David Warner Hails Steve Smith as ‘Amazing’ After 10,000 Runs Milestone and 35th Test Century

Warner calls Smith an “amazing player” with unmatched tenacity as the Australian batter surpasses cricket legends with his latest Test achievement.

Galle, January 30: Former Australian cricketer David Warner has lavished praise on Steve Smith, calling him an “amazing player” after the batter scripted history by scoring his 35th Test century and becoming only the fourth Australian to reach 10,000 Test runs.

Smith accomplished this feat during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, cementing his place among the greatest Test batters. Only Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, and Steve Waugh have scored more Test runs for Australia.

“He is an absolutely amazing cricket player, and he just works hard. He literally has cricket ball sandwiches,” Warner joked, as quoted by Fox Cricket.

“Early in his career, he was the first in the nets and the last to leave. You just knew when Steve was hitting a lot of balls, he was on. It’s no fluke that he’s still playing.”

Smith’s Tenacity and Batting Genius Praised

Warner also applauded Smith’s ability to bat for long periods and score big runs with ease.

“His tenacity to bat long periods and score runs for the team is amazing. Watching him do it with ease, having so much time, you just wonder—if I hit that many balls, would I have that much time? Probably not. But for him, it’s just natural. He churns out hundreds for fun and piles up runs for Australia.”

Smith’s Record-Breaking Innings in Galle Test

Smith finished day one of the Galle Test unbeaten at 104 off 188 balls*, hitting 10 fours and a six, while sharing a 195-run partnership with *Usman Khawaja (147 off 210 balls, 10 fours, one six)**.

Earlier in the innings:

🏏 Australia opted to bat first after winning the toss
🏏 Travis Head (57 off 40 balls) and Khawaja put up a 92-run opening stand
🏏 Marnus Labuschagne (20 off 50 balls) contributed before Smith and Khawaja took control

By stumps, Australia reached 330/2.

Steve Smith’s Career Milestones

✔ Matches: 115
✔ Innings: 205
✔ Runs: 10,103
✔ Average: 56.44
✔ Centuries: 35
✔ Fifties: 41
✔ Highest Score: 239

Smith has now surpassed legendary batters such as Younis Khan, Brian Lara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Sunil Gavaskar, who all finished their careers with 34 Test centuries.

Dominating the ICC World Test Championship

In the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, Smith has been Australia’s top run-scorer, accumulating:

✅ 1,156 runs in 34 innings
✅ Average: 38.53
✅ 4 centuries and 4 fifties
✅ Highest score: 140

He currently ranks as the seventh-highest run-scorer in the competition.

A True Test Cricket Great

With 35 Test centuries and 10,000 runs, Steve Smith’s legacy as one of Australia’s finest batters continues to grow. As he closes in on Ricky Ponting’s Australian record of 41 Test tons, cricket fans can expect more milestones from this modern-day legend.