Steve Smith overtakes Kohli, becomes 2nd fastest to 25 Test tons
Birmingham, Aug 4: Steve Smith went about decimating the England bowlers and batting records on Day 4 of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.
The former Australia captain, playing his first Test after serving a one-year ban for his involvement in the 2018 Newlands ball tampering scandal, scored his second century of the match on Sunday and helped his team to a commanding position.
The century was Smith''s 25th in Test cricket as he surpassed India captain Virat Kohli to become the second fastest to get there. Kohli took 127 innings to reach 25 centuries while Smith has taken 119 innings. Sir Donald Bradman tops the chart by a big margin, having reached 25 centuries in just 68 innings.
This was Smith''s 10th Ashes century and only Bradman (19) and England great Jack Hobbs (12) have scored more. This is the fifth instance of an Australian batsman registering centuries in both innings of an Ashes Test and the first since Matthew Hayden did so in 2002.
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Goa nightclub blaze: Three senior government officials suspended
Panaji (PTI) Three senior officials of the Goa government, including the then Director of Panchayat, were suspended on Sunday in connection with the nightclub fire tragedy for their role in allowing the facility to start operations in 2023, a senior officer said.
A massive fire tore through the nightclub in the early hours of Sunday, claiming 25 lives, including five tourists and 20 staff members.
The suspended officials include Siddhi Tushar Harlankar, who was then Director of Panchayat, Dr Shamila Monteiro, who was then Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, and Raghuvir Bagkar, then Secretary of Village Panchayat Arpora-Nagoa.
They are held responsible for giving permission to 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub at Arpora to start its operations in 2023, a senior officer said.
Police questioned Roshan Redkar, the sarpanch of Arpora-Nagoa Panchayat, who had issued a trade licence to the club.
