Stats: Steve Smith becomes fastest batter to slam 8000 Test runs

Steve Smith’s status as a Test legend continues to grow. On Thursday (March 24), Smith became the fastest player to complete 8,000 runs when he reached seven in the second innings of Australia‘s ongoing third Test against Pakistan. He achieved this feat in his 151st innings. The 32-year old right-hander struck a boundary off Hasan Ali to reach the landmark, one innings faster than Kumar Sangakkara, who reached the same milestone in 152 innings. Sachin Tendulkar, the ‘Little Master,’ is third on the list, having reached the 8000-run mark in his 154th innings in 2002.

West Indian Garry Sobers occupies the fourth spot as he had got to the record in 157 innings. ‘The Wall’ Rahul Dravid is fifth for his completion of 8000 runs in 158 innings. Playing in his 85th Test match, Smith had made his debut against Pakistan at Lords in the year 2010. So far, the right-handed batter has notched up over 8000 runs at a staggering average of nearly 60 and the highest score of 239. One of the modern-day greats and part of ‘Fab 4′ Smith has struck 27 centuries and 36 half-centuries in the longest format of the game.

Smith’s newest achievement came amid a recent dry spell by his high benchmarks. Prior to the current clash in Lahore, Smith had only one century in his 29 innings since the 2019 Ashes series.The 32-year-old Smith, who has an overall Test batting average of over 60 and 27 hundreds to his name, will be looking to break even more records. Notably, Steve Smith also became the quickest to 7,000 Test runs during the home Test series against Pakistan in 2019.

Steve Smith joins elite list

Meanwhile, Smith has joined the likes of Matthew Hayden (164 innings), Ricky Ponting (165), Michael Clarke (172), Allan Border (184), and Steve Waugh (194), the only other Australians to reach 8,000 Test runs.

Meanwhile, Australia has taken a commanding lead in the third Test match against Pakistan. At the end of the first innings, the team enjoyed a 123-run advantage over the hosts. Australia had amassed 216 runs by the time Steve Smith was dismissed for 17 in the second innings.