Stats: Steve Smith becomes 4th fastest Australian to 4000 Test runs
Australian skipper Steve Smith completes 4000 runs in Test cricket and is the 4th fastest Australian batsman to reach the landmark. He achieved the feat in the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka on Day 2 of the third Test in Colombo.
Coming into the Test match, the leg-spinner turned batsman had 3972 runs against his name. At stumps on Day 2, he is unbeaten at the crease with 61 runs against his name.
Australia has already surrendered the three-match Test series 2-0 and is playing with the aim of avoiding a whitewash. Sri Lanka posted a total of 355 in the first innings and in reply Australia are 141 for the loss of one wicket at the end of Day 2, with Shaun Marsh standing along his skipper.
The legend from Australia, Donald Bradman is the fastest to 4000 Test runs from the country, as he needed just 48 innings to get there. The second fastest batsman to do so in Test cricket is Herbert Sutcliffe, who took 20 innings more than Bradman.
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Smith is 4th on the list of fastest Australian batsmen to complete 4000 Test runs after Bradman (48 innings), Matthew Hayden (77 innings) and Neil Harvey (80 innings).
Here is the list of top 5 fastest Australians to 4000 Test runs:
Player | Opposition | Ground | Match Date | Mat | Inns |
Don Bradman | England | Melbourne | 1st Jan 1937 | 31 | 48 |
ML Hayden | Zimbabwe | Sydney | 17th Oct 2003 | 46 | 77 |
RN Harvey | India | Chennai | 19th Oct 1956 | 46 | 80 |
Steve Smith | Sri Lanka | Colombo | 14th Aug 2016 | 44 | 80 |
David Warner | New Zealand | Perth | 13th Nov 2015 | 45 | 84 |
Overall, he is the 13th fastest player to cross the landmark. The fastest sub-continent player to the list is India’s Virender Sehwag (79 innings).
Here is the list of top 10 batsmen fastest to 4000 Test runs:
Player | Opposition | Ground | Match Date | Mat | Inns |
DG Bradman (Aus) | England | Melbourne | 1-Jan-37 | 31 | 48 |
H Sutcliffe (Eng) | Australia | Brisbane | 10-Feb-33 | 43 | 68 |
ED Weekes (WI) | England | Leeds | 25-Jul-57 | 42 | 71 |
IVA Richards (WI) | Australia | Sydney | 2-Jan-82 | 46 | 71 |
JB Hobbs (Eng) | Australia | Lord’s | 26-Jun-26 | 45 | 75 |
WR Hammond (Eng) | West Indies | Bridgetown | 8-Jan-35 | 47 | 76 |
BC Lara (WI) | Sri Lanka | Kingstown | 20-Jun-97 | 45 | 76 |
L Hutton (Eng) | West Indies | The Oval | 12-Aug-50 | 44 | 77 |
GS Sobers (WI) | England | Leeds | 25-Jul-63 | 46 | 77 |
ML Hayden (Aus) | Zimbabwe | Sydney | 17-Oct-03 | 46 | 77 |
Note: Stats updated till 14th August 2016
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