Stats: Steve Smith's Prolific Four Year Run

Australian skipper Steve Smith‘s prolific run with the bat continues as he reaches 1000 Test runs in a calendar year for the fourth consecutive year after getting to 112 runs driving one through the covers at WACA, an achievement previously held by his countrymen Matthew Hayden. The southpaw went past 1000 Test runs in five consecutive years from 2001 to 2005.

In this four years, Smith has scored 1000 plus runs at an average of more than 60, which makes him the first player to do so. However, Hayden averaged 60 plus in the first three years of his five-year run, but in 2004 his average dropped to 43.19. Brian Lara and Kevin Pietersen are the only others to score 1000-plus runs at 50-plus averages in three successive years.

1000+ Runs and 50+ Averages in 3 or More Consecutive Years

Since the inception of 2014, Smith has registered 4699 runs at an average of 73.42, which included 20 hundred. This is the best among any batsmen over a four-year period. However, regarding runs scored in four successive calendar years, Smith is in the fifth spot, behind a pair of streaks by Ricky Ponting and Hayden during their pick times. Smith will get a maximum of three more innings to go in 2017, which gives him an opportunity to climb even higher up the list.

Most Test Runs in Four Consecutive Calendar Years

By averages over a four-year period, Smith currently averages 73.42, which is the best. Ponting averaged 72.52 in the 2003-06 period, while Kumar Sangakkara averaged 72.27 between 2007-10. Steve Waugh and Jacques Kallis are the others in the top five.

Highest Test Averages in Four Consecutive Years (Min 3000 Runs)

In terms of Test hundreds, no batsman has scored more than Smith’s 20 in a four-year span; Hayden and Ponting have 19 in four-year periods. Smith has already reached 22 Test centuries in his career in just 108 innings, which is third-fastest of all time, next only to Don Bradman (58 innings), and Sunil Gavaskar (101). Sachin Tendulkar achieved this feat in 114 innings.

Most Test 100s in a Four Year Period

Smith average 73.42 since the beginning of 2014, which is the best by any batsman during this period, even with a 300-run cut-off. (132 batsmen qualify with this cut-off.) With a higher cut-off of 2000 runs, the top four are the most debated batsmen in the world currently.

Top Test Averages Since 2014 (Min 2000 Runs)