The theatre of Steven Smith

The backs of Steven Smith's whites were caked in mud when he walked off unbeaten on 129 at the SCG after a day when his mannerisms and idiosyncrasies were at their most extreme. Smith has often been mysterious about his future intentions but ruled out the prospect that this could be his final Test on the eve of this match: why would it be, when he can still play like this?

Australia had reached 234 for 3 when Smith walked out to bat at his home ground and his century was among the easiest of his 37 in Tests, against a wayward England attack without three of its frontline quicks through injury. He played in Travis Head's slipstream for 12 overs, then took control of a day that took place at Smith's own pace.

He hit each of England's four seamers for at least three boundaries, and slipped up and down the gears effortlessly depending on the game situation, sitting in before the second new ball before seizing on the opportunities to score that it provided. Jacob Bethell's left-arm spin provided easy pickings, including one ball that Smith pumped back down the ground for six.

Like Joe Root, Smith has reached the time in his career when every hundred puts him in even more rarefied company but one statistic stood out: this was his 13th Ashes century, second only to Don Bradman, and he has relished the stage that the series provides ever since his first taste of it 15 years ago.

It is a reflection of Australia's dominance in this series that Smith had hardly been required by the time that they secured the urn. He made 17 and 2 not out in Perth, then 61 and 23 not out in Brisbane before missing the third Test at Adelaide Oval through illness, reporting nausea and dizziness while training. By the time he returned at the MCG, the series was already won.

But this week provided Smith with the chance to make yet another Ashes hundred and his record shows that he rarely passes such opportunities up. Reprieved early in his innings when Zak Crawley dropped a tough chance at leg gully, Smith was in total control thereafter and his eccentric, fidgety nature was on full show.

He repeatedly made England bowlers wait due to movement near the sightscreens, which included spotting a spectator returning to their seat carrying ice creams. "Seriously, security here sucks," he was heard saying via the stump microphones. He even asked Brydon Carse - fielding at mid-off - to put his sunglasses on the back of his head, not the top of his cap.

Smith left the ball in his usual eccentric manner, theatrically rolling onto his back after swaying under one bouncer, and signalled 'wide' on Chris Gaffaney's behalf when Matthew Potts' loopy short ball sailed over his head. Most of the 46,161 fans at the SCG enjoyed it, and Smith made sure to give the contingent of England fans a pointed swish of his bat on reaching three-figures.

Smith could only laugh when asked about his mannerisms at the close of play, and said that they tended to be a positive sign. "I don't know if I'm doing it," he told Fox Cricket. "Yeah, it just kind of happens when I'm out there, and I think when I'm doing all those things, it probably means I'm in a really good zone, so hopefully we can see a few more of them."

He added: "It was nice to come off the back of what was a pretty good innings from Travis Head, he played beautifully yet again and I obviously started my innings with him. When you're batting with him, they forget about you a little bit, the way he's going at the moment. I was able to get into my work, get the pace of the wicket and get into my work from there.

"They came with a few plans with the short stuff for a bit, and I was just trying to get out of the way and get off strike… I just love batting here. It's my home deck. I know the ground really well. When I get in here, I really like batting here. The pace of the wicket sort of suits the way I play, and I just love playing in front of this crowd."

Smith has been evasive when previously asked about his future plans and, at 36, appears highly unlikely to reach the 2029-30 Ashes. That would make this his final Ashes Test at his home ground, but he hinted in the build-up that he has no immediate intention to quit, citing the risk of losing another experienced batter soon after David Warner and Usman Khawaja.

"I'm taking it day by day, series by series, and we'll see where things land," Smith said, when asked whether he plans to make the 2027 Ashes tour to England. "I feel like I'm doing all right at the moment. I'm enjoying it. I'm contributing and having fun. There's no real end date for me, I suppose… I want to keep playing."

Head joked that Smith's success in last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy had "perked him back up" and said that his return to the captaincy for four Tests in Pat Cummins' absence seemed to have reinvigorated him. "He prides himself on obviously his batting ability, but he also brings a lot in leadership… He's done a fantastic job when he has done that," Head said.

"He's just wanting to contribute to this team and win as many Test matches as possible, and while he's enjoying it, he's going to hang around. It'd be silly not to say we want him forever. I hope he plays for a long time."

They are words that will prompt a generation of England bowlers to curse their luck.