Steve Smith becomes fourth Australian to complete 10,000 Test runs

Steve Smith achieved this milestone with his first run against Sri Lanka in the ongoing Test match

Star Aussie batter Steve Smith joined the elite list of players with 10,000 Test runs on Wednesday, with his first run against Sri Lanka in the ongoing Test at Galle International Stadium in Galle. Smith took 115 matches to become the fourth Australian and 15th overall player to achieve this historic milestone.

 

Smith had the chance to complete his 10,000 Test runs against India earlier this year, as he needed just 38 runs in the final Test in Sydney to breach the mark. However, he could only manage 33 and 4 in the two innings of the match and was left stranded at the 9,999-run mark.

 

Australian players with 10,000 Test runs 

Apart from Steve Smith, former skippers Ricky Ponting (13,378), Allan Border (11,174), and Steve Waugh (10,927) are the other Australian players who have more than 10,000 Test runs in their careers. Ponting, Border, and Waugh all completed their 10,000th run while leading the side, and in an interesting turn of events, Smith also did so while leading the Aussie side, as he was named stand-in captain of Australia for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

 

Most runs in Test cricket for Australia 

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
RT Ponting	1995-2012	168	287	13378	257	51.85	58.72	41	62
AR Border	1978-1994	156	265	11174	205	50.56	41.09	27	63
SR Waugh	1985-2004	168	260	10927	200	51.06	48.64	32	50
SPD Smith	2010-2025	115*	205	10069	239	56.25	53.53	34	42
DA Warner	2011-2024	112	205	8786	335*	44.59	70.19	26	37
MJ Clarke	2004-2015	115	198	8643	329*	49.1	55.92	28	27
ML Hayden	1994-2009	103	184	8625	380	50.73	60.1	30	29
ME Waugh	1991-2002	128	209	8029	153*	41.81	52.27	20	47
JL Langer	1993-2007	105	182	7696	250	45.27	54.22	23	30
MA Taylor	1989-1999	104	186	7525	334*	43.49	41.48	19	40
DC Boon	1984-1996	107	190	7422	200	43.65	40.96	21	32
GS Chappell	1970-1984	87	151	7110	247*	53.86	51.53	24	31
DG Bradman	1928-1948	52	80	6996	334	99.94	58.6	29	13
MEK Hussey	2005-2013	79	137	6235	195	51.52	50.13	19	29
RN Harvey	1948-1963	79	137	6149	205	48.41	43.74	21	24

 

Full list of players with 10,000 Test runs 

Despite Smith breaching the 10,000 Test-run mark on Monday, he is still 15th on the list for most Test runs by a batter. India’s Sachin Tendulkar leads the table with 15,921 runs, while England’s Joe Root leads the chart among active players with 12,972 runs under his belt.

 

Most Test runs by an individual player 

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
SR Tendulkar (IND)	1989-2013	200	329	15921	248*	53.78	54.04	51	68
RT Ponting (AUS)	1995-2012	168	287	13378	257	51.85	58.72	41	62
JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	1995-2013	166	280	13289	224	55.37	45.97	45	58
R Dravid (ICC/IND)	1996-2012	164	286	13288	270	52.31	42.51	36	63
JE Root (ENG)	2012-2024	152	278	12972	262	50.87	57.47	36	65
AN Cook (ENG)	2006-2018	161	291	12472	294	45.35	46.95	33	57
KC Sangakkara (SL)	2000-2015	134	233	12400	319	57.4	54.19	38	52
BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990-2006	131	232	11953	400*	52.88	60.51	34	48
S Chanderpaul (WI)	1994-2015	164	280	11867	203*	51.37	43.31	30	66
DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1997-2014	149	252	11814	374	49.84	51.45	34	50
AR Border (AUS)	1978-1994	156	265	11174	205	50.56	41.09	27	63
SR Waugh (AUS)	1985-2004	168	260	10927	200	51.06	48.64	32	50
SM Gavaskar (IND)	1971-1987	125	214	10122	236*	51.12	43.35	34	45
Younis Khan (PAK)	2000-2017	118	213	10099	313	52.05	52.12	34	33
SPD Smith (AUS)	2010-2025	115*	205	10067	239	56.24	53.53	34	42