence that Smith’s current rhythm makes the record achievable during the five-match series.
“I reckon he’s got five centuries in him,” Warner declared. “He only had one net session the other day and came out and scored a hundred today—that’s Steve Smith.”
Smith maintained impressive consistency in 2025, amassing 515 runs in six Tests at an average of 51.50, including two centuries and two half-centuries. His last Test outing was during Australia’s tour of the West Indies in June-July, where he scored 127 runs in four innings.
Despite having captured every major international title—the T20 World Cup, the ODI World Cup, and the World Test Championship—Warner noted that a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series win in India still eludes Smith.
With the next edition of that rivalry scheduled for January 2027, Warner backed Smith to continue playing Test cricket until then. “The one thing missing for him is winning in India. He knows his body now, he knows what he’s capable of—if he wants to get to that Indian series, he will,” Warner added.
Australia, historically dominant in the rivalry, leads the overall Ashes series count with 34 wins compared to England’s 32.
