Ashes: From Smith to Lyon, top Australian stars on milestone hunt

Perth [Australia], November 19 (ANI): Several Australian stars, including Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon, have milestones to chase and charts to climb as they take on England in their first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium in Perth from Friday onwards.
Smith, Lyon, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Starc are on a milestone hunt ahead of the first Test.
Smith, who is captaining the Aussies in the Perth Test, has plenty of records to chase, be it the 4,000 Ashes runs, 11,000 Test runs and 18,000 international runs. As someone who saves his best for the Ashes, it would not be surprising if Smith gets to all these milestones within this five-match series.
In 37 Ashes Tests, Smith has made 3,417 runs at an average of 56.01, with 12 centuries and 13 fifties in 66 innings and a best score of 239. He is the third-highest Ashes run-getter of all time, behind Australia's Don Bradman (5,028 runs in 37 Tests with 19 centuries) and England's Jack Hobbs (3,636 runs in 41 Tests with 12 centuries), and 583 runs could take him to the 4,000 Ashes run-mark.
The star batter is also Australia's fourth-highest run-getter in Tests, with 10,477 runs in 119 Tests and 212 innings at an average of 56.02, with 36 centuries and 43 fifties. He needs 423 runs to reach the 11,000 run mark and become just the third Aussie to do so after Ricky Ponting (13,378 runs in 168 Tests) and Allan Border (11,174 runs in 156 Tests).
Currently at the fifth spot in Australia's all-time run-getters across all three formats, Smith will need 629 runs to crack the 18,000 run mark, having made 17,371 runs at an average of 47.59 in 356 matches, with 48 centuries and 83 fifties in 421 innings. Ponting is Australia's top run-getter with 27,368 runs in 559 matches with 70 centuries.
Lyon, the side's premier spinner, is just eight wickets away from being only the fifth Aussie and their second spinner to join 600 international wickets. He is currently at 592 scalps in 170 matches at an average of 30.95, with best figures of 8/50, 24 fifers and five ten-wicket hauls.
The veteran spinner is just one wicket away from becoming Australia's second-highest wicket-taker in Tests, currently at 562 runs in 139 matches at an average of 30.14, with 24 fifers and five fifties. Shane Warne (708 wickets in 145 matches) is the top wicket-taker for Australia in Tests.
Also, the left-hander Travis Head is 37 runs away from 4,000 Test runs, having made 3,963 runs in 60 Tests and 101 innings at an average of 41.71, including nine centuries and 20 fifties and best score of 175.
The milestones of 5,000 Test runs and 7,000 international runs could also come for Marnus if he continues performing the same way he did in recent domestic outings for Queensland across the Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup.
In 58 Tests, Labuschagne has scored 4,435 runs at an average of 46.19, with 11 centuries and 23 fifties in 104 innings. He needs 565 runs to reach this landmark. He also needs 692 runs to reach the 7,000 international run mark, with 6,308 runs in 125 matches and 163 innings, at an average of 13 centuries and 35 fifties, and a best score of 215.
Opener Usman Khawaja, who has not been in his best form this year, needs 152 runs to reach 8,000 international runs. So far in 133 matches and 200 innings, he has scored 7,848 runs at an average of 42.65, with 18 centuries and 40 fifties and a best score of 232. His best has come in Test cricket, having made 6,053 runs in 84 matches and 152 innings at an average of 43.86, with 16 centuries and 27 fifties.
Also, pacer Starc is three wickets away from completing 100 Ashes wickets. In 22 Ashes Tests since his series debut in 2013, he has taken 97 wickets at an average of 27.37, with best figures of 6/111, four five-wicket hauls to his name.
Australia's squad for the first Ashes Test: Steve Smith (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster. (ANI)