Indian players celebrate the dismissal of Australia's Steve Smith, left, during play on the third day of the fifth cricket test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, in Sydney, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)During the fifth and final Test in Sydney against India, the Australian talisman Steve Smith was on 9999 runs in front of his home crowd and had an opportunity to become the 15th player and fourth Australia in the history of Test cricket to reach the 10,000 run mark. However, Prasidh Krishna’s delivery took him by surprise as in an attempt to guide the ball toward third man for a single Smith popped it to gully fielder Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“One run… it hurt a little bit at the time. It would have been nice to have ticked that off in front of all my friends and family here at my home ground, but hopefully, I can knock it off first thing in Galle (Sri Lanka, first Test),” Said Smith speaking to The Sydney Herald. “I probably let it wander (in my mind) too much throughout the game. It’s a cool milestone to tick off.”
According to 7Cricket, he became the fourth batter to be dismissed in the 9,990s along with Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene and Alastair Cook. Smith’s charge to 10K was slowed down by a recent slump in form, coinciding with his desire to take up the opener’s role after David Warner’s retirement. In a role that he wanted for himself more than anything, Smith averaged 28.5 across 8 innings at the top.
No batter in Test history has plundered runs quite like Smith has in his prime. After playing the first 10 innings of his career at No. 6-9, Smith marked his return to the Aussie Test side as a designated middle-order bat, starting in India in 2013. His first innings at No. 5 was a 185-ball 92 in Mohali. While he had settled in with a few reputable knocks, it was not until 2014 that Smith began his world domination.
Starting his 32nd innings against England with a 154-ball 115 in Sydney in the 2014 New Year’s Test, Smith amassed 6,257 runs over 100 consecutive innings at a 71.92 average. The peak is undisputed in Test history and bore 24 centuries over a six-year period that ended in January 2020.
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