Top 5 Test run-scorers in 2017   

#1 Steven Smith - 1305 runs

Steven Smith is rapidly rising towards the pantheon of all-time batting greats

Going from strength to strength, Steven Smith finished 2017 as the leading run-scorer in Test cricket. From 11 matches in the calendar year, the Australian captain amassed 1305 runs at a sterling average of 76.76 with six centuries and three fifties. This is the fourth successive year wherein the unorthodox right-hander has scored more than thousand runs at an average of over 70. No batsman in the history of the game has managed to register this feat at an average of more than 50 in as many consecutive years.

Extra Cover: Best since Bradman - Why Steven Smith is on his way to batting immortality

The 2017 Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw Smith establish himself as the modern-day master of batting across myriad conditions. His tenacious second-innings century on an abrasive surface helped Australia surge to an unexpected triumph in Pune.

Even though the Aussies eventually went on to lose that series by a 1-2 margin, their captain emerged from the tour with his head held high. He had negated the dual threat of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to top the batting charts in a gruelling series on Indian soil. With a jaw-dropping tally of 604 runs from the first four Tests in the Ashes series, Smith also ended the calendar year on a sensational note.