Australian Cricket Team is one of the most successful teams in cricket history. It has won over 350 Test matches. It has produced many legends who have graced the game with their performances. The likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Greg Chappell, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Andrew Symonds, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Steven Smith, and many more have entertained the generations across decades. They play their game ruthlessly and do not give the opposition any chance once they get a hold of the game. Today we will look at the top run-getters for Australia in Test cricket.
1. Ricky Ponting- 13378 runs
Ricky Ponting was a right-handed top-order batter for Australia. Ponting is the highest run-scorer for Australia and 2nd highest run-scorer in Test cricket, seconded by Sachin Tendulkar. The intent is the first thing that comes to your mind whenever you think of Ponting. As much as his blade did the talking, he was also the 2nd most successful captain in test cricket after Graeme Smith. 71-international centuries across formats were a testament of his sheer dominance over the bowlers. Ponting is a true legend of this beautiful game.
2. Allan Robert Border- 11174 runs
A few things strike into the mind when we talk about the Aussies - aggression, toughness, and fighting spirit. Though not an aggressive player, Border had displayed the latter 2-traits. He laid the foundation of the Australian cricket team that would dominate the cricket world for the years to come. He was a middle-order left-handed batsman. Border played 156 test matches and scored 11174 runs with an average of 50.56. He is the first player to play 150 test matches. In 2009, he got inducted into the Queensland Sports Hall of Fame.
3. Steve Rodgers Waugh- 10927 runs
Steve Waugh was a right-handed middle-order batter with a typical batting style of tiring out the bowlers and feasting on them once they ran out of gas. Steve carried a cool head over his shoulders & he stood tall even in the adversities. He did not have the prettiest batting techniques, but he was highly effective. Steve was always up for a fight with his gritty batting technique. He was also a terrific player of spin bowling, which is difficult for non-Asian players. With 32 test hundreds to his name, he has 2nd most test centuries for an Australian.
4. Michael John Clarke- 8643 runs
A prodigy batter laced with enormous talents, Michael Clarke made a sensational debut in the Test by scoring 151 runs against India at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He was appointed captain following the retirement of the legends- Ricky Ponting & Michael Hussey. It was time to rebuild the team, following its golden run that seemed to come to a halt. Under his captaincy, The Australian team temporarily reached the No.1 spot in Tests and whitewashed England in the Ashes 2013-14. He played 115 test matches and scored 8643 runs, with an average of 48.83.
5. Matthew Lawrence Hayden- 8625 runs
Matthew Hayden, a left-handed opener, was one of the most fearsome batters who used to create fear in the eyes of the bowler with his intimidating body frame. He used to run down the track against even the quick bowlers and tear them apart with his batting prowess. Hayden was a pure match-winner & on his day, Hayden would bully bowlers with sheer nonchalance. He registered 30 test centuries to his name & with a career strike rate of 60; he used to dictate terms at the top order.
6. Mark Edward Waugh- 8029 runs
Mark Waugh is the younger brother of Steve Waugh. He was a right-handed batter and a handy part-time off-spinner. Unlike his brother, Mark had a classy, effortless stroke-play, and his delightful touch while batting was a treat to watch. He was a brilliant fielder & few could match his brilliance in the field. After Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh is the second Australian to have taken the most catches across formats.
7. Steven Smith- 8010* runs
Steven Smith began his career as a leg spinner & became the best Test batter of this era. His technique (an exaggerated trigger movement and shuffle across the stumps) caught the attention of cricket pundits & they expected it to expose in seaming conditions. But he proved everybody wrong with a plethora of runs season over season. With brilliant hand-eye coordination, he flicks anything that comes towards his pads. In the quest of getting him LBW, bowlers often bowled at his legs with a crowded leg-side field, only to find the ball racing away to the fence.
8. David Andrew Warner- 7753 runs
A swashbuckling top-order left-handed destructive batter with the caliber of turning the matches around on his own, Warner was roped into the Australian National Cricket team as a newbie having no first-class experience at all & the first man since 1877 to achieve this feat for Australia. Warner has scored 7753 runs in 94* matches. In November 2019, Warner scored the second-highest individual score by any Australian Test batsman, with 335 not out against Pakistan.
9. Justin Lee Langer- 7696 runs
Justin Langer was an aggressive left-handed opening batter who used to open with Matthew Hayden, an intimidating sight for the bowlers. The opening pair represented Australia in over 100 innings, with an average of 51 runs per partnership. Langer scored 1400 plus runs in 2004 at the peak of his powers. He scored 7696 runs in 105 Test matches. Post-retirement, Langer took over coaching duties of the Australian Cricket Team.
10. Mark Taylor- 7525 runs
Mark Taylor was a left-handed opening batter who made his debut in 1989. He smashed over 800 runs in his debut Ashes series to cement his place in the Australian set-up. A gritty and determined opener, he had the ability to handle pace & swing. His game against the spinners was equally good. Mark scored his highest ever Test score (334*) against Pakistan on their soil. He then declared the innings and remained not-out as he didn't want to cross Sir Don Bradman's record of the highest runs by an Australian. This gesture won many hearts around the cricketing world.
