The Border-Gavaskar Trophy gets underway with the first Test at Perth on November 22, and Australian cricket’s rich stalwarts and rich stars look to achieve some significant career milestones. Both teams, being atop the ICC World Test Championship points table, will look to strengthen their chances for a final, while also looking to make history in a highly anticipated series.
Steve Smith’s Quest For Historic Test Milestones
Australian star batter Steve Smith is on the threshold of several notable achievements in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Smith requires just 315 more runs to become the fourth Australian batter to reach 10,000 Test runs, thus joining Ricky Ponting, Allan Border, and Steve Waugh in an elite list.
Currently, Smith has scored 9,685 runs from 109 Tests at an impressive average of 56.97, with 32 centuries and 41 fifties. His highest score stands at 239, and with 559 more runs, he could also become the sixth Australian to surpass the 17,000-run mark in international cricket, having already scored 16,441 runs in all formats.
Besides, Smith is coming close to becoming the main run scorer for Australia in Test cricket. He has played 19 Tests against India and scored 2,042 runs averaging 65.87 with nine centuries. To surpass Ricky Ponting’s record of 2,555 runs in 29 matches, Smith will just need 507 more runs. Smith could also become second on the all-time list for Test centuries against India, only behind a few players in history if he successfully breaks Joe Root’s record of 10 Test centuries against India.
Pat Cummins’ Milestone Moments
Australia’s skipper, Pat Cummins, is also getting close to some significant milestones that will make him one of the greats of the modern era. The bowler will reach 500 scalps if he just takes another 22 international wickets as Cummins is set to enter an elite group of seven Australian players.
Cummins has taken 478 wickets at 24.55 to emerge as one of Australia’s backbone bowlers, and his next focus has been 300 Test wickets. He currently stands at 269 wickets in Tests and needs only 31 more for entry into the elite club of 300-wicket players to the name of Australian bowlers.
Cummins has also taken 175 wickets in 42 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) matches, with an outstanding average of 22.81. He is then 25 wickets away from becoming the first-ever fast bowler to claim 200 wickets in the WTC.
Nathan Lyon: The Race To 200 Wickets In The WTC
Australia’s finest off-spinner, Nathan Lyon is set to achieve one big milestone of his own. Lyon has 187 wickets in 43 matches of ICC WTC and 13 more wickets will make him the first bowler to reach 200 wickets in this competition.
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin at present holds this record with 194 wickets from 40 matches. Lyon will be a spectator of interest as he strives to achieve 200 wickets in international cricket in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Mitchell Starc Seeks 700 International Wickets
Mitchell Starc, the star pacer of Australia, is also targeting a significant mark. With 681 international wickets across 281 matches, he is the closest to joining Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Brett Lee to enter the elite Australian bowling group, where four bowlers reach 700 wickets.
Starc is relentless in his ability to bowl with minutes still left to push the game forward. He is crucial for Australia going forward in this series.
Australia Bowling dynamo: Cummins and Hazlewood
While Cummins is all set to achieve a few milestones, his long-time bowling friend Josh Hazlewood is sitting on the waiting list to score 500 wickets. Hazlewood has taken 478 wickets in 213 games with an average of 25.15. Bowlers will play key roles for Australia in their bowling attack, and fans can’t wait to see if they can achieve such milestones in the series.
The awaited five-match series will begin on November 22 in Perth. Post the first Test, the series shifts to Adelaide for a day-night Test from December 6-10, after which it will go to The Gabba in Brisbane for its third Test from December 14-18.
The Boxing Day Test will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26-30. Meanwhile, the final test is scheduled for January 3-7 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their series is sure to be a cracker with major milestones on both sides of the boundary.
Also Read: Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25: Josh Hazelwood’s ‘Focal Point’ Players For The Series
