The Ashes: Steve Smith savours defining ton

Perth: A crucial unbeaten century on the opening day of the third Ashes Test against England at the WACA Ground in Perth was a career highlight for young Australian batsman Steve Smith.

Smith, 24, went into the match under some pressure to perform with the bat, having scored just 60 runs in the first two Tests. He strode to the wicket with the home team again struggling early at 129-4, and produced just the second century, and first on home soil, of his 14-Test career as Australia recovered to end 326-6 at stumps and take first-day honours. His only previous century was 138 not out in the fifth Test at the Oval in August. Given the circumstances of his second ton, with Australia chasing the win that will regain the Ashes after victories in the first two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide, it was a much more important knock. Smith, who said he enjoyed the pace and bounce of the WACA as a batsman, conceded it was also a crucial innings for his fledgling career. "It is probably right up there for me in my career," he said. "I was under a little bit of pressure coming into this game, having not scored many runs, and also the position of the game. "I felt like I was hitting the ball well in the nets, from ball one today I felt pretty good and I think I summed up the conditions well and it paid off in the end." Smith said the English bowlers were guilty of bowling too short and vowed it was a mistake the Australian fast bowlers would not make when the tourists bat. "Our bowlers are going to look forward to bowling out there, the wicket quickened up today," he said. "If they hit the right lengths we are going to create plenty of chances. "I think they bowled a little bit short in patches, when we come and out bowl we will be a yard fuller than they were."