NEW DELHI: Veteran Australian batter Steve Smith expressed his frustration after falling just one run short of the 10,000 Test runs milestone, finishing with 9,999 runs in the five-match Test series against India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Reflecting on the near miss, Smith said, “I got chainsawed,” acknowledging he had never encountered a wicket like the one at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
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Smith was dismissed just five runs shy of the 10,000-run milestone, edging a delivery to slip in Australia’s first innings of the fifth Test in Sydney.
In the second innings, he faced a rising delivery from Prasidh Krishna that took off sharply from short of a length. Smith advanced down the pitch but fended it into the gully, departing on 9,999 Test runs.
Speaking to ‘Triple M’ following their six-wicket victory on Sunday that secured the trophy after ten years, Smith said: “I got chainsawed didn’t I! Pretty nasty delivery actually; back of a length, I thought ‘oh, there’s one to punch through point’ and it just took off.”
“Wasn’t to be (reaching 10k), but that’s alright, we got the result we were after,” he added, reflecting on the tough pitch at the SCG. “It was two-paced, up and down, seaming all over the place, swinging. I’ve never played on a wicket like that at the SCG before. It was incredibly difficult to bat.”
Despite scoring two centuries in the series, Smith managed only 33 and 4 in his final match. The 35-year-old remarked: “I love the game, it’s been a fun series, India are an unbelievable team. There’s been some great challenges, Bumrah in particular. It’s been great fun and fortunate to get the result in the end.”
Mitchell Starc emphasised the team’s collective effort, telling Fox Cricket: “Five Test matches against India, they’re always gruelling, particularly four and five always close together. We’ve all worked our backsides off to get to this series, we knew it was a big one on the calendar and I think that’s just reward for all the hard work from the support staff, the families to the extended squad and everyone that’s taken part. It’s a fantastic result, today caps it off.”
Regarding his fitness, Starc added: “I like staying out of the scanner but sometimes I’m made to get in there. It’s always ‘if I can make it worse, what’s worse look like?’ and if not, then kick on. I always want to be a part of it, if I can contribute – I don’t want to leave the guys a man short so that’s always a question – but as soon as I knew I wouldn’t leave them short I was ready to go.”
India finished the series with a 1-3 loss, winning only in Perth while suffering defeats in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
Nathan Lyon expressed his joy to Fox Cricket: “It has been a long time, there’s only a few of us that have held this trophy before. Special moment, something we’ve all wanted to achieve as a team, especially when you come up against a great side. The boys have been pretty amazing. There were nerves, there’s always nerves when you care, but the boys were fantastic.”
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