In Australia’s third match with Pakistan in Lahore on Thursday, Steve Smith surpassed Kumar Sangakkara’s 12-year record as the fastest batsman to achieve 8,000 Test runs.
The 32-year-old right-hander crossed the threshold in his 151st innings (in 85 Tests) against Hasan Ali, surpassing Sangakkara’s 152 innings (in 91 Tests).
Smith, who has an entire Test batting average with over 60 and 27 centuries, will be looking to break even more records.
In a home Test match against Pakistan in 2019, Smith then became fastest to 7,000 Test runs.
Smith’s newest achievement came amid a recent dry spell by his lofty standards.
Prior to the present match in Lahore, Smith has only one century in his 29 innings since the 2019 Ashes series.
Among the other Australians to pass 8,000 Test runs, Smith soared past Matthew Hayden (164 innings), Ricky Ponting (165), Michael Clarke (172), Allan Border (184) and Steve Waugh (194).
Smith was successful in scoring a half-century in all three games of the three-match Test series. In the first Test in Rawalpindi, the former Australian captain hit 78 runs, followed by a 72-run effort in the second Test in Karachi. He put up a brilliant effort on the opening day of the last Test in Lahore, striking 59 runs off 169 deliveries, as he always does.
Steven Smith surpasses Kumar Sangakkara to become the fastest player ever to 8⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ Test runs 👏
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— ICC (@ICC) March 24, 2022
