Steve Smith added another milestone to his Test career on Friday as he moved past Steve Waugh to become Australia’s third-highest run-scorer in the longest format.
The Australian batter reached the landmark during the first innings of the opening Test against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban. Batting at No. 4, Smith scored 25 runs off 53 balls, including two sixes, before losing his wicket.
Smith needed just eight runs to go past Waugh’s tally of 10,927 Test runs. He reached the mark in the 19th over when he hit South African spinner Keshav Maharaj for a six off the 28th ball he faced.
The 37-year-old now has 10,945 runs from 126 Tests, having scored them in 224 innings. Waugh, meanwhile, finished his career with 10,927 runs in 168 Tests and 260 innings.
Steve Smith Closes In On 11,000 Test Runs
Smith is now chasing another major milestone in his Test career. He needs 55 more runs to become only the third Australian batter to score 11,000 runs in Test cricket.
Only Ricky Ponting and Allan Border are ahead of him on Australia’s all-time Test run-scorers list.
Ponting finished his career with 13,378 runs in 168 Tests, while Border scored 11,174 runs in 156 matches.
Smith also has an opportunity to move past Border during Australia’s ongoing three-match Test series against South Africa. He needs 230 more runs across the series to overtake the former Australian captain and move into second place on the list.
Although Smith did not convert his start into a big score in the first innings, his latest achievement further underlines his place among Australia’s greatest Test batters.
Batters with most Test runs for Australia
| PLAYER | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | INNINGS | RUNS | BEST SCORE | AVERAGE | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricky Ponting | 1995-2012 | 168 | 287 | 13378 | 257 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 |
| Allan Border | 1978-1994 | 156 | 265 | 11174 | 205 | 50.56 | 27 | 63 |
| Steve Smith | 2010-2026 | 126 | 224 | 10945 | 239 | 55.84 | 37 | 45 |
| Steve Waugh | 1985-2004 | 168 | 260 | 10927 | 200 | 51.06 | 32 | 50 |
| David Warner | 2011-2024 | 112 | 205 | 8786 | 335* | 44.59 | 26 | 37 |
| Michael Clarke | 2004-2015 | 115 | 198 | 8643 | 329* | 49.1 | 28 | 27 |
| Matthew Hayden | 1994-2009 | 103 | 184 | 8625 | 380 | 50.73 | 30 | 29 |
| Mark Waugh | 1991-2002 | 128 | 209 | 8029 | 153* | 41.81 | 20 | 47 |
| Justin Langer | 1993-2007 | 105 | 182 | 7696 | 250 | 45.27 | 23 | 30 |
| Mark Taylor | 1989-1999 | 104 | 186 | 7525 | 334* | 43.49 | 19 | 40 |
Steve Smith Nears 1,000 Test Runs Against South Africa
Smith is also closing in on another personal milestone against South Africa.
The ongoing Test in Durban is his 14th against the Proteas. He has scored 958 runs in 24 innings against them and needs another 42 to reach the 1,000-run mark.
Reaching the milestone would put Smith among the Australian batters who have scored at least 1,000 runs against South Africa in Test cricket.
Ponting holds the record for the most Test runs by an Australian against the Proteas. He scored 2,132 runs in 48 innings across 26 matches against South Africa.
Smith will now look to add to his tally in the second innings and help Australia make a strong comeback in the opening Test. With several major milestones within reach, the remaining matches of the series could prove important for the experienced batter.
