Happy birthday Steve Smith: His unique feats in Test cricket
What's the story
Australian batting legend Steve Smith turned 31 on Tuesday. The Aussie maestro is deemed the best Test batsman of this generation. His unorthodox technique makes him a cut above the rest. Smith, who is also the number one Test batsman, has been ruling the runs tally in the longest format in this decade. Let us have a look at his achievements in Test cricket.
Average
Second best average in Test cricket
In his 10-year-long Test career, Smith has amassed 7,227 runs from 73 matches. He averages 62.84, second highest in the format after Don Bradman (among the batsmen with 20 plus Tests). Furthermore, Smith is only three tons shy of emulating Bradman's record of 29 centuries. Smith smashed a blistering 239 against England in 2017, his highest score in Test cricket.
Hundreds
Second most hundreds in The Ashes (among Australians)
Smith has slammed 11 tons in The Ashes so far. He holds the second spot in the hundreds tally, which is yet again led by Don Bradman. The latter owns as many as 19 centuries in The Ashes. Meanwhile, Smith is followed by the former Australian skipper Steve Waugh in the list. The 55-year-old piled up 10 centuries.
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Fastest to 7,000 Test runs
In 2019, Smith became the fastest batsman to score 7,000 Test runs (126 innings). The right-handed batsman achieved the milestone in the Adelaide Test against Pakistan. England's Wally Hammond (131) is on second, followed by Virender Sehwag (134).
Streak
Ten consecutive 50 plus scores against a single opponent
Smith simply loves facing the English bowlers. He has aggregated 2,800 runs against England from 27 Tests at an average of 65.11. In last year's Ashes, Smith became the first batsman in Test history to score ten consecutive 50 plus scores against a single opponent. His scores during the period (2017-19) read - 239, 76, 102*, 83, 144, 142, 92, 211, 82 and 80.
The Ashes
500 plus runs in three consecutive Ashes series
Smith's maiden Test century came against England in the 2013 Oval Test, wherein he tallied an unbeaten 138. He has been unstoppable in The Ashes ever since. Notably, Smith topped the runs chart in the following three Ashes series (2015, 2017 and 2019 respectively). He recorded a unique feat of smashing 500 plus runs in three consecutive Ashes series (508, 687 and 774).