3 minute read
One of Don Bradman's most meaningful milestones, the 974 runs he scored in the 1930 Ashes, could be within reach if Steve Smith enjoys a prolific final Test.
HOW MASSIVE WILL STEVE SMITH'S MOUNTAIN OF RUNS BE THIS ASHES?
*There is one Test remaining. Smith currently has 671 runs at 143.2 from five knocks this series.
*His best effort in any Test series is 769 runs (eight knocks v India in 2014-15) and best effort in an Ashes is 687 runs (seven knocks in 2017-18).
*Don Bradman, Mark Taylor and Arthur Morris are the only Australians to have enjoyed a more prolific Ashes series than Smith.
*Bradman holds the all-time record for most runs in a series. The greatest batsman ever tallied 974 runs at 139.14 from seven knocks in the 1930 Ashes (headlined by his career-best 334 at Headingley).
WHAT ELSE?
*With the exception of Marnus Labuschagne, Smith has almost outscored the rest of Australia's specalist batsmen in the squad. Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft have managed 683 runs from 38 innings.
*Smith has batted for 26 hours this series.
*The former skipper has tallied 1501 runs at 136.45 from his past 13 Test innings against England.
*He will be gunning for a 12th Ashes ton this week; such an achievement would leave Bradman (19) as the only player with more.
*Smith has mastered English conditions like few others, scoring six of his Ashes tons on foreign soil. No Englishman has posted more Ashes tons in England than Smith.
WHAT THEY'VE SAID
"He is just a genius ... the scary thing is he's getting better," Australia captain Tim Paine.
"There have been times when one guy has made a difference and that has probably cost us the urn this time around," England skipper Joe Root.
"To be out of the game for so long, to have so much pressure and to do so well. It's almost incomprehensible what he's done. It'll go down in the history of the game as one of the great performances by an individual in a series," Australia great Steve Waugh.
"He's operating on a different level ... what he's achieving is phenomenal. He's redefining what is possible as a batsman," England's all-time leading run-scorer Alastair Cook.