Steve Smith Enters 10,000 Test Runs Club, Following Ricky Ponting’s Footsteps
Steve Smith has finally achiеved the feat! He had remained stuck at 9,999 runs at the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but now, in the first Test against Sri Lanka, the Australian captain has gone past the 10,000-run mark. This placеs him in the elite club with Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, and Stеve Waugh as he becomes only the fourth Australian to achieve this fеat in Test cricket.
With an average of 55.86 in Tests, Steve Smith undoubtedly is one of the best batters Australia has produced in the longest format. After having a couple of yеars of formlеss cricketing, Smith finally found his rhythm during the Test series against India. He finished third in the list of run scorers in the series, scoring 314 runs in nine innings with two brilliant hundreds.
Sachin Tendulkar tops the list of most runs scorеd in Test cricket with 15,921 runs. In the top ten, from among the currently active players, there is Joe Root with 12,972 runs. In Australia, after Steve Smith, David Warner comes closest to crossing 10,000 runs with 8,786. But since Warner retired, he would not surpass that mark.
Pat Cummins is unavailablе for the two-match Test series and Smith is captaining Australia as they bat first in the first Test at Galle. Travis Head, promoted up the order, gave a flying start as he reached his half-century in just 35 balls. But it was not long before he got out for 57 to the Sri Lanka spin star, Prabath Jayasuriya.
Steven Smith's Test Career Overview: Performance Across Three Phases
| Innings | Runs | Highest Score (HS) | Average (Avg) | Strike Rate (SR) | Centuries (100s) | Fifties (50s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 20 Tests | 38 | 1361 | 40.02 | 51.69 | 4 | 6 |
| Next 50 Tests | 88 | 5652 | 74.36 | 57.62 | 22 | 21 |
| Last 45 Tests | 79 | 2988 | 43.30 | 47.92 | 8 | 14 |
List of Players with 10,000+ Runs in Test Cricket
| Player | Country | Runs |
|---|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 15,921 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 13,378 |
| Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 13,289 |
| Rahul Dravid | India | 13,288 |
| Joe Root* | England | 12,972 |
| Alastair Cook | England | 12,472 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 12,400 |
| Brian Lara | West Indies | 11,953 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | West Indies | 11,867 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 11,814 |
| Allan Border | Australia | 11,174 |
| Steve Waugh | Australia | 10,927 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | India | 10,122 |
| Younis Khan | Pakistan | 10,099 |
| Steve Smith* | Australia | 10,000* |
Best Test Batting Averages Among Cricketers with 10,000+ Runs
| Player | Average |
|---|---|
| Ricky Ponting | 58.72 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 57.61 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 55.96 |
| Steven Smith | 55.87 |
| Rahul Dravid | 55.41 |
| Jacques Kallis | 54.42 |
| Younis Khan | 53.09 |
| Brian Lara | 52.91 |
| Allan Border | 52.08 |
| Sunil Gavaskar | 51.04 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | 50.91 |
| Shiv Chanderpaul | 50.02 |
| Steve Waugh | 49.66 |
| Joe Root | 49.57 |
| Alastair Cook | 46.49 |
Players with 50+ Batting Averages at Home and Away
| Player | Home Average | Away Average |
|---|---|---|
| Sunil Gavaskar | 50.16 | 52.11 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 52.67 | 54.74 |
| Jacques Kallis | 56.73 | 53.91 |
| Rahul Dravid | 51.35 | 53.03 |
| Kumar Sangakkara | 60.44 | 54.07 |
| Steven Smith | 59.7 | 52.48 |
(*Min: 100 innings at home and away)