Steve Smith races past 9,500 Test runs: Decoding his stats
Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith has raced past 9,500 runs in Test cricket. He accomplished the milestone with his 28th run in the third and final match against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Stadium. He went on to score 38 runs before being dismissed by Mir Hamza on Day 3 in Australia's first innings. Here we look at his stats.
9,500 runs for Smith
Smith, who made his Test debut in July 2010, went past the 9,500-run mark in 105 Test matches. His tally includes 32 tons and 40 fifties. Smith's average of 57.98 is only second to Donald Bradman (99.94) among batters with at least 5,000 Test runs. Last year, Smith became the second-fastest batter to 9,000 Test runs, having taken just 174 innings.
His home and away record
At home, Smith has scored over 4,577 runs in 51 Tests at a sensational average of 62.69 (100s: 16, 50s: 18). As far as his away record is concerned, the talismanic batter owns 4,504 runs in 49 games at 55.60 (100s: 15, 50s: 19). He has also hammered 429 runs at 42.90 in five neutral Tests.
Nine Test fifties against Pakistan
In the series opener, Smith became the ninth Aussie batter to accomplish 1,000 Test runs against Pakistan. Playing his 15th match against the team, the 34-year-old has raced to 1,171 runs, averaging 50.91. The tally includes nine fifties and a couple of tons. Over 650 of Smith's Test runs against Pakistan have come across seven games at home (Average: 63-plus).
An average of 70-plus at SCG
Playing his 11th Test at the SCG, Smith has scored over 1,040 runs. His average of 70-plus is the highest among batters with at least 810 Test runs at this venue. Smith's tally includes four tons and seven fifties with 131 being his best score. He scored 24 and 59 in his only previous Test outing against Pakistan at SCG, in 2017.
