Milestone man Smith torments Eng

sydney, Australia captain Steve Smith continued to be England’s Ashes nemesis on Friday as he passed 6,000 Test runs in an unbeaten knock of 44 to help his team to 193/2 at close of play on the second day of the fifth Test.
The world’s top ranked batsman and Usman Khawaja batted through the final session in a 107-run partnership after openers Cameron Bancroft and David Warner had departed earlier in Australia’s reply to England’s 346.
Khawaja notched a stylish 91 not out on the ground where he made his Test debut in the corresponding fixture at the Sydney Cricket Ground seven years ago but it was the wicket of Smith that England most desperately wanted.
They were to be disappointed with only a couple of half-chances presenting themselves as Smith sent a couple of early edges fizzing through the slips. The 28-year-old was soon looking comfortable and swatted a single to backward square to pass the 6,000 career runs mark in his 111th Test innings. Only the great Donald Bradman reached the milestone in fewer knocks.
Having started the day with a brilliant diving catch in the slips to dismiss Dawid Malan, Smith walked off his home ground in the brilliant afternoon sunshine with 648 runs to his name in the series so far. The tourists earlier posted a competitive tally in the face of some fearsome pace bowling on the back of a hard-wagging tail and some wasteful Australian catching. Australia came out after lunch to begin their innings in front of another packed house only for Stuart Broad to clean bowl Bancroft for a duck in the second over.
Warner scored a measured 56 by his standards in an 85-run stand with Khawaja before was caught behind when James Anderson got the ball to move away from him. Broad’s 31, featuring two thumping sixes, had earlier been integral to a bright morning for the tourists after the hammer blow of losing two wickets in the last couple of overs of Day One.