Australia batsman Steve Smith on Saturday added yet another feather to his already illustrious cap when he scored his 23rd run vs Pakistan on the 2nd day of the 2nd Test in Adelaide. Smith completed the milestone of 7000 Test runs in only his 70th Test and 126th innings, becoming the fastest ever to the landmark.
In terms of innings he beat England legend Wally Hammond, who scored his 7000th run in his 131st innings while Virender Sehwag had done it in the 134th. In terms of matches, Smith is head and shoulders above all with Gary Sobers and Sehwag being the next fastest to the landmark in 79 matches.
During his innings, Smith also crossed Don Bradman (6996) on the list of most Test runs for his country. Earlier, his teammate David Warner scored a magnificent double hundred to continue Australia’s dominance in the Day-night Test.
Fastest to 7000 Test runs (innings):
126* – Steve Smith (AUS)
131 – Walter Hammond (ENG)
134 – Virender Sehwag (IND)
136 – Sachin Tendulkar (IND)
138 – Garry Sobers (WI)/Kumar Sangakkara (SL)/Virat Kohli (IND)
Warner’s 200 runs came off 260 balls and he was still batting on 236, having survived being caught off the bowling of Muhammad Musa which was called a no-ball for overstepping. Earlier, Warner’s batting partner Marnus Labuschagne became the leading run-scorer in Tests in 2019.
Before being bowled by Afridi for 162, Labuschagne boosted his 2019 runs tally to 829 runs. The pair had added a record 361 runs for the 2nd wicket, which is the 2nd highest partnership for any wicket at the Adelaide Oval.
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