'It was on my mind...': Smith acknowledges pressure from 10,000-run milestone in Sydney
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Synopsis
Australian cricket star Steve Smith shared his struggle with the pressure of achieving the 10,000-run milestone during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at SCG. Despite falling short, he looks forward to reaching the mark in the upcoming Test against Sri Lanka.
Key Takeaways
- Steve Smith revealed the pressure of reaching 10,000 runs affected him.
- He scored 33 and 4 runs in the SCG Test.
- Smith's thoughts were preoccupied with the milestone leading up to the match.
- He aims to achieve the milestone in Galle against Sri Lanka.
- Smith considers reaching 10,000 runs a dream come true.
New Delhi, Jan 14 (NationPress) Australian veteran batter Steve Smith disclosed that the weight of achieving the 10,000-run milestone significantly affected him during the SCG Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India.
Smith needed to accumulate just 38 runs across both innings to become the fourth Australian to hit this landmark, joining legends like Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, and Steve Waugh. Unfortunately, he fell short, scoring 33 and 4 in his two innings.
He confessed that while he typically avoids dwelling on statistical milestones, the importance of reaching 10,000 runs presented a unique challenge that even disrupted his sleep before the match.
“I don’t usually pay much attention to stats, but 10,000 runs is something different. It was definitely on my mind. Normally, I don’t focus on that kind of stuff, but leading up to the game, I was doing plenty of media because I was nearing that mark,” Smith shared with SEN 1170 Breakfast.
“I knew I required 38, and all I could visualize trying to sleep was the back of Josh Hazlewood’s shirt because he’s number 38 (laughs). It’s a bit odd, isn’t it?”
“It was probably weighing on my mind more than any other game I’ve played, to be honest. However, it is what it is, and thankfully, we managed to win that game in the end, so it wasn’t a major concern,” he remarked.
Smith is now almost certain to achieve the milestone in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, commencing on January 29.
“It’s pretty special. I’d love to accomplish it on the first day in Galle. It would have been fantastic to achieve it in Sydney in front of all my friends and family, as I’d be joining a pretty elite group, but it wasn’t meant to be,” he expressed.
“As a child, I never imagined reaching this point. I dreamt of playing cricket for Australia and having a successful career, but getting to this milestone is, in a way, a dream realized,” he added.
