Australian batter Steve Smith opened up on missing 10,000 Test runs milestone by a single run following his dismissal during the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against India, saying that though it hurt him a little, getting the desired result in the match and series was important. Smith had a solid Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the bat despite two disappointing games to start things off. Smith scored two centuries reminding fans and selectors that he is still every bit an elite Test batter, but missed out on an important milestone of 10,000 Test runs after being dismissed for four by Prasidh Krishna in his final inning of the series at home ground of Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
It would have made him only the fourth Aussie player to reach the landmark after greats like Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
Speaking as quoted by FOX Sports, Smith said ahead of the Big Bash League (BBL) match between his team Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers scheduled for Saturday, “It is all good (not getting 10,000 Test runs). We got the desired result in the end, and that was the main thing,” he said.
“One run hurt a little bit at the time, but it’s all good. It would have been nice to tick that off in front of all my friends and family at my home ground, but hopefully, I can knock it off first innings in Galle,” he added.
Smith said that he probably let the milestone “wander on his mind” during the game even though he is not about chasing milestones. He also reasoned why 10,000 Test runs is a special milestone.
“But I think it’s a different story with 10,000 because there have only been a handful that have done it. It just shows the longevity in the game and the consistency over a long period of time. It will be a cool one to tick off.”
The milestone will have to wait till January 29, the date of the first Sri Lanka-Australia Test in Galle. Smith, who made 314 runs in five matches and nine innings during BGT with two centuries and best score of 140, said that he feels he has been batting nicely. He was the third-highest run-getter in a largely bowler-dominated series.
“I feel like I have been batting nicely for a while now,” he said.
“Even before I scored the hundreds, I said to you guys (the media) that I was batting nicely and hitting the ball well. I think there’s a real difference between out-of-form and out-of-runs, and I think I was out of runs. A couple of good scores were cool to contribute to the team’s success over the summer,” he concluded.
In 114 Tests, Smith has made 9999 runs at an average of 55.86, with 34 centuries and 41 fifties to his name and best score of 239. He is the 10th-highest run-getter in the current ICC World Test Championship cycle with 1,052 runs at an average of 35.06, three centuries and four fifties in 33 innings across 17 Tests.
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