Stats - Steven Smith joins the 10k club of elite batters

Galle (Sri Lanka), January 29 — Steven Smith joined the elite club of batters to complete 10,000 runs in Test cricket on Wednesday on the first day of the opening Test in Galle.

Smith came to Sri Lanka on 9999 runs after just missing the landmark at his home venue, the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, against India.

Sydney had seen two Australians complete their 10,000th run in Test cricket - Allan Border in 1993 and Steve Waugh in 2003. It is the only ground to have seen more than one such milestone.

Both Border and Waugh, like Smith, were born in Sydney. Before Smith, only Mahela Jayawardene was dismissed on 9999 Test runs, and Brian Lara was the only one to be dismissed twice in the 9990s.

Smith is the fourth Australian to reach the 10k mark; Ricky Ponting is the other Australian who has accomplished this feat, getting there in Antigua in 2008.

Smith finally got there in his 115th Test match, making him the joint second-fastest to reach the milestone, following Brian Lara, who achieved it in just 111 Tests, and leveled Kumar Sangakkara (115).

Smith ranks fifth in terms of innings taken (205) to reach 10,000 runs, with Lara holding the record alongside Sachin Tendulkar and Sangakkara, who all reached there in 195 innings.

Ponting follows, being the fastest Australian to attain it, in 196 innings.

Smith's Test batting average of 55.87, when reaching 10,000 runs, is the fourth-best among the 15 players who have surpassed this mark, behind Ponting, Tendulkar and Sangakkara.

—ESPN