Vaibhav Tripathi
Ace Australian batter Steve Smith has achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the second-fastest player to reach 9,000 Test runs. Smith accomplished this milestone during Australia’s first innings in the ongoing second Ashes Test at Lord’s. He needed 31 runs to reach the mark before the match commenced.
In terms of matches played, Smith achieved the fastest 9,000 Test runs, taking only 99 matches to reach the milestone. This surpasses the record set by West Indies legend Brian Lara, who achieved the feat in his 101st Test.
Smith achieved this milestone in 174 innings, making him the second-quickest after Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (reached in 172 innings). Ricky Ponting is the only other Australian to reach 9,000 runs in less than 200 innings (177 innings).
After missing out on the first Test, Smith displayed his exceptional batting skills by reaching a half-century in the ongoing match. Currently, he is batting alongside Travis Head.