Australia's Smith marks Test comeback with Ashes century

Australia star Steve Smith marked his return to international cricket with a third hundred of this Ashes series on Thursday.

Smith was 101 not out in an Australia total of 245-5 at lunch on the second day of the fourth Test against England at Old Trafford.

Tim Paine, his successor as Australia captain, was unbeaten on nine after winning the toss.

But it might have been a different story had fast bowler Jofra Archer held on to a Smith caught and bowled chance.

Archer, whose bouncer at Lord's concussed Smith and ruled him out of England's dramatic one-wicket and series-levelling win in the third Test at Headingley, dropped the chance when the world's number one-ranked Test batsman was on 65.

This was Smith's third hundred of a series where he made 144 and 142 in Australia's 251-run win in the opener at Edgbaston -- his first Test since completing a 12-month ball-tampering ban.

His lowest score of the current campaign was the 92 he posted at Lord's after being felled by Archer.

Australia resumed on 170-3 after Wednesday's rain-marred first day in Manchester.

Smith was 60 not out -- his eighth successive Test 50 against England extending the 30-year-old's Ashes record.

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