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Australia vs Pakistan: Steve Smith 20 runs away from surpassing Don Bradman’s mark in elite Test list
Aus vs Pak: Australia lead the two-match series 1-0 courtesy of their innings and five run victory in Brisbane.
Top-order batsman Steve Smith is on the cusp of overtaking legendary Don Bradman’s mark in an elite Test list for Australia when he takes to the field against Pakistan in a blockbuster Day-Night Test at Adelaide Oval starting Friday. Australia lead the two-match series 1-0 courtesy of their innings and five-run victory in Brisbane. Following a heavy defeat in their last outing, Pakistan will be eager to put on a better performance in their final game of the tour Down Under.
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Smith, who was dismissed for just four in last Test, needs just 20 runs to eclipse Bradman’s mark in the list of highest run-getters for Australia. In 80 innings, Bradman scored 6996 during the course of his illustrious career. Smith has so far featured in 125 innings and scored 6977 runs.
It must be noted that Bradman played less innings than Smith and his average of 99.9 remains much better than Smith, who aggregates 64. Also, Smith (26) remains behind Bradman (29) in the list of most centuries scored in the longest format.
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Most Test runs for Australia
13378: Ricky Ponting
11174: Allan Border
10927: Steve Waugh
8643: Michael Clarke
8625: Matthew Hayden
8029: Mark Waugh
7696: Justin Langer
7525: Mark Taylor
7422: David Boon
7110: Greg Chappell
6996: Don Bradman
6977: Steve Smith
After thrashing Pakistan in the first Test, Australia named an unchanged playing XI for the second Test. The hosts, however, released Cameron Bancroft and James Pattinson for their respective states for Marsh Sheffield Shield duty.
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The visitors, meanwhile, are set to recall paceman Mohammad Abbas as they look to add consistency to their bowling attack under lights at Adelaide Oval.
Skipper Azhar Ali will also drop down the order to bat at number three in the day-night Test starting Friday, with Imam-ul-Haq set to get the nod to open the innings alongside Shan Masood and Haris Sohail dropped.
Seamer Abbas has taken 66 wickets at just 18.86 in his 14 Tests but was a surprise omission for the opening clash in Brisbane, where Pakistan were crushed by an innings and five runs.
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“Definitely there will be some changes,” Azhar said of the team line-up, which will be announced on Friday. Asked if Abbas would be one of those changes, he replied: “Yes.”
“He’s (Abbas) done well in Test matches, he can definitely bring a lot of control and he has worked a lot since the last Test match on his rhythm and he is feeling better,” he said.
((With agency inputs))
