Steven Smith is only the second batsman to get 1000-plus Test runs in four successive years, while his 20 hundreds during this period is the best ever (0:47)

When Steven Smith threaded another cover-drive for four to get to 112 at the WACA, he reached 1000 Test runs in a calendar year for the fourth successive year, a feat previously achieved only by Matthew Hayden. Hayden went past 1000 runs in five consecutive years from 2001 to 2005, but even he will agree that Smith's run from 2014 has been truly exceptional.

In each of these four years, Smith has scored 1000-plus runs at 60-plus averages, which makes him the first player to achieve this feat. Hayden averaged more than 60 in the first three years of his five-year streak, but in 2004 his average dropped to 43.19. Brian Lara and Kevin Pietersen are the only others to score 1000-plus runs at 50-plus averages in three successive years.

1000+ runs at 50+ averages in 3 or more successive years Batsman Years Steven Smith 2014, '15, '16, '17 Matthew Hayden 2001, '02, '03 Kevin Pietersen 2006, '07, '08 Brian Lara 2003, '04, '05

Since the start of 2014, Smith has scored 4826 runs at an average of 74.24, including 20 hundreds. These stats are among the best by any batsman over a four-year period. In terms of runs scored in four successive calendar years, Smith is in fourth place, behind Ricky Ponting and a pair of streaks by Hayden during his best years. Smith has a maximum of three more innings to go in 2017, which means he might climb even higher up the list.

Most Test runs in 4 consecutive calendar years Batsman Years Runs Ave Ricky Ponting 2003-06 5077 72.52 Matthew Hayden 2001-04 4986 61.55 Matthew Hayden 2002-05 4975 58.52 Steven Smith 2014-17 4826 74.24 Ricky Ponting 2002-05 4808 68.68

In terms of averages in a four-year period, Smith currently averages 74.24, which is the best. Ponting averaged 72.52 in the 2003-06 period, while Kumar Sangakkara averaged 72.27 between 2007 and 2010. Steve Waugh and Jacques Kallis are the others in the top five.

Highest Test averages in 4 consecutive years (Min 3000 runs) Batsman Years Runs Ave 100s Steven Smith 2014-17 4826 74.24 20 Ricky Ponting 2003-06 5077 72.52 19 Kumar Sangakkara 2007-10 3180 72.27 12 Steve Waugh 1993-96 3064 71.25 8 Jacques Kallis 2004-07 4129 71.18 16

And in terms of Test centuries, no batsman has scored more than Smith's 20 in a four-year period; Hayden and Ponting have 19 in four-year periods. Smith has already reached 22 Test centuries in his career in just 108 innings, which is third-fastest of all time, next only to Don Bradman (58 innings), and Sunil Gavaskar (101). Sachin Tendulkar got there in 114.

Most Test 100s in a 4-year period Batsman Years 100s Steven Smith 2014-17 20 Matthew Hayden 2001-04 19 Matthew Hayden 2002-05 19 Ricky Ponting 2003-06 19

Smith's average of 74.24 since the start of 2014 is the best by any batsman during this period, even with a 300-run cut-off. (There are 132 batsmen who qualify with this cut-off.) With a higher cut-off of 2000 runs, the top four are the four most talked-about batsmen today. Even among them, though, Steven Smith is on another level.

Top Test averages since Jan 2014 (Min 2000 runs) Player Mat Runs Ave 100 SPD Smith 43 4826 74.24 20 KS Williamson 34 3420 64.52 13 V Kohli 41 3761 58.76 15 JE Root 48 4530 58.07 11 Azhar Ali 31 3048 54.42 10

With inputs from Shiva Jayaraman