Canberra [Australia], October 29 (ANI): Former Australian opener David Warner has advocated for Steve Smith to pile up 'five centuries' against England in the Ashes, scheduled to commence on November 21 in Perth.

Smith announced his return to competitive cricket with a sizzling 118 for New South Wales against Queensland at the Gabba in the Sheffield Shield on Wednesday. With 20 boundaries and a solitary six during his 176-ball outing, Smith has found the rich vein of form before serving as the stand-in captain for Australia in the first Ashes Test with Pat Cummins ruled out.

'If that man Steve Smith can score big runs (this summer), they'll be fine. If Smith gets on a roll and he starts scoring runs, it's going to be a challenge for England,' Warner told Fox Cricket's coverage.

In 2025, the talismanic Australian batter has flourished with his robust technique, amassing 515 runs in six Tests at an average of 51.50, including two centuries and as many fifties. In his last assignment in Tests for Australia, Smith toured the West Indies in June-July.

On the tricky Caribbean strip, Smith managed to churn out 127 runs in four innings at 31.75, with a solitary fifty and a best score of 71. Smith, with a tally of 36 Test centuries, is five shy of levelling former captain Ricky Ponting's record of 41, the most for Australia.

While considering Smith's current form, Warner believes centuries will flow from the 36-year-old's bat to go level with Ponting's record, and said, 'I reckon he's got five centuries in him. He only had one (net session) the other day and came out and scored a hundred today; that's Steve Smith.'

During his illustrious career, Smith has achieved several accolades, including the T20 World Cup, the ODI World Cup, and the World Test Championship. However, he has yet to win a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in India. With the next edition scheduled to commence in January 2027, Warner has backed Smith to continue playing Test cricket through the next BGT.

'The one thing missing from him is winning in India. He knows his body now, he knows what he's capable of - if he wants to get to that Indian series, he will,' Warner said. (ANI)