Steve Smith has made a seamless comeback to cricket after a two-month absence, scoring a brilliant century in the Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland.
## What happened?
The 36-year-old Australian champion plundered 118 runs from 176 balls, including 20 fours and a six, batting for New South Wales at the Gabba.
He looked in ominous touch before being caught out, with 86 of his runs coming in boundaries.
## Why it matters for Steve Smith
This century is a significant warning to England ahead of the first Ashes Test, with Smith averaging 56.01 against England and hitting 12 career centuries.
He is arguably Australia's best-performing batter in Ashes history, aside from Don Bradman.
## What comes next?
Smith's return to form is a boost for Australia, with captain Pat Cummins also making progress in his recovery, bowling off a five-step run-up in a brief net session.
Cummins hopes to be back for the middle part of the Ashes series, after being ruled out of the first Test in Perth.
And Smith's century has sent a chill through the England camp, with fans taking to social media to praise his performance.
He took 22 deliveries to get off the mark, but then hit a boundary and another four in consecutive balls.
So his first runs came from a boundary, setting the tone for his innings.
But it was his array of shots, including three consecutive fours off James Bazley, that really caught the eye.
The veteran batsman showed no signs of rust, despite not picking up a bat for almost six weeks while in New York.
By the time he drove Tom Straker to bring up his century off 158 balls, England was well and truly on notice.
Smith was eventually well caught by Matt Renshaw at gully, but by then he had made his mark.
As one fan said on social media, "First Shield ton in 6 years, off just 158 balls. Smith's reminding everyone why he's still the nightmare for bowlers ahead of Ashes".
Another fan simply called him "the GOAT", while others praised his consistency and skill.
With Cummins' return to bowling also on the horizon, England will be wary of the threat posed by Australia's best quick.
Cummins bowled off a five-step run-up in a brief net session in Sydney, as he pushes to play some role in the Ashes.
And Smith's century has given Australia a boost ahead of the series, with the interim captain looking in sublime touch.