Galle [Sri Lanka], January 30 : Batting maestro Steve Smith named three Australian stars who he feels can join him in the 10,000 Test runs chart after enlisting his name in the exclusive club.
On the opening day of the first Test between Australia and Sri Lanka in Galle, Smith became just the fourth Australian to reach 10,000 Test runs after legends Allan Border, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
After completing the single on his first ball, Smith stood and soaked in the applause from the Australian contingent that travelled to Galle to support the Baggy Greens.
Smith raised the bat to all corners of the ground to celebrate the landmark moment of his illustrious career. He walked towards Usman Khawaja to share a warm embrace with his compatriot.
After adding another laurel to his impressive list of accolades, Smith was asked about the fifth player who could join him and the other greats in the special list of players.
"It's a good question," Smith said before a pause, as quoted from the Sydney Morning Herald.
After giving it a thought, the 35-year-old rooted for Marnus Labushcagne, Travis Head and young prodigy Sam Konstas as the potential candidates for scripting the massive feat to their name.
"I think there's a few people that can certainly tick it off. Marnus (Labuschagne) is about halfway there. Travis (Head) potentially. (Sam) Konstas is 19, and he could play for a long, long time potentially," he said.
Out of the three, Labushcagne has had a more prolific Test career in terms of runs. The experienced batter has garnered 4,346 runs in 55 matches at a healthy average of 47.23.
Head, a notable presence in the Australian middle order, has added 3,621 runs to 54 Test appearances, scoring at an average of 43.10 and striking impressively at 67.21.
Konstas, 19, is still new to the format, having made his debut for Australia last month against India in front of a sold-out crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Boxing Day Test.
He took the aggressive brand of cricket to a new level, adding his touch to it. With a single ramp shot off arguably the best pacer in the present generation, Jasprit Bumrah, Konstas announced himself to the world.
While sticking to his belligerent approach, Konstas brought thunder down the ground and finished with a swift 60(65) in the first innings.