Steve Smith joins Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh in historic Test milestone

Steve Smith has reached a historic milestone, becoming only the fourth Australian and the 15th player in Test cricket history to score 10,000 runs

PHOTO: AP

Australian captain Steve Smith has reached a historic milestone, becoming only the fourth Australian and the 15th player in Test cricket history to score 10,000 runs. He achieved the feat during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.

Smith reached the landmark with a single to mid-on off left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in his 205th Test innings. He is now the second-fastest Australian to achieve the milestone, behind Ricky Ponting, who did it in 196 innings. Overall, Smith is the fifth-fastest batter to reach 10,000 runs, with Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Kumar Sangakkara leading the list at 195 innings.

Having finished the recent home series against India stranded on 9,999 runs, Smith finally crossed the mark early in his innings against Sri Lanka. After reaching the milestone, he acknowledged the applause from the crowd, raising his bat in celebration.

Speaking about the achievement before the match, Smith admitted that missing out on the milestone in Sydney had been on his mind. "I’ve never really focused on personal milestones, but reaching 10,000 Test runs alongside some of the greats is special," he said.

Smith now joins Australian legends Ponting (13,378 runs), Allan Border (11,174), and Steve Waugh (10,927) in the elite club. With a Test average of 55.86 before this match, he holds the second-highest average among players who have reached 10,000 runs, behind Sangakkara (57.40).

The 35-year-old, who missed a year of international cricket due to the 2018 ball-tampering suspension, remains one of the most prolific Test batters of his generation. He is also one of only two active players with over 10,000 Test runs, alongside former England captain Joe Root (12,972).

With his career still ongoing, Smith is expected to surpass Pakistan’s Younis Khan (10,099) and India’s Sunil Gavaskar (10,122) by the end of this series. He could also challenge Steve Waugh’s tally to become Australia’s third-highest Test run-scorer by the end of this year.