Steve Smith of Australia bats during day two of the First Test match in the series between Sri Lanka and Australia (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Steven Smith created history as he became the fourth Australian batter and the 15th overall to reach the 10k club in Test cricket. Smith achieved the feat during his unbeaten 104 on Day 1 of the series opener against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday. RG looks back on a stellar career and the numbers that make the 10000 Test runs for Smith.
4 – The fourth Australian to reach the 10k club
Smith became just the fourth Australian batter ever to cross the milestone of 10000 runs in Test cricket. Allan Border, Steven Waugh and Ricky Ponting are the other three Australians to have achieved the feat.
15 – The 15th batter to Club 10K in Test history
Overall, Smith became just the 15th batter in Test history to reach the milestone of 10000 runs. Apart from the four Australians, the list includes three Indians (Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid), two Englishmen, Sri Lankans and West Indians each (Alastair Cook and Joe Root; Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena; Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brian Lara) and one batter each from South Africa (Jacques Kallis) and Pakistan (Younis Khan).
205 - The number of innings Smith took to reach 10000 Test runs
Smith became the fifth fastest to reach 10000 Test runs crossing the landmark in his 205th inning. Lara, Tendulkar and Sangakkara, all reached Club 10k in their respective 195th inning while Ponting made it there in his 196th.
56.33 – The second-highest Test average in the 10K Club
Smith’s batting average of 56.33 is the second-best amongst the 15 batters in the 10K Club. Only Sangakkara with an average of 57.4 is higher than Smith.
It is also the third-highest average amongst all 15 batters in the 10K Club at the end of the innings when they crossed the milestone. Ponting had an average of 58.72 when he reached the milestone of 10000 runs while Tendulkar is at number two with a corresponding average of 57.61.
35 – The second most Test hundreds for Australia after Ponting
Smith has registered 35 Test hundreds in his Test career which are the second-highest for an Australian only after Ponting (41). Overall, Smith is seventh on the list after Tendulkar, Kallis, Ponting, Sangakkara, Root and Dravid.
5.86 – The best frequency of scoring a hundred in the 10K Club
Smith has registered 35 Test hundreds in 205 innings which means that he has scored a ton every 5.86 innings on an average. This is the best frequency of scoring a hundred amongst the 10K Club. Sangakkara, who scored a ton every 6.13 innings is at number two on this list.
85.36% - The second-highest 100s to 50s percentage in the 10K Club
Smith has scored 35 Test hundreds and 41 fifties in his Test career which makes his 100 to 50 percentage as high as 85.36%. Only Younis Khan betters Smith on the list – the Pakistani batter registered 34 hundreds and 33 fifties with a corresponding 100 to 50 percentage of 103.03%. Kallis (77.58%), Gavaskar (75.55%) and Tendulkar (75%) complete the top 5.
75.81 – Smith’s average in his Golden Period between 2014 and 2017
Smith had an aggregate of 5004 runs (nearly 50% of his career runs) in the 44 Tests between 2014 and 2017 at an average of 75.81. He registered 21 of his career 35 hundreds during this period. Smith was the best batter, and by some distance in this time-frame.
55 - Smith had an average of 55+ in a record 78 Tests
Smith has a Test average of 55+ in his last 78 matches which is a record for the most number of consecutive Tests with an average of greater than 55! The last instance of Smith ending a Test with an average of less than 55 was against West Indies at Hobart in December 2015.
69.68 – The third-best batting average in the first innings in Test history
Smith has a magnificent record batting first for Australia in Test cricket. He has scored a whopping 7317 runs in 114 innings at an average of 69.68 – the third-best average after Don Bradman (97.85) and Everton Weekes (71.43). 31 of his career 35 hundreds have come in the first innings.
Nikhil Narain
