Steve Smith Draws Level in 5th on All-Time Test Hundreds List With 36th Century, Breaks Australia Away 100s Record

Australia's Steve Smith drew level with Joe Root and Rahul Dravid in fifth on the all-time Test hundreds list and also broke a few records en-route to his second successive century against Sri Lanka in the ongoing away ICC Test Championship series.

Smith completed his 36th Test century during the second Test against Sri Lanka on Friday (February 7) at the Galle International Stadium in Galle. With the latest ton, Smith is now only behind greats of the game Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Sachin Tendulkar.

India legend Tendulkar leads the list for most hundreds in Test history with 51 centuries in the longest format followed by former South African all-rounder Kallis, who finished with 45 hundreds to his name, and former Australia captain Ponting (41 tons).

While Tendulkar, Kallis and Ponting's tally may be a little far, Smith is just two hundreds away from eclipsing Sangakkara to take the fourth spot in the overall top hundred makers in Test cricket. The Sri Lankan great finished his career with 38 hundreds. Here is a look at the top 10 centurions in Tests:

Most Test Centuries

Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 51 hundreds
Jacques Kallis (ICC/South Africa) - 45 hundreds
Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 41 hundreds
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - 38 hundreds
Steve Smith (Australia) - 36 hundreds
Joe Root (England) - 36 hundreds
Rahul Dravid (India) - 36 hundreds
Younis Khan (Pakistan) - 34 hundreds
Sunil Gavaskar (India) - 34 hundreds
Brian Lara (West Indies) - 34 hundreds
Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) - 34 hundreds

Smith and Root are among the active cricketers in the list, and the duo are followed by their Fab Four rivals - New Zealand's Kane Williamson (33 hundreds) and India's Virat Kohli (30 hundreds).

Having reached his 36th Test hundred in 206 innings, Smith surpassed Sangakkara and Tendulkar to become the second fastest to reach the milestone. Here is a look at the top five players to reach 36 hundreds the fastest:

Fastest to 36 Test Hundreds (in terms of innings played)

Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 200 innings
Steve Smith (Australia) - 206 innings
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) - 210 innings
Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 218 innings
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) - 239 innings

The latest century was Smith's 17th away from home (excluding Tests at neutral venues). The 35-year-old broke Steve Waught and Ponting's Australia record for most away Test centuries, and moved up to the fifth in the overall list, drawing level with Alastair Cook and Brian Lara.

Tendulkar again tops the list followed by his compatriot Dravid and South Africa's Kallis. Smith is now only one behind legendary Sunil Gavaskar in the elite list, while Kohli is the only active cricketer, who is likely to join his Fab four rival soon. Here is the list for most away Test 100s: