Steve Smith scored a century on Day 1 of the Test series opener against Sri Lanka, marking a major milestone by surpassing 10,000 runs in Test cricket. After missing the chance in the final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney, Smith finally reached the 10,000-run mark during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. In doing so, he also registered his 35th Test century, 17 of which have come away from home. With this achievement, Smith overtook Virat Kohli for the most away centuries in Test cricket, as Kohli previously held the record with 16.

Smith’s historic knock came after Australia won the toss and elected to bat, with Smith's milestone moment celebrated by an ovation from his teammates. He brought up his 10,000th run with a signature flick toward mid-on, acknowledging the applause before moving the score to 137/2.

At 35 years old, Smith has an impressive career average of over 55, with only Kumar Sangakkara boasting a better average among players with 10,000 Test runs. Smith also became the fifth-fastest batter to reach the milestone in terms of innings played. He joins Australian legends Allan Border, Steve Waugh, and Ricky Ponting as the fourth Australian to achieve this feat.

Following this achievement, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised Smith, considering him the best player of his generation. Ponting compared Smith’s numbers to Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Joe Root, stating that it’s hard to argue against Smith being the best, given his consistency and remarkable performances over the years.