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