Steve Smith Surpasses Steve Waugh in Historic Test Milestone
Steve Smith becomes Australia's third-highest Test run-scorer, overtaking legend Steve Waugh during the opening Test against South Africa.
Australian batting maestro Steve Smith has etched his name even deeper into the annals of cricket history. During the opening Test against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban, Smith officially surpassed former captain Steve Waugh to become Australia's third-highest run-scorer in Test cricket.
The Moment of Glory
Entering the match needing just eight runs to eclipse Waugh's legendary tally of 10,927 runs, Smith delivered the moment with flair. In the 19th over of his innings, he struck South African spinner Keshav Maharaj for a massive six on the final delivery of the over, crossing the milestone to reach 10,945 Test runs.
While Smith was eventually dismissed for 25 runs off 53 balls, the achievement highlights his incredible efficiency. Remarkably, Smith reached this milestone in just 126 Tests, whereas Waugh required 168 Tests to reach his total. Smith's journey to 10,945 runs has come across 224 innings, showcasing a scoring rate that keeps him ahead of the game's greatest legends.
Australia's All-Time Test Run-Scorers
With this feat, Smith now sits behind only two giants of the Australian game. The current hierarchy of Australian Test run-scorers stands as follows:
- Ricky Ponting: 13,378 runs
- Allan Border: 11,174 runs
- Steve Smith: 10,945 runs
The record-breaker is not finished yet. Smith currently sits just 229 runs shy of overtaking Allan Border for the second spot on the all-time list. With two Tests remaining in the current series, the Australian star has a golden opportunity to bridge that gap.
Day 1: Australia Struggles in Durban
Despite the individual brilliance of Smith, the Australian team faced a difficult opening day. The Temba Bavuma-led South African side kept the pressure high, restricting the Pat Cummins-led visitors to 187/6 in 65.2 overs before bad light brought play to an early end.
The South African bowling attack was relentless early on:
- Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen provided the early breakthroughs.
- Anrich Nortje caused havoc by dismissing both Alex Carey and Beau Webster in a single devastating over, leaving Australia reeling at 124/6.
Marnus Labuschagne provided some resistance with a score of 37, while Steve Smith contributed 25 before his exit. However, a late unbeaten 63-run partnership between Matt Renshaw (46 not out) and Pat Cummins (33 not out) helped steady the innings and prevent a total collapse before the close of play.