Steve Smith agrees with fellow Australian great Ricky Ponting on who is the greatest cricketer of all time.
Smith, who is still active, and Ponting are not only among the greatest players Australia have ever produced but also in the history of cricket.
Ponting played 168 Test matches for Australia and scored an impressive 13,378 runs during his legendary career, boasting a stellar average of 51.85.
He hit 41 Test hundreds and skippered his country.
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As for Smith, who captained Australia's triumphant Test against England to kick off this year's Ashes series, he is also an all-time great given his astonishing career.
The 36-year-old has over 10,000 Test runs and averages an incredible 55.82.
Considering their respective careers, Ponting and Smith's GOAT picks hold huge weight.
And they both agree that Jacques Kallis is the greatest cricketer ever.
Asked to name the greatest batsman of all time, Smith told the BBC: "I'd go Jacques Kallis. I think [the] greatest cricketer of all time," before adding: "Greatest batter of all time, probably Sachin Tendulkar."
Smith's GOAT claim about Kallis comes after Ponting called the South African icon the 'best cricketer who has ever played' the game.
“Jacques Kallis is the best cricketer who has ever played,” he explained during his appearance on The Howie Games podcast.
“I don’t care, I don’t care about everybody else.
“Jacques Kallis is the full stop for me. Thirteen thousand runs - 44 or 45 Test centuries and 300 wickets. He has had an amazing career. You can take 300 Test wickets, and you can score 45 Test centuries, but to do both feats at the same time is amazing. Jacques has done both.
“I think he’s the best and the most underrated because he’s not talked about very much at all. Probably because of his personality and his character. He’s not out there.
“He’s low-key, yeah. Hasn’t done much media work. So, he’s sort of one of those forgotten-about ones a little bit.”
As Ponting alluded to, Kallis scored a staggering 13,289 runs and registered 45 Test tons at an average of 55.37.
He also took 292 wickets, with a bowling average of 32.65.
The 50-year-old was a commanding ODI player, too, as he is the only player in cricket history to achieve the mark of 10,000 runs in Tests and ODIs each and more than 200 wickets in Tests and ODIs each.
Kallis was world cricket's premier all-rounder at the peak of his powers and is widely regarded as one of the GOATs of the sport, with Ponting and Smith holding him in high regard.
Topics: Cricket
Nasir Jabbar