Steve Smith dazzled on his way to an unbeaten 104 as Australia reached 330-2 on the opening day of the first Test in Galle. In doing so, he brought his average in Sri Lanka up to 62.75, meaning he now averages 50 or more in seven different countries – a joint record.
Smith can now add Sri Lanka to England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies, as well as his home nation, as places where he averages half a ton or more. This feat has not yet been surpassed and only five other players can match this total. Pakistan duo Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf both average over 50 across seven different countries, alongside Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Kumar Sangakkara.
Fellow ‘Fab Four’ members Joe Root and Kane Williamson lag slightly behind on six countries, alongside Ricky Ponting and Inzamam-ul-Haq. The final player in the quartet, Virat Kohli, does not average above 50 anywhere outside of India. Seven players - Allan Border, Andy Flower, Thilan Samaraweera, Virinder Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh - are on five.
Furthermore, Smith averages more than 40 in nine different nations, a number matched by Younis, Ponting and AB de Villiers. However, all four players are pipped to the record by Tendulkar, who averages north of 40 in a whopping 10 different countries.
In fact, the only country in which Smith averages below 40 is, perhaps surprisingly, Bangladesh. The 35-year-old scored just 119 runs in four innings in 2017, with only one half-century. Tendulkar, meanwhile, averaged 40 or more in every country he played in. The Indian icon averaged an eye-watering 136.66 in Bangladesh, converting all five of his fifties there into centuries.
Sadly for Smith, it is unlikely he will improve his record in Bangladesh anytime soon. The two sides did not meet in either of the last two World Test Championship cycles and Australia will not host Bangladesh in the upcoming edition. Unless a tour of Ireland or Zimbabwe is on the cards, Smith may well be stuck on nine countries with a 40-plus average for the rest of his career.
He will need to make sure that his average does not dip back below 50 as well during this series. Assuming he gets dismissed in this innings and the following three in Sri Lanka, Smith needs 98 more runs to maintain a 50-plus average. Alternatively, 48 runs would be sufficient if he racks up a red-inker.
Smith’s century in Galle was the 35th of his career, moving him up to seventh on the all-time list, just one behind long-term rival Root. Should he continue this rich vein of form, he will have his sights on passing compatriot Ponting, who has 41 hundreds, to take third spot, behind only Tendulkar and Kallis for most Test hundreds. Smith has racked up six centuries in a calendar year twice before, in 2015 and 2017, so could well reach this milestone in the next couple of years.
However, surpassing Ponting’s run tally might be a step too far. Smith, who brought up 10,000 Test runs with his first single against Sri Lanka, needs to score 3,276 more runs to do so which, at his current average runs per Test, would take an extra 38 matches after this one. Australia will play 25 more Tests before the next WTC final, by which time Smith will be 38. If he wants to catch Ponting, he will need to rediscover his form from the mid 2010s, where he averaged 75.82 between 2014 and 2017. Given he is already averaging 70.50 in 2025, it would be difficult, but not impossible.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
