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Which batters have been the fastest to 6,000 Test runs? Find out more about the Test cricketers to reach 6,000 Test runs in the fewest number of innings.
The 6,000-run mark – especially in record time – is a coveted milestone in Test cricket. Fifty-one batters have crossed the 6000-run mark in Test cricket in 150 innings or fewer.
Thirty-seven of those batters have needed less than 140 innings, while only 24 required fewer than 130 innings. Below, we have listed the players who reached the milestone the fastest.
1. Don Bradman (Australia)
- 64 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
Bradman was a prolific scorer of centuries. The Australia star was unstoppable once he reached 50. Bradman reached the 50-run mark 42 times in his career, and converted 29 of those starts to triple figures.
That’s why it is a surprise that he waited until his 45th Test to record centuries in both innings. The Australian scored 132 in the first innings and followed it up with an unbeaten 127 in the second.
The twin tons took him to 6000 Test runs. No other batter has reached that milestone in fewer than 100 innings.
2. Garry Sobers (West Indies)
- 111 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
Sobers produced numerous great moments for the West Indies, winning and saving matches with bat and ball. One of those moments was in 1968. The West Indies were in trouble on 72/3 when he walked out to bat.
The all-rounder joined forces with Rohan Kanhai for a 250-run fourth-wicket stand. Sobers finished the innings with 152, and Kanhai made 150.
In the second innings, Sobers ran out of partners and was left unbeaten on 95. His masterful displays with the bat helped the West Indies secure a draw. That was also the match in which he reached 6000 Test runs.
3. Steven Smith (Australia)
- 111 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, and Mitchell Marsh scored centuries that powered Australia to 649/7d and set them up for victory. Pat Cummins sparkled as he led the bowling effort with twin four-wicket hauls.
However, the biggest story of that Test was Steve Smith’s 83 from 158 balls. The tally made him the joint-second fastest batter to reach 6000 Test runs. He equalled Garry Sobers on 111 innings.
4. Wally Hammond (England)
- 114 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
Hammond is one of the early masters of the game, alongside WG Grace, Jack Hobbs, and Don Bradman. And like the trio of Grace, Hobbs, and Bradman, he is one of the greats.
Therefore, it is no surprise that he is this high on this list. Hammond enjoyed a fruitful 85-match Test career, which featured 22 centuries and four half-centuries.
One of those 50s came in December 1938 against South Africa. That half-ton, a third innings 58, helped him cross the 6000-run mark in Test cricket.
Also read – Is Wiaan Mulder’s 269 the most runs in a single day of Test cricket?
5. Len Hutton (England)
- 116 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
England was in trouble the moment they walked out to bat. They lost five wickets for less than 100 runs and were bundled out for 170 as they attempted to reply to the West Indies’ first innings total of 417.
The West Indies were wary of England’s batting prowess and did not want to leave them a manageable total, so they added 209/6d before asking Len Hutton and company to bat again.
The England captain, Hutton, made amends for his first innings score of 24 with a valiant 56. However, neither that nor Willie Watson’s century nor Peter May’s 69 could save the match for England.
The English lost that match by 140 runs. The only consolation for Hutton in that contest was the individual milestone he had registered: becoming the joint-fifth fastest batter to reach 6000 Test runs.
6. Ken Barrington (England)
- 116 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
When Barrington arrived at Lord’s for the Test against Pakistan in 1967, he was 12 years into his 13-year international career. The talented batter had 16 centuries to his name, but none had come from the Home of Cricket.
England was struggling on 5/1 when Barrington walked out to bat.
The right-hander steadied things with a 76-run second-wicket partnership with Eric Russell that was succeeded by a 101-run third-wicket stand with Tom Graveney. Barrington scored a masterful 148 from 310 balls to keep England in the contest.
The century got him close to 6000 Test runs, and he completed the journey with the 14 runs he managed in England’s second innings.
7. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
- 116 innings to reach 6,000 Test runs
Sri Lanka’s contest against England took place shortly after a disastrous tsunami had destroyed buildings, lives, and property. According to reporters of the time, the match became a sign of the spirit of renewal within Sri Lanka.
The hosts were put in to bat first and Mahela Jayawardene put the England bowlers to the sword.
He piled on an unbeaten 213 as Sri Lanka registered 499/8d. The tally would have been enough had the rains not curtailed England’s second innings, while they were following on.
The only consolation prizes that Sri Lanka walked away with were Jayawardene’s double century and Kumar Sangakkara going past 6000 runs with his 46 from 95 balls.
The innings made him the joint-fifth fastest batter to get there alongside Len Hutton and Ken Barrington.
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The post Revealed: Fastest to 6,000 Test runs – No. 1 reached the milestone it in almost 50 innings fewer than the other 6 appeared first on Cricket365.
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