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Steve Smith added another record in his illustrious Test career for the Australia National Cricket Team, surpassing the legendary Steve Waugh. Smith is now the third-highest run scorer for the national side, only after two other legends of the game, Ricky Ponting and Allan Border.
Australia had a rocky start against the South Africa National Cricket Team, losing both of the openers, Nic Maddinson and Travis Head, early in the innings in Durban. After the departures of the openers inside the first 11th over, the responsibility to rotate the scoreboard went to the middle-order batters.
Steve Smith was assigned to revive the team after two early blows
Steve Smith, who has played 125 matches for Australia, walked into the ground with a huge task to do. He will have to cross multiple hurdles to take his team to a respectable total; before that, the 37-year-old successfully secured a record to his name. Ahead of this match, Steve Waugh was in third place with 10,927 among the leading Aussie run scorers in the Test format.
Ricky Ponting is at the top of the table as the highest run scorer for Australia with 13,378 runs in his career. In second, there is Allan Border with 11,174 runs. Steve Smith, who was in fourth place before the ongoing Test match against Africa, was behind Ponting and Border. Now, third place belongs to Ricky Ponting.
New record for Steve Smith
Smith progressed in the overall list for the most run-getters in Test cricket as well. The overall list, which is topped by Sachin Tendulkar (15, 921 runs), has Steve Smith in 13th position after his latest achievement. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is third in the list, only after the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and England's present Test team captain Joe Root (14,278 runs). Notably, in the list of top 14 all-time run-scoring batters across the world, Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, Steve Smith, and Steve Waugh are the four batters from Australia.
Most Runs in Test Cricket
1. 15921 - Sachin Tendulkar
2. 14278 - Joe Root
3. 13378 - Ricky Ponting
4. 13289 - Jacques Kallis
5. 13288 - Rahul Dravid
6. 12472 - Alastair Cook
7. 12400 - Kumar Sangakkara
8. 11953 - Brian Lara
9. 11867 - Shivnarayan Chanderpaul
10. 11814 - Mahela Jayawardene
11. 11174 - Allan Border
12. 10930 - Steve Smith*
13. 10927 - Steve Waugh
14. 10122 - Sunil Gavaskar
The era of the 'Fab Four' is nearing its end
Steve Smith has scored 10920 Test runs for the Baggy Greens, playing in 125 matches and 223 innings. So far, the right-handed batter has secured 37 centuries and 45 half-centuries to maintain a batting average of 56.00. In the modern era of cricket, he is among the 'Fab Four,' which includes Virat Kohli, Smith, Kane Williamson, and Root.
Williamson and Kohli have already retired from the longest format of the game, and Steve Smith is nearing retirement. There are high chances that the upcoming Ashes series against their arch-rivals, England, could be his last Ashes for Australia.
