Sydney [Australia], January 10: Australian batsman Steve Smith opened up about missing the milestone of 10,000 Test runs by just one run during the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against India. Despite the disappointment, Smith emphasized that the team’s overall success in the match and series was more important.
Smith, who had an impressive Border-Gavaskar series with two centuries, fell short of the significant 10,000 Test runs mark after being dismissed for just four runs by Prasidh Krishna during his final innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Reaching 10,000 runs would have made him only the fourth Australian to do so, joining legends like Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting.
Speaking ahead of the Big Bash League (BBL) match between Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers, Smith said, “It’s all good (missing out on 10,000 Test runs). We got the desired result in the end, and that was the main thing. One run hurt a little bit at the time, but it’s all good. It would have been nice to achieve it in front of all my friends and family at my home ground, but hopefully, I can knock it off in the first innings in Galle.”
Smith admitted that the milestone had been on his mind during the game, though he clarified that he doesn’t typically chase records. However, he acknowledged the special significance of reaching 10,000 Test runs.
“10,000 is a different story because only a handful have done it. It shows longevity and consistency over a long period of time. It’ll be a cool one to tick off,” Smith added.
He’ll now have to wait until the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on January 29 to achieve the feat. Despite missing out on the milestone, Smith was pleased with his performance during the Border-Gavaskar series, where he scored 314 runs from five matches and nine innings, including two centuries, with a best score of 140. He was the third-highest run-scorer in the series, which was dominated by bowlers.
“I feel like I’ve been batting nicely for a while now. Even before the hundreds, I told you guys I was hitting the ball well. There’s a difference between being out of form and just out of runs. I was out of runs, but a couple of good scores were nice to contribute to the team’s success,” Smith concluded.
In 114 Tests, Smith has amassed 9,999 runs at an average of 55.86, including 34 centuries and 41 fifties, with a highest score of 239. He is currently the 10th-highest run-scorer in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship cycle, with 1,052 runs at an average of 35.06, including three centuries and four fifties from 17 Tests.