An astonishing Test career so far, and the numbers in his run put him among the best of all time
Sampath Bandarupalli29-Jan-2025Steven Smith joined the elite club of batters to complete 10,000 runs in Test cricket on Wednesday on the first day of the opening Test in Galle. Smith came to Sri Lanka on 9999 runs after just missing the landmark at his home venue, the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, against India.Sydney had seen two Australians complete their 10,000th run in Test cricket – Allan Border in 1993 and Steve Waugh in 2003. It is the only ground to have seen more than one such milestone. Both Border and Waugh, like Smith, were born in Sydney. Before Smith, only Mahela Jayawardene was dismissed on 9999 Test runs, and Brian Lara was the only one to be dismissed twice in the 9990s.ESPNcricinfo LtdSmith is the fourth Australian to reach the 10k mark; Ricky Ponting is the other Australian who has accomplished this feat, getting there in Antigua in 2008.Smith finally got there in his 115th Test match, making him the joint second-fastest to reach the milestone, after Brian Lara, who achieved it in just 111 Tests, and level with Kumar Sangakkara (115). Smith ranks fifth in terms of innings taken (205) to reach 10,000 runs, with Lara holding the record alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Sangakkara – they all reached there in 195 innings.
Ponting follows, being the fastest Australian to attain it, in 196 innings. Smith’s Test batting average of 56.44, when reaching 10,000 runs, is the third-best among the 15 players who have surpassed this mark, behind Ponting and Tendulkar.The peak that made Smith, and his recent form
It took Smith 20 Tests to elevate his batting average past 40, a period in which he primarily played as a legspinner. In his next 50 Tests, he averaged an impressive 74.36, scoring 22 centuries in 88 innings. This remarkable performance significantly improved his overall career statistics.The first Test in Galle is the 78th consecutive Test where Smith’s Test batting average is 55-plus. This is a record for the most consecutive Tests any batter has played while averaging over 55. The last time Smith ended a Test match with a career average below 55 was in December 2015.
He bettered Garry Sobers’ streak in this process, whose Test batting average did not drop under 55 in his last 74 matches. This average reflects how high and long his peak was, for he has averaged only 44.78 in his last 45 Tests and 41.05 in 24 matches since 2023.Between the two Sydney Tests in 2014 and 2020, Smith accumulated 6257 runs in 100 innings, the highest aggregate for any batter over such a span. He scored 24 centuries during this period, tying with Ponting and Sangakkara for the most centuries in their best streak of 100 Test innings.
Smith achieved an impressive average of 71.92 in those 100 innings, only behind Ponting’s average of 72.42 during his streak from February 2002 to November 2007, in which he scored 6228 runs. Notably, Don Bradman amassed 6996 runs over 80 innings in his career but is not included in this list since only the top aggregate across any 100 Test innings is considered.In recent years, batting has been more challenging compared to the past due to the introduction of the World Test Championship, which has resulted in more result-oriented pitches. This has led to fewer matches reaching the scheduled fifth day, with three-day games becoming quite common and matches also ending in two days.
Despite these challenges, Smith averages 50.05 in the WTC, slightly lower than his career average. Nevertheless, this figure ranks as the third-highest among the 20 players who have scored over 2000 runs in the WTC, with his 12 centuries the second-most, behind Joe Root’s 18.Big runs on the big occasions
Representing Australia meant Smith has been a part of two prestigious bilateral series: the Ashes and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His exceptional batting has made a significant impact in both. He has scored 12 centuries in the Ashes, only behind Bradman, and is tied with Jack Hobbs (12).Smith leads the centuries list in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with 10 to his name. He has scored 11 centuries against India, including one in the WTC final, making him the batter with the most centuries against them. Additionally, he is the only player to score 10 or more centuries against two different teams.
His success against those two teams is not only limited to home conditions. He has scored 805 runs in India at an average of 50.31, including three centuries, and has exactly 2000 runs against England in England, averaging 57.14 with seven centuries. The contrasting conditions in these two countries highlight the adaptability and skill required for Smith to succeed in both.In his Test career, Smith averages 55.29 against pace bowlers and 63.03 against spinners. Since the beginning of 2002, only two other batters – Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sangakkara – have scored over 1000 runs against both pace and spin while averaging over 55.Batting big in the first dig
One of the significant highlights of Smith’s career has been his consistency when batting first, which has often put his team ahead in matches. Smith has scored 25 centuries in the first innings of Test matches, the most by any batter. He averages 85.33 in 68 such innings, the highest among all players with a minimum of 25 innings.
And it’s not as if Smith only excels in good batting conditions. He has scored eight hundreds in the 20 instances where the opposition chose to bowl first, the most such centuries for any batter. His average in those 20 innings is 74.22, bettered only by Matthew Hayden (76.62) among players with at least 15 innings.Smith’s average of 70.00 in the team’s first innings ranks second only to Bradman’s 97.85 among 307 players with a minimum of 50 innings. Thirty-one of his 35 Test hundreds have come in the team’s first innings, and he has never scored a century batting last.Among batters with 20 or more Test hundreds, only Virender Sehwag (95.65 – 22 of 23) and Steve Waugh (93.75 – 30 of 32) have a higher proportion of their career hundreds coming in the first innings than Smith’s 88.57%.A star at home and away
Smith has shown consistency both at home and away. He completed 5000 runs on home soil during the Sydney Test against India, making him only the 19th such player. Among these 19 players, only Kane Williamson (66.77), Sangakkara (60.44) and Jayawardene (59.72) average higher than Smith.
Smith also completed 5000 Test runs outside Australia, currently at 5088 runs with an average of 53.55. This is the seventh-best average among the 44 players who have batted more than 100 innings away from home. He is one of six players to average over 50 at home and abroad, along with Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Sangakkara.Currently, 11 players have an average of over 50 while batting outside their home country, including Younis Khan, whose numbers include matches that Pakistan played in the UAE as their home venue. Among players who debuted in the last 20 years, Root has the second-best away average, scoring 6214 runs at 47.07.Smith’s first tour as a specialist batter came in 2014. Since then, he has averaged 57.46 outside of Australia, comfortably the highest among batters with over 2000 runs in overseas conditions. Smith’s runs have come against bowlers who have excelled in their home conditions, achieving impressive averages.
Since 2014, 20 bowlers have taken over 50 wickets, averaging less than 25 in home Tests. Smith holds the highest average among batters with 500-plus runs against them at 45.52.He has dominated several bowlers across various series, remaining unbeaten against them or accumulating runs at a high average. James Anderson did not dismiss Smith in the 2015 and 2023 Ashes, despite bowling more than 100 balls on both occasions.Vernon Philander in South Africa and Ollie Robinson in England have not dismissed Smith even once. He averaged 66 against R Ashwin during the four-match Test series in 2017, having been dismissed by him only twice in 215 balls. Additionally, he averaged 48 against Morne Morkel in the 2014 tour and was dismissed just once by him in 100 balls.