Batting maestro Steve Smith named three Australian stars who he feels can join him in the 10,000 Test runs chart after enlisting his name in the exclusive club. On the opening day of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle, Smith became just the fourth Australian to reach 10,000 Test runs after legends Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. After completing the single on his first ball, Smith stood and soaked in the applause from the Australian contingent that travelled to Galle to support the Baggy Greens.

Smith raised the bat to all corners of the ground to celebrate the landmark moment of his illustrious career. He walked towards Usman Khawaja to share a warm embrace with his compatriot.

After adding another laurel to his impressive list of accolades, Smith was asked about the fifth player who could join him and the other greats in the special list of players.

“It’s a good question,” Smith said before a pause, as quoted from the Sydney Morning Herald.

After giving it a thought, the 35-year-old rooted for Marnus Labushcagne, Travis Head and young prodigy Sam Konstas as the potential candidates for scripting the massive feat to their name.

“I think there’s a few people that can certainly tick it off. Marnus (Labuschagne) is about halfway there. Travis (Head) potentially. (Sam) Konstas is 19, and he could play for a long, long time potentially,” he said.

Out of the three, Labushcagne has had a more prolific Test career in terms of runs. The experienced batter has garnered 4,346 runs in 55 matches at a healthy average of 47.23.

Head, a notable presence in the Australian middle order, has added 3,621 runs to 54 Test appearances, scoring at an average of 43.10 and striking impressively at 67.21.

Konstas, 19, is still new to the format, having made his debut for Australia last month against India in front of a sold-out crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Boxing Day Test.

He took the aggressive brand of cricket to a new level, adding his touch to it. With a single ramp shot off arguably the best pacer in the present generation, Jasprit Bumrah, Konstas announced himself to the world.

While sticking to his belligerent approach, Konstas brought thunder down the ground and finished with a swift 60(65) in the first innings.

In an encouraging update ahead of the Sri Lanka Test series, Cricket Australia revealed that star batter Steve Smith’s elbow injury is not as bad as it seemed and has been cleared to join the Test squad. The Australian squad are preparing for a two-match Test series in Sri Lanka starting from January 29, which will be swiftly followed by the ICC Champions Trophy. The 35-year-old, who was named Test captain for the Sri Lanka series in the absence of Pat Cummins, picked up a right elbow injury whilst attempting a throw during a Big Bash League fixture on Friday.

But he has been subsequently cleared to play, as revealed in a media release by Cricket Australia.

“Steve Smith has undergone a specialist medical review today following his right elbow injury sustained during the Big Bash League. He has been cleared to rejoin the Test squad and travel to Dubai,” said the media release as quoted by ICC.

“Smith is expected to return to batting later in the week to begin his preparation for the first Test against Sri Lanka,” added the release.

The news comes as a boost to an Australia side who were already without captain Cummins due to an ankle injury.

Cricket Australia have also confirmed that National Selection Panel is keeping a close observation on Cummins, who has been named as the captain for the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Also in recovery is left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann, who sustained a fractured thumb while playing in the Big Bash League earlier this week.

Kuhnemann, who was named in Australia’s Test squad for Sri Lanka, is expected to resume bowling this week with a view to joining the squad in Sri Lanka if he continues to progress well.

The tour of Sri Lanka is the final series of the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, with Australia guaranteed a place in June’s final against South Africa.

Australia tour of Sri Lanka, Schedule:

-1st Test, January 29-February 2, 2025, Galle

-2nd Test, February 6-10, 2025, Galle

-1st ODI, February 12, 2025, Galle

-2nd ODI, February 14, 2025, TBC

Debutant Beau Webster felt Australia were “unfortunate” to be on the opposite side of the decision which saw the third umpire ruling out Steven Smith’s attempted catch for India stalwart Virat Kohli’s dismissal on the opening day of the Sydney Test. The incident occurred in the eighth over after India decided to bat after winning the toss. On the first ball that came Virat’s way, he edged it away to Scott Boland, with Smith dived, taking a low catch at the slip.

Smith appeared to catch the ball close to the ground with his right hand before scooping the ball in the air, with Marnus Labuschagne completing the catch. The officiating umpire, Sharfuddoula Saikat, asked the third umpire, Joel Wilson, to have a look.

Wilson eventually adjudged that the ball had touched the ground before Smith scooped the ball in the air to Labuschagne, who completed the catch. With Virat living an extended life, he did all the hard work but couldn’t make the most of the opportunity and departed on 17(69).

“I had a good view and thought it was clear as day from where I was as being out. Obviously, when you slow it down, the replays and the slow-mo, there is probably some grass that touched that ball. It’s just a matter of how much, and whenever you get a low catch, there’s always going to be an element of grass close to the ball,” Webster said, as quoted from cricket.com.au.

“We all thought it was out, but unfortunately, it didn’t go our way. We were pretty happy he (Kohli, who was dismissed for a painstaking 17) didn’t get a hundred after it. It was a difficult one, and it’s difficult for a third umpire when you have those sorts of replays. It was a bit inevitable in the end,” he added.

Even at the lunch break, Smith was 100 per cent assured his hand was completely under the ball during the entire incident.

“No denying it whatsoever, 100 per cent. But the umpire has made the decision. We’ll move on,” Smith told cricket.com.au at the lunch break when asked if he got his hand under the ball.

Boland eventually walked away with Virat’s scalp after forcing out another edge by bowling in the channel of uncertainty. This time around, Webster completed a clean catch to ensure another dry outing for Virat with the bat.

Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith always knew that he was “out of runs” but never “out of form” as he got back-to-back Test hundreds against India within a week of each other after 18 months of lull. Having scored his 33rd ton in Brisbane, Smith equalled Sunil Gavaskar’s then world record of 34 hundreds on the second day of the fourth Test at the MCG on Friday. Asked how did he chug along all these days when big runs were not coming that easily, Smith dived deep into his inner core.

“Sometimes you can be hitting the ball really nicely, which I think I said to all you guys when I wasn’t scoring the runs. I actually felt like I was batting pretty well. And there’s a difference, I think, between being out of form and out of runs. So, yeah, I thought I was hitting the ball nicely,” Smith said at the day-end press conference.

“I mean, you’ve got to have faith. You’ve got to have a bit of trust in what you’re trying to do. I’ve played the game for long enough now to know that you can have your ups and downs. Having some faith and confidence,” said the man, who is expected to get to 10,000 Test runs before the five-match series concludes.

“I think you need a lot of luck on these wickets to get big runs as well, the ones we’re playing at the moment. And last week I had my fair share. I think I got an umpire’s call and got beaten on numerous occasions as to on other days, I would nick it.

“So, yeah, you need a bit of luck. But you’ve just got to have faith that you’re going to turn it around.” Australia’s batting was a lot more aggressive on the second day after resuming on overnight 311 for six but Smith said that while batting with Pat Cummins, there was no “general plan” as such.

“There wasn’t really a general plan. It was just go out there and play. Yeah, there wasn’t a real plan. It was just go out and play and see what’s going on. I thought Patty (Cummins) played really nicely. Really good, positive intent.

“We were able to get a nice partnership together and take a bit of the momentum of the game from that point, I suppose.”

Australian batting talisman Steve Smith wants to adopt a proactive approach against Ravichandran Ashwin in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy to avoid his struggles against the Indian spinner during the 2020-21 series. Ashwin had nicked off Smith thrice during that rubber, and later in 2023 the Indian off-spinner dismissed the Aussie twice as he could only make 22 runs against his old foe. “I don’t like getting out to off-spin in Australia. But he’s also a very good bowler and he came in with some decent plans. There were a couple of occasions where he got on top of me,” Smith told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“But then I got on top of him at the SCG when I was a bit more proactive (Smith made 131 and 81 at Sydney). So, that’s key for me. Just be proactive against him and not let him settle and bowl the way he wants to,” he added.

Ashwin’s Test bowling average stands at a modest 42.15 in Australia compared to his home average of 21.57.

Smith hoped to land the first blow on the 38-year-old to gain an early upper hand in the five-match series, beginning at Perth from November 22.

The Tamil Nadu man recently said that he had worked out Smith after some initial struggles against him.

“I think I’ve kind of figured out what he does or how he bats, I’ve had an edge over him. I’ve had the wood over him,” Ashwin had told Channel Seven.

But Smith did not read too much into it.

“Ashwin and I have had some good battles over the years. When you have five matches, if someone gets on top of another player, they could have 10 innings against them.

“So, you’re facing those mental challenges each game, and if it goes one way early, they will feel under pressure against that player. There’s nowhere to hide in five games like there are in a two-game series,” said the New South Wales man.

The 35-year-old, who is 315 shy of 10,000 Test runs, will bat at his favoured No. 4 slot against India after opening the innings for four Tests earlier this year.

It was not a successful experiment and Smith hoped to hit the ground running early from a position where he made runs at an average in excess of 60.

‘It always makes your summer better when you start well. It gives you a lot of confidence. It’s about not overthinking things. It’s playing each ball as it comes and keeping it simple.

“When I’m playing my best, I’m not overthinking and I’m just playing what’s in front of me. It’s going to be a good battle,” he explained.