STEVE Smith’s legacy as a Test great continues to grow. When Australia’s number four reached seven in the second innings of the third Test against Pakistan, Smith became the fastest man to 8 000 runs, reaching the milestone in his 151st innings.

Smith eclipsed Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara, who reached the mark in his 152nd innings.

All-time great Sachin Tendulkar rounds out the podium, after the ‘Little Master’ brought up 8 000 Test runs in his 154th innings in 2002..

Boasting an overall Test batting average of over 60 with 27 centuries, the 32-year-old Smith will have plenty more records in his sight.

In 2019, Smith became the fastest to 7 000 Test runs in a home Test match against Pakistan.

The latest milestone for Smith comes despite a recent lean period, by his lofty standards.

Since the 2019 Ashes series, Smith has scored just one century in his 29 innings prior to the current match in Lahore.

Among the other Australians to pass 8 000 Test runs, Smith soared past Matthew Hayden (164 innings), Ricky Ponting (165), Michael Clarke (172), Allan Border (184) and Steve Waugh (194).

During the recently-concluded Ashes series, England captain Joe Root heralded Smith’s ability to keep churning out the runs.

“Steve, I think is a brilliant problem-solver,” Root told cricket.com.au. “He works guys out, he learns how to master each condition and the different surfaces he comes up against.

“If you pose a plan to him, he finds a way to get through it.”

Fastest players to 8 000 Test runs
151 innings – Steve Smith (Australia)
152 – Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
154 – Sachin Tendulkar (India)
157 – Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
158 – Rahul Dravid (India).Cricket.com.au)