Australia batter Steve Smith passes 10,000 Test runs in opener against Sri Lanka
Australia batter Steve Smith passes 10,000 Test runs in opener against Sri Lanka
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Steve Smith has become the 15th player to reach 10,000 Test runs, passing the mark on day one of Australia’s clash with Sri Lanka in Galle. The 35-year-old headed into this series on 9,999 runs, having just missed out on the five-figure landmark in his home Test against India in Sydney earlier this month.
Smith wasted no time after arriving at the crease on Wednesday with the score on 135 for two, punching a shot through mid-on from the first delivery he faced and scampering through for a single. He raised his bat and acknowledged the cheering crowd before sharing a hug with Usman Khawaja.
Smith, captaining his country for this series in the absence of Pat Cummins, became just the fourth Australian to achieve the milestone after Allan Border in 1993, Steve Waugh in 2003 and Ricky Ponting in 2008. It took Smith 115 Tests to reach the mark, making him the joint second fastest – along with former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara – to do so, with only West Indies great Brian Lara (111) ahead of the pair.
