Australia vs Sri Lanka: Another golden age of Steve Smith incoming after joining cricket’s 10,000 run club

Marnus Labuschagne has backed Steve Smith to bring about another golden era of batting, as the stand-in skipper joined cricket’s most illustrious batting club in Sri Lanka.

Marnus Labuschagne believes Steve Smith is on the verge of another golden era as he joined cricket’s most illustrious batting club in Galle.

Smith became the 15th player to reach 10,000 Test runs when he scored his first run in the first innings of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle.with a first ball nudge to mid-on from a quickstep down the track.

It triggered a warm hug from Usman Khawaja and a hearty ovation from a small group of Australian fans which admittedly was small bickies compared to the fanfare he would have generated had he nailed it in his last innings at the SCG against India.

Smith joined Steve Waugh (10,927), Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Allan Border (11,174) as the only Australians to go beyond 10,000.

Smith is the second quickest in terms of Tests (115) behind West Indian great Brian Lara to reach the milestone and fifth quickest in terms of innings behind Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara and Ponting.

Steve Smith has joined cricket’s most illustrious batting club after crossing the 10,000 run milestone in Galle. Picture: AFP

“He’s as good as he’s ever been,’’ Labuschagne told this masthead.

“And you know that that era of around 2014 when he just lit it up and scored run after run. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to enter a similar era in the next few years.

“He is just so comfortable with his game now. He’s finding a way to score runs in tricky conditions so you know when the conditions turn and the wicked gets a little bit better he is going to be very consistent.’’

“He is that guy who just finds a way and is going to go down as one of Australia’s best problem solvers.’’

Statistically Smith’s best years were a decade ago when he averaged better than 70 for three years in a row.

“He’s going to go down as one of Australia’s best ever if not the best behind Don Bradman. There’s always debate of eras and different times, and I’m not into that argument but in this series with back to back centuries he has reminded people Steve Smith is as good as he ever as he’s ever been.’’

Ponting claims Smith must be at the forefront of discussions as to whether he is the best player for his generation.

“It’s hard to argue against it,” Seven commentator Ponting said.

“Joe Root is the other one now and [Kane] Williamson’s record is outstanding as well. Joe’s last couple of years have elevated him right back up there I think.

“Five or six years ago when this big four emerged, with Virat Kohli being one of those as well, Joe was probably down near the bottom part of that because he hadn’t made the hundreds the other guys had made. But he’s made 19 hundreds in the past four years.

“If you asked an Englishman they’d say Joe Root, if you asked an Aussie they’d say Steve Smith and if you asked a Kiwi they’d say Kane Williamson. So it’s a tough one, but on the numbers themselves it’s pretty hard to argue against what he’s done.”

“It had been a leanish patch for him before the summer, but the two hundreds that he made in the summer, I thought he showed particularly in Melbourne, that innings was as good as I’ve seen him bat in a long time,” Ponting said.

“He’ll be more proud of 10,000 runs than the 30-odd hundreds he’s got.”

Marnus Labuschagne believes Smith is still playing as well as he ever has. Picture: Getty Images

Border is thrilled to see Smith join the club and praised him for having the courage to back his homespun technique which would draw a blush from most textbook purists.

“He has worked out its method and it works for him,’’ Border told this masthead.

“It is a unique technique. It is not something you teach kids or say “this is how you bat.’ But you can still learn the basics off him is that for all his movements, when the ball is let go he is pretty still.’’

Originally published as Australia vs Sri Lanka: Another golden age of Steve Smith incoming after joining cricket’s 10,000 run club