Entering the match, Smith required just eight runs to eclipse Waugh’s career total of 10,927. He reached the mark in style during the 19th over, dispatching a delivery from spinner Keshav Maharaj for a six. Smith’s innings eventually concluded at 25 runs from 53 balls, an effort that included two sixes. He now sits at 10,945 runs from 224 innings across 126 Test matches, comfortably moving past Waugh, who accumulated his 10,927 runs over 260 innings in a 168-Test career.
Chasing Further Milestones and Team Context
With this achievement, Smith now trails only Ricky Ponting and Allan Border on the Australian leaderboard. Ponting remains the nation's leading run-scorer with 13,378 runs from 168 Tests, while Border occupies second place with 11,174 runs from 156 matches. Smith is currently 55 runs away from becoming only the third Australian to reach the 11,000-run mark in the format. To overtake Border for the second spot, he requires a total of 230 runs throughout the remainder of the three-match series.
The opening day in Durban proved challenging for the Australian side, which finished on 187/6. The team’s tactical adjustments saw mixed results; while the decision to deploy Nic Maddinson as an opener did not yield the desired outcome, Matt Renshaw’s transition to the middle order provided some stability. This series marks Australia’s first visit to South Africa since the 2018 series, with the hosts entering the contest as the reigning World Test champions following their victory in the 2025 final.
