MANCHESTER: Australia's Steve Smith marked his return to international cricket with a double century on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford on Thursday.

The world's top-ranked Test batsman went to his third double hundred at this level, and third against England, in 310 balls including 22 fours and two sixes with a legside two off Stuart Broad.

Smith missed England's series-levelling one-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley with a concussion suffered when struck by a Jofra Archer bouncer during the drawn second Test at Lord's.

But, even so, he has now scored 579 runs in the series, his first in Tests since completing a 12-month ball-tampering ban.

This was the third time in four Test innings he had reached three figures following scores of 144 and 142 in the first Test at Edgbaston and 92 at Lord's.—AFP