Steve Smith has inched his way towards a Sheffield Shield ton as NSW dominated the first day of play against Western Australia on a low, slow SCG pitch.

Just six days after Smith showcased his full range of shots with a sublime 80 from 51 deliveries as part of Australia's Twenty20 sweep of Pakistan, the world's No.1-ranked Test batsman slipped straight back into red-ball mode.

Smith finished the first day of play with an unbeaten 59 from his 217 deliveries at a strike rate of just 27.1.

It was faultless batting from the former Australian skipper, as NSW finished the day on 2-221.