Another big record for Steve Smith!

The Aussie skipper joins the Don and Sir Gary.
Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers on the Fastest to 6,000 Tests club.

IMAGE: Steve Smith in full flow during the Sydney Test, January 5, 2018, the day he crossed the 6,000 Test runs mark. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

The runs continue to flow from Steve Smith's bat as the Australian etched another batting record to his name.

Smith completed 6,000 runs in Test cricket on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England in Sydney, on Friday, January 5, 2018.

The Australian captain reached the mark in record time -- in just 111 innings.

Only one man has ever got to this milestone in fewer innings -- Don Bradman (who else!), while Gary Sobers -- the greatest all-rounder to play the game -- also took 111 innings.

The quickest to 6,000 runs in Tests:

Innings	Player	Tests	Average	100s	50s
68	Don Bradman	45	98.36	25	11
111	Garry Sobers	65	63.83	19	23
111	Steve Smith	61	64.02	23	22
114	Wally Hammond	70	60.00	18	20
116	Ken Barrington	72	58.25	17	33
116	Len Hutton	66	59.41	17	28
116	Kumar Sangakkara	71	56.60	16	24
117	Sunil Gavaskar	65	55.56	23	25
120	Viv Richards	81	53.57	19	27
120	Sachin Tendulkar	76	56.07	22	24
120	Mohammad Yousuf	72	54.55	21	26

Among all players who have played at least 50 innings, Steve Smith has the second highest career average, after Sir Don Bradman. At stumps on Day 2 in Sydney, Smith's batting average stands at an impressive 64.02.

Highest batting average in Tests:

Player	Tests	Innings	Runs	Highest Score	Average	100	50
Don Bradman	52	80	6,996	334	99.94	29	13
Steve Smith	61*	111	6,018	239	64.02	23	22
Herbert Sutcliffe	54	84	4,555	194	60.73	16	23
Ken Barrington	82	131	6,806	256	58.67	20	35
Everton Weekes	48	81	4,455	207	58.61	15	19
Wally Hammond	85	140	7,249	336*	58.45	22	24
Gary Sobers	93	160	8,032	365*	57.78	26	30
Kumar Sangakkara	134	233	12,400	319	57.40	38	52
Jack Hobbs	61	102	5,410	211	56.94	15	28
Clyde Walcott	44	74	3,798	220	56.68	15	14
Len Hutton	79	138	6,971	364	56.67	19	33
Jacques Kallis	166	280	13,289	224	55.37	45	58

Smith averages a mind-boggling 78.23 in Tests in Australia.

Outside Australia his average dips by 24 points. It is still a respectable 54, but Smith would definitely like to see it improving.

Bradman, Barrington, Hammond and Hobbs are the only batsmen with a higher away average than home average.

The break-up of home and away averages for the cricketers above:

Player	Average	Home	Away
Don Bradman	99.94	98.23	102.85
Steve Smith	64.02	78.23	53.94
Herbert Sutcliffe	60.73	64.60	56.31
Ken Barrington	58.67	50.71	69.18
Everton Weekes	58.61	69.14	49.63
Wally Hammond	58.45	50.07	66.33
Gary Sobers	57.78	66.80	50.73
Kumar Sangakkara	57.40	60.44	54.08
Jack Hobbs	56.94	52.30	59.91
Clyde Walcott	56.68	69.84	40.47
Len Hutton	56.67	57.79	55.29
Jacques Kallis	55.37	56.73	53.91

The break-up of Steve Smith's career after reaching every progressive milestone of 1,000 runs.

Apart from the first 1,000 runs, Smith has never taken more than 17 innings to reach the mark.

He now has 20 innings to get his next 1,000 runs to establish the world record of being the fastest to 7,000 runs.

The kind of form he is in, it should be a walk in the park for the Aussie skipper.

Smith's progress to each progressive milestone of 1,000 runs

	Tests	Innings	Average	100	50	Innings for each milestone of 1,000 runs
1,000 runs	17	32	35.71	3	5	32
2,000 runs	25	47	50.00	7	9	15
3,000 runs	33	63	55.55	11	12	16
4,000 runs	44	80	58.82	15	17	17
5,000 runs	53	97	60.98	19	20	17
6,000 runs	61	111	64.02	23	22	14

Another big record for Super Smith!

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