When Steve Smith started the recent Test series against India not far from 10,000 career runs, there was no guarantee that he would make 315 more across five Tests. Centuries in Brisbane and Melbourne narrowed the gap to 38 for the Sydney Test. Broadcasters ran recorded interviews with teammates reflecting on his career in the context of the milestone that hadn’t yet arrived. The other Australian members of the club – Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, Steve Waugh – were all on hand in Sydney with a presentation planned. Until Smith nicked off for 4 in the second innings, stuck on 9,999.
Assuming he can score a single across four potential innings in Sri Lanka, the moment will soon arrive in far quieter environs, with a small crowd and no hall-of-famers on hand. But there he will be, alongside the aforementioned countrymen, along with 10 other greats: Younis Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Mahela Jayawardene, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara, Alastair Cook, Joe Root, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Sachin Tendulkar.
