Gqeberha, Oct. 21 -- Australian batter Steve Smith on Wednesday became the third player from his country to reach 11,000 runs in Test cricket, joining Ricky Ponting and Allan Border in the elite list, during the ongoing second Test against South Africa at St George's Park in Gqeberha.

The veteran batter achieved the milestone during Australia's first innings, scoring 28 runs off 88 deliveries, including two fours. Smith is the 12th player overall to reach the 11,000-run mark in the longest format of the game. Ponting leads Australian batters list with 13,378 Test runs, followed by Border with 11,174.

Smith has also joined an elite group of batters to reach 11,000 Test runs in fewer than 230 innings. Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara holds th...