Steve Smith Reaches 11,000 Test Runs as Australia Face Follow-On in Gqeberha

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Steve Smith Reaches 11,000 Test Runs as Australia Face Follow-On in Gqeberha

Steve Smith scored his 11,000th Test run on Wednesday during the second Test against South Africa at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. The 37-year-old batter became the third Australian and the 12th player overall to cross the 11,000-run mark in Test cricket. Smith reached the milestone during the first innings of the match before being bowled by Wiaan Mulder for 28 off 88 balls, an innings that included two boundaries.

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The achievement came on a difficult day for Australia. South Africa enforced the follow-on after dismissing Australia for 99 in their first innings. Full coverage of the series is available through Times of India.

Steve Smith Reaches 11,000 Test Runs as Australia Face Follow-On in Gqeberha

Supplemental cricket scene for the match report.

Fifth-Fastest Batter to the Milestone

Smith required 226 innings to accumulate 11,000 Test runs, making him the fifth-fastest batter to reach the total. Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara holds the record with 208 innings, followed by West Indies batter Brian Lara, who took 213 innings. Among Australian players, Ricky Ponting reached the mark in 222 innings, while India’s Sachin Tendulkar needed 223. Smith finished ahead of Rahul Dravid and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, both of whom required 234 innings.

Steve Smith Reaches 11,000 Test Runs as Australia Face Follow-On in Gqeberha

Supplemental cricket scene for the match report.

Batter Innings to 11,000 Test Runs
Kumar Sangakkara 208
Brian Lara 213
Ricky Ponting 222
Sachin Tendulkar 223
Steve Smith 226
Rahul Dravid / Jacques Kallis 234

Australian Run Records

Smith joins former Australia captains Ricky Ponting and Allan Border in the exclusive group of Australian batters with more than 11,000 Test runs. Ponting leads the Australian list with 13,378 Test runs, while Border finished his career with 11,174. The milestone adds another entry to Smith’s record in the longest format of the game.

South Africa Enforce the Follow-On

South Africa built a commanding position in the second Test after posting a large first-innings total. Captain Temba Bavuma anchored the hosts’ innings with 179 runs, and Marco Jansen contributed 85 to help South Africa recover from an early collapse. Jansen then led the bowling attack with five wickets, while Mulder claimed two, including the wicket of Smith. With a substantial first-innings lead secured, South Africa enforced the follow-on and placed Australia under immediate pressure in the ongoing match.