Aus vs NZ: Steve Smith goes past former India coach in Test runs tally during MCG Test

Australia batsman Steve Smith achieved another milestone on Day 1 of the second Test between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Smith surpassed former Australia captain Greg Chappell to reach the 10th spot on the all-time Australian Test run-scorers list. At the time of writing this report, Smith was batting on 76 and nearing his 27th Test hundred.

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Aus vs NZ: Steve Smith goes past Greg Chappell

Steve Smith went past Chappell's tally of 7,110 runs when he scored his 39th run with a comfortable single in the 51st over. The right-hander played 15 Tests fewer to reach the milestone and Chappell himself said that Smith's best was yet to come. Chappell told cricket.com.au that Smith will be at his peak for another 3-4 years. He added that Smith was the most outstanding player of his era, who was playing exceedingly well and he had built up a record which was comparable with the very best. The former Australia captain went on to say that the way Smith is going, he is set finish his career in the very top bracket of batsmen through the history of the game.

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He concluded that Smith’s attention to detail made it very difficult for opposition sides to find out ways to consistently get him out and his dedication to his craft is what ultimately separates him from his contemporaries. Steve Smith is currently at the second position in the ICC batsmen Test rankings behind Indian skipper Virat Kohli. Ricky Ponting holds the record for being the leading run-getter for Australia in Test cricket. In 168 matches, Ponting has scored 13,378 runs. He is followed by Allan Border (11,174 in 156 Tests), Steve Waugh (10,927 in 168 Tests), and Michael Clarke (8,643 in 115 Tests). Overall, Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for being the leading run-scorer in Test cricket. Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches he played for India.

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