Steve Smith Joins Elite Club: Records 35th Test Century & 10,000 Runs Milestone.
Steve Smith achieves his 35th Test century and surpasses 10,000 Test runs, joining an elite list of cricket legends. Read about his remarkable milestones and records in Test cricket.
Steve Smith Joins Elite Club with 35th Test Century
Steve Smith has become only the seventh Test batter to accomplish 35 Test hundreds, following in the footsteps of Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (45), Ricky Ponting (41), Kumar Sangakkara (38), Rahul Dravid (36), and Joe Root (36).
Beginning his innings with a historic single that propelled him past the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket, Smith notched up his 35th Test hundred for Australia on Day 1 of the inaugural Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.
Batting at number four, Smith effortlessly compiled a brisk century, forming a substantial stand with opening batter Usman Khawaja. His 35th Test century, achieved in just his 205th innings, places him third on the all-time list in terms of innings required, trailing only Ricky Ponting (195) and Sachin Tendulkar (200).
Overall, Smith is the seventh Test cricketer to amass 35 Test centuries, joining an elite club featuring Tendulkar (51), Kallis (45), Ponting (41), Sangakkara (38), Dravid (36), and Root (36).
Leading the side in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins, Smith’s ton was also his 16th as an Australian captain, surpassing the legendary figures of Steve Waugh and Allan Border, who had 15 centuries each. Among Australian skippers, only Ponting (19) has registered more centuries. On a global scale, Smith ranks fourth among Test captains, trailing Graeme Smith (25) and Virat Kohli (20).
Approaching 4000 Test runs as captain, Smith boasts an average exceeding 68, second only to the legendary Don Bradman, who maintained an astonishing average of over 101 among skippers with a minimum of 3000 Test runs.
Earlier in the day, Smith became the 15th batter to surpass the 10,000-run milestone in Test cricket. He is the fourth Australian to achieve this landmark, following Border, Waugh, and Ponting, and ranks as the fifth-fastest in terms of innings required, behind Tendulkar (195), Brian Lara (195), Sangakkara (195), and Ponting (196).
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