Steve Smith surpasses 1,000 ODI World Cup runs: Key stats
Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith has accomplished a major milestone as he has completed 1,000 runs in ICC Cricket World Cups. He reached the landmark in his side's clash against England in the ongoing 2023 edition in Ahmedabad. Smith became the fifth Aussie batter to get the mark. He managed 44 from 52 balls as the Aussies posted 286/10. Here's more.
Decoding his WC numbers
Smith took 31 games (27 innings) to complete 1,000 (1,039) WC runs at an average of 41.56. He is the only Aussie player from the current squad to feature in the last three WC editions (2011, 2015, and 2019). Smith surpassed former Aussie stalwart Mark Waugh, Sourav Ganguly and Viv Richards in terms of ODI World Cup runs.
Fifth Aussie to get the mark
Smith has become just the fifth Aussie to get 1,000 runs in ODI WCs. Ricky Ponting is Australia's top scorer in WC history, having slammed 1,743 runs at 45.86. David Warner trails him with over 1,420 runs in this regard. Adam Gilchrist (1,085) and Mark Waugh (1,004) are the others on this list. Smith has slammed nine fifties and a solitary WC ton.
Four successive 50-plus scores in ODI WC knock-outs
Smith is the only batter with four successive 50-plus scores in ODI WC knock-outs. He scored a sensational 65 against Pakistan in the quarter-final of the 2015 edition and followed it up with a 105 against India in the semis. The batter made 56* in the final against NZ. Four years later, Smith scored an impressive 85 against England in the 2019 semi-final.
Here are his ODI numbers
Last month, Smith became the fourth-fastest Aussie to accomplish 5,000 ODI runs, in 129 innings. Only Warner (115 innings), Aaron Finch (126 innings), and Dean Jones (128 innings) have accomplished the milestone faster among Australians. Smith has amassed 5,259 runs in 152 games at an average of 43.46. He has hammered 12 tons and 31 fifties in this format.
A missed opportunity for Smith
Smith consolidated well with Marnus Labuschagne after Australia lost their openers. The two batters added crucial 75 runs as batted with great ease on a tricky pitch. However, he played a rash shot to get dismissed for 44 (52) against Adil Rashid. Smith has compiled 1,103 runs against England in 34 ODIs at an average of 38.03, slamming five fifties and a solitary ton.
