Birthday special: 5 amazing facts about Steve Smith
Australia star batter Steve Smith has flourished into becoming arguably one of the best cricketers in modern cricket. Making his international debut in 2010, Smith rose up the ranks and cemented his place in the national setup with noteworthy performances throughout his career. On June 2, he celebrates his 34th birthday and on that note, we take a look at some of the interesting facts which you may not know-
5. Began international cricket as a leg-spinner
In 2010, Steve Smith first kickstarted his international career as a leg-spinner. Interestingly, he emerged as the leading wicket-taker (nine wickets) for New South Wales in the T20 Big Bash 2007/08 season. In addition to this, he was also the joint-second highest wicket-taker in the 2010 T20 World Cup, claiming 11 wickets in seven outings.
4. First batter with four consecutive 50-plus scores in World Cup knockouts
Across the 2015-2019 ODI World Cup, Smith became the first batter to slam consecutive 50-plus scores in World Cup knockouts. The swashbuckling right-hander scored 65, 105 and 56* in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, semi-final and final and followed it with a 119-ball 85 against England in 2019 World Cup semi-final. With this, he has the joint-most 50-plus scores (4) in World Cup knockouts along with India great Sachin Tendulkar.
3. Fastest to score 7000 runs in Test cricket
The flamboyant Aussie has also flourished in the longest format as he holds the record for the fastest to score 7000 runs in Test cricket. Smith attained the impressive feat in mere 70 matches during a contest against Pakistan in 2019.
2. Won the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade in 2010
While Smith has numerous accolades to his name, arguably one of the biggest honour is the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Decade (2010-2020) which he won in December 2020. Furthermore, he also has a record-equalling four Allan Border Medals, joint-most with Aussie greats Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.
1. Second highest rated in the ICC All-Time Test Batting Rankings
According to the ICC All-Time Test Batting Rankings, Steve Smith holds an impressive record for the second highest ratings in the elite list. With 947 rating points, Smith only stands behind cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman, who has 961 to his name.
