WEBVTT - Is Steve Smith the last batting legend?

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<v Speaker 1>From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Kristin Amiot.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Friday, January thirty one. Commissioner Karen Webb has defended

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<v Speaker 1>a decision by New South Wales Police to withhold information

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<v Speaker 1>about its discovery of a caravan packed with explosives for

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<v Speaker 1>more than a week.

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<v Speaker 2>This has a COVID investigation, an investigation that requires us

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<v Speaker 2>to go about our business without popromising investigation. There is

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<v Speaker 2>a time and a place that we need to inform

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<v Speaker 2>the community where there is a vista public safety. We

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<v Speaker 2>believe we've mitigated the public reason, but we need to

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<v Speaker 2>get on with the investigation and that's why that recurred.

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<v Speaker 1>The vehicle was abandoned on the side of a road

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<v Speaker 1>in Durall, in Sydney's northwest, containing enough explosives to create

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<v Speaker 1>a sizeable explosion. A note containing the addresses of a

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<v Speaker 1>synagogue and members of the city's Jewish community he was

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<v Speaker 1>also discovered. It hasn't been designated a terrorist incident, but

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<v Speaker 1>two people arrested on unrelated charges were in police custody

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<v Speaker 1>this week after posting on social media that they were

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<v Speaker 1>looking for a caravan. Jewish leaders say they understand the

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<v Speaker 1>need for clandestine investigations, but urged police to be more

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<v Speaker 1>transparent about community safety. In the wake of a spate

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<v Speaker 1>of anti Semitic attacks, a home next door to a

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<v Speaker 1>Jewish primary school in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs was vandalized with

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<v Speaker 1>anti Semitic graffiti on Wednesday night, an act condemned by

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<v Speaker 1>Prime Minister Anthony Albanizi on Thursday. This situation is moving quickly.

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<v Speaker 1>You can read the latest at the Australian dot com

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<v Speaker 1>dot au. Steve Smith needed just one run to reach

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<v Speaker 1>a coveted test cricket milestone when he stepped onto the

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<v Speaker 1>pitch at Gaul International Stadium in Sri Lanka. But not

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<v Speaker 1>content to leave it at that, the skipper put on

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred and forty one runs over two days, bringing

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<v Speaker 1>his career test total to just over ten thousand. The

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<v Speaker 1>question now is when we'll see this incredible feat again

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<v Speaker 1>and if it's likely to become a rarity. That's today's episode.

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<v Speaker 3>Nine ninety nine test runs? Can you get the last one?

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<v Speaker 3>Worse than being on ninety nine?

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<v Speaker 1>For Border?

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<v Speaker 4>It was historic standing ovation for Alan Border, the second

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<v Speaker 4>in history to achieve ten thousand runs ten grand reasons

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<v Speaker 4>why is one of.

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<v Speaker 3>The greats for war. It was a long time coming.

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<v Speaker 3>That was a eficit innex under pressure. You'll see none.

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<v Speaker 1>Better for ponting.

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<v Speaker 3>It was a relief. What's the best de riggy Ponting?

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<v Speaker 1>And when Steve Smith brought up ten thousand test cricket

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<v Speaker 1>runs in the first test of the Warnler Litteran Trophy,

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<v Speaker 1>it was deliverance.

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<v Speaker 3>There it is first Paul Smith, a landmark moment.

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<v Speaker 4>Steve Smith's to ten thousand test drums.

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<v Speaker 5>It's a pretty significant moment in any batter's career.

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<v Speaker 1>David Tanner is the Australian's Night Editor.

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<v Speaker 5>There have only been four Australians now who've got to

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<v Speaker 5>the mark, and only fifteen batters of across crickets one

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<v Speaker 5>hundred and forty five year history, so it's a big

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<v Speaker 5>number to reach.

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<v Speaker 1>The skipper had been left hanging one agonizing run short

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<v Speaker 1>of the milestone after he was bowled by Presid Krishna

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<v Speaker 1>at the SCG in the final test of the Border

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<v Speaker 1>Gavaskar Trophy. Do you think that Steve Smith will feel

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<v Speaker 1>differently about this because it's happened off home soil, and

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<v Speaker 1>in particular because he was quote unquote robbed of it

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<v Speaker 1>at the SCG or do you think he's just happy

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<v Speaker 1>to get there.

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<v Speaker 5>I'm sure he would have loved to have got the

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<v Speaker 5>runs on his home but you would have to think

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<v Speaker 5>any better that gets to ten thousand runs is going

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<v Speaker 5>to remember wherever it happened in the world, the moment

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<v Speaker 5>that it happened, and knowing Steve Smith is probably going

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<v Speaker 5>to also look at it as whether his innings helped

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<v Speaker 5>his team in the Test match.

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<v Speaker 3>Being quite the team player.

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<v Speaker 1>Steve Smith's effort in Sri Lanka makes him the equal

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<v Speaker 1>second fastest to record ten thousand Test cricket runs. He

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<v Speaker 1>did it in one hundred and fifteen Tests, for more

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<v Speaker 1>than West Indian Brian Lara. Of course, it's a feat

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<v Speaker 1>that might not have materialized at all thanks to a

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<v Speaker 1>Test cricket band placed on Smith following the sandpaper Gate

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<v Speaker 1>cheating scandal in twenty eighteen, Australia's cricket captain Steve Smith

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<v Speaker 1>being escorted out of South Africa with his career in tatters.

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<v Speaker 1>Smith and his former vice captain David Warner were banned

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<v Speaker 1>from international and domestic cricket for twelve months following the incident.

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<v Speaker 1>Where Cameron Bancroft was caught roughing up one side of

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<v Speaker 1>the ball with sandpaper.

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<v Speaker 5>It'd be interesting to know how many runs he might

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<v Speaker 5>have had had that not happened.

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<v Speaker 1>Smith and Warner were also slapped with additional leadership bands,

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<v Speaker 1>and many speculated Smith would never captain the Australian Test

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<v Speaker 1>side again, even after the official sanctions ran out. But

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<v Speaker 1>as current Test captain Pat Cummins sits this one out

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<v Speaker 1>due to the imminent arrival of his second child, Smith

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<v Speaker 1>is back in the skipper's seat, meaning he's not only

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<v Speaker 1>the fourth Australian to make ten thousand Test runs, but

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<v Speaker 1>the fourth Australian captain.

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<v Speaker 3>He's been the player of his generation at a moment.

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<v Speaker 4>Here that reinforces what a special career this has been.

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<v Speaker 1>David Tanner delved into the cricket archives to understand how

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<v Speaker 1>Steve Smith's rode to ten thousand Test runs compares to

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<v Speaker 1>that of his predecessors.

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<v Speaker 5>Certainly, the Border and Waw ones are very admirable, partly

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<v Speaker 5>because both of them happened on home soil. They both

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<v Speaker 5>got them in an SCG Test in Sydney. When Border

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<v Speaker 5>got to ten thousand runs, he was only the second

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<v Speaker 5>of any play out in cricket's history to reach the mark.

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<v Speaker 5>Sunil gavascar the Indian opener was the first one. So

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<v Speaker 5>border was joining a very select club back then.

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<v Speaker 4>Here's one hundred and twenty two behind Sril Gaviscar and

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<v Speaker 4>let you say he won't reach them in this city

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<v Speaker 4>Test much the prolonged deviation from the crowd and well deserved.

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<v Speaker 5>Steve Wars was a very emotional one because he had

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<v Speaker 5>a really rough year. He'd had a lot of substandard

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<v Speaker 5>innings for a long time and if I remember correctly,

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<v Speaker 5>there were even some people questioning whether he should keep

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<v Speaker 5>his place in the team despite his stellar career.

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<v Speaker 6>When you have a thirty five thirty six, when you

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<v Speaker 6>start the file or not do so well, people straight

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<v Speaker 6>away say well you too old, your past your best,

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<v Speaker 6>you should retire. And the fact that I was a captain,

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<v Speaker 6>I was fronting every press conference, it was something I

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<v Speaker 6>couldn't avoid, was that inevitable question are you retiring as

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<v Speaker 6>your formerly good? You know, are you going to be dropped?

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<v Speaker 6>So there's a lot of negativity going into the Test.

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<v Speaker 5>Match and he came to his home Test in Sydney

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<v Speaker 5>against England and desperately needed a good innings. Australia batted

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<v Speaker 5>on the opening day and war scored a century on

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<v Speaker 5>the first day. He reached his century with the last

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<v Speaker 5>ball of the day, which was what everybody remembers, but

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<v Speaker 5>it was a shot that got him to think it

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<v Speaker 5>was sixty nine runs earlier in his innings that was

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<v Speaker 5>the one that got him to the ten thousand mark.

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<v Speaker 5>But in a way, that innings has remembered more for

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<v Speaker 5>him finally breaking a long run of bad innings with

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<v Speaker 5>a century.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's Ricky Ponting's effort that bears the most resemblance

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<v Speaker 1>to Smith's.

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<v Speaker 5>He did his in the West Indies, a bit like

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<v Speaker 5>Steve Smith getting his in Sri Lanka.

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<v Speaker 3>It was a very small crowd in Antigua.

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<v Speaker 5>There were only about two thousand people at the ground

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<v Speaker 5>to witnessed this historic moment. But one of them was

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<v Speaker 5>viv Richards, the great West Indian batsman, who they were

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<v Speaker 5>playing at a ground that was named after Cyvivian Richards.

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<v Speaker 5>Richards never got to the ten thousand mark himself, but

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<v Speaker 5>at least there was someone noteworthy there coming up.

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<v Speaker 1>We ask if a cricket onslaught could make milestones like

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<v Speaker 1>this one less likely. There are few circumstances nowadays when

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<v Speaker 1>cricket fans are bereft of matches to watch. The Australian

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<v Speaker 1>men's Test side will play around a dozen Tests this year,

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<v Speaker 1>while the world champion women are in the middle of

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<v Speaker 1>a dominant multi format ashes campaign against England. Seventy four

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<v Speaker 1>to twenty matches will be played in the Indian Premier

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<v Speaker 1>League from March, and then the local Big Bash competitions

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<v Speaker 1>kick off at the tail end of the year. They

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<v Speaker 1>are World championship titles to be defended too, and in

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<v Speaker 1>a few short years cricket will return to the Olympics

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<v Speaker 1>following a hiatus of more than a century. But as

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<v Speaker 1>players diversify their portfolios, and as India's Viat Collie creeps

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<v Speaker 1>towards it, you have to wonder what becomes of that

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<v Speaker 1>ten thousand Test run milestone. And just lastly, David, On

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<v Speaker 1>the one hand, you've got players like Sam Constace who

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<v Speaker 1>are starting younger and building up an incredible number of

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<v Speaker 1>runs very early in the piece. But on the other hand,

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<v Speaker 1>the cricket calendar is so stacked now and the focus

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<v Speaker 1>on Test cricket maybe isn't what it once was. So

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<v Speaker 1>is there a possibility that ten thousand Test runs could

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<v Speaker 1>become a rarity?

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<v Speaker 3>I think it works both ways.

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<v Speaker 5>There certainly is a more packed cricket calendar than there

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<v Speaker 5>used to be, But if look at the list of

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<v Speaker 5>the fifteen people who got ten thousand, I mean Samuel

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<v Speaker 5>Gavisca was the first to do it.

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<v Speaker 3>I think it was in.

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<v Speaker 5>The nineteen nineties, so it was one hundred years of

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<v Speaker 5>cricket before anyone got there, which spoke to how much

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<v Speaker 5>more cricketers were already playing, say thirty years ago. Yes,

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<v Speaker 5>you now have t twenty and one day Internationals vying

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<v Speaker 5>for time, but there still seems to be a significant

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<v Speaker 5>amount of Test cricket being played, so I wouldn't think

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<v Speaker 5>it's going to be a rarity. But certainly with more

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<v Speaker 5>different types of cricket being played, there might be fewer

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<v Speaker 5>batters getting to the mark than there would have been

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<v Speaker 5>before TEA twenty and loll.

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<v Speaker 1>David Tanner is the Australian's Night Editor. The first Test

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<v Speaker 1>in the Warnmuerletteran Trophy continues on Friday. You can follow

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<v Speaker 1>all the action from Gaul at the Australian dot com

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<v Speaker 1>dot au