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Steve Smith Hits 10,000 Test Runs, Becomes 2nd Quickest Australian to Reach the Milestone
24 days ago | 5 Views
The inaugural Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia in Galle was highly anticipated for stand-in captain Steven Smith, who commenced the series with 9,999 Test runs, on the verge of becoming only the fourth Australian batsman to reach the milestone of 10,000 runs in this format.
He accomplished this significant achievement just before the lunch break on the first day of the Test, effortlessly guiding Prabath Jayasuriya towards long-on for a single to mark the occasion. Smith acknowledged the applause from the crowd and his teammates with a raised bat.
On the third delivery of his innings, Smith was dropped, but he managed to see his team through to lunch following a brisk start from Travis Head, who has been adapting to the team's needs by opening the batting in Asian conditions.
Smith also became the fifth-fastest cricketer to reach this milestone in terms of innings, achieving it in 205 innings. Ricky Ponting holds the record for the fastest Australian, having reached the mark in 196 innings, while an impressive trio of batsmen—Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara, and Brian Lara—each accomplished it in exactly 195 innings.
Additionally, Smith surpassed Rahul Dravid, who took 206 innings to achieve the same feat. He joins the ranks of Ponting, Allan Border, and Steve Waugh as the Australian batsmen who have scored over 10,000 Test runs.
Previously, Smith had been dismissed twice while in the 9990s, making him one of the few prominent cricketers to fall short of the five-digit milestone in that specific range. He also followed in the footsteps of Brian Lara, becoming the second cricketer to be dismissed in the 9990s on two occasions.
Smith succeeds with bat as stand-in captain
In the concluding Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy held in Sydney, where he played on familiar turf with friends and family present, Smith experienced two dismissals while nearing the 9990s, including being out for 9999 runs as the crowd eagerly awaited his milestone achievement.
Smith later acknowledged that the significance of the milestone had caused him some anxiety, which may have led to a minor lapse in concentration as he neared the target. Nevertheless, he executed his plans flawlessly in Galle, requiring just one delivery to accomplish this remarkable achievement.
Additionally, Smith swiftly reached his half-century in the session following lunch, maintaining the impressive form he had exhibited towards the conclusion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
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