Steve Smith Surpasses Sachin Tendulkar in ICC Knockout Fifty-Plus Scores

Smith Climbs the Ranks in ICC Knockout Matches

Australian cricket legend Steve Smith has now surpassed the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, moving into second place for the most fifty-plus scores in ICC tournament knockout matches.

Smith is further cementing his reputation as Australia's premier clutch player, having scored another half-century against South Africa during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final held at Lord's. Coming in at a challenging 16/2, Smith showcased his batting prowess, scoring 66 runs off 112 balls, including 10 boundaries, at a strike rate of 58.92.

Smith Breaks Tendulkar's Record

This marks Smith's seventh fifty-plus score in ICC knockout events, surpassing Tendulkar, who achieved six such scores in 15 matches. Tendulkar accumulated 682 runs at an average of 48.71, which included one century and five fifties.

In contrast, Smith has scored 650 runs in 13 matches, averaging 59.09, with two centuries and nine fifties, his highest score being 121.

Virat Kohli Dominates ICC Knockout Statistics

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli remains the leading player in ICC knockout matches, being the only cricketer to surpass 1,000 runs in these high-stakes games. Kohli has amassed 1,024 runs across 22 matches and 24 innings, averaging 51.20, with one century and nine fifties, totaling 10 fifty-plus scores. His best performance was 117 runs against New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup semifinal in Mumbai.

In the ongoing match, South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first, putting Australia in a tough spot at 67/4 by the end of the first session. However, contributions from Smith (66) and Beau Webster (55*) helped Australia recover to 190/6 by the end of the second session, with Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen each taking two wickets.