Steve Smith added three spectacular catches to his Test tally, moving past the previous record for a non-wicketkeeper.
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Long before Steve Smith, the batter dominated cricket discussions; his fielding had amazed critics, experts, and fans. On the third day of the first Test between South Africa and Australia, spectators got another glimpse of Smith’s fielding brilliance. He has already taken three stunning catches on Day 3. The first was to dismiss Temba Bavuma, the 220th catch of Smith’s Test career.

Bavuma’s catch was an example of Smith’s remarkable anticipation, reflexes and presence of mind. Bavuma was looking to go for a reverse sweep. Smith had already started moving before the shot was played. That allowed him to be in the perfect position when the catch arrived, and Smith seldom drops such chances. It was the 64th time that Smith had taken a catch off Nathan Lyon’s bowling, a highly successful partnership for the Aussies.
The 221st catch of Smith’s career came off Cummins’s bowling. Cummins bowled a back-of-a-length ball on the off-stump line that bounced a bit awkwardly. David Bedingham pushed at the ball with minimal foot movement, and it flew off his outside edge towards the gap between the first and second slip. Smith was quick to react, as he dived to his left and took a stunner. And with that, he became the player with the most catches in Test as a non-wicketkeeper. He went past Joe Root to sit on top of the list, 31 days after the English cricketer made the record his. Smith now leads an illustrious list that includes Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Mark Waugh, names that have defined slip catching over the years.
Players with the most catches as an outfielder in Test cricket. (HT Digital)Smith did not stop after that second catch. The sharpest catch came off Lyon’s bowling to dismiss Verreynne. Once more, another batter tried to play a reverse sweep. This time, the ball connected with the bat better, and Smith had little time to react. He dived to his right and took a one-handed stunner, showcasing his extraordinary dexterity. Even Marnus Labuschagne was left amazed by the effort. His voice could be heard on the stump mic after the catch, saying, “Oh my God!!! Smudge. Oh my God!!!”
Talking about the match, Matt Renshaw carried Australia's batting effort. At one stage, they were struggling at 124/6. But Renshaw put on a resolute show and, along with the lower order of the team, guided Australia towards a formidable total. While Renshaw’s innings ended at 190, Australia managed to post 390 runs on the board.
South Africa lost Rickelton early in their innings. However, after that, Bedingham and Markram showed some resilience. But the Aussies came back with three wickets while conceding only 15 runs. Since then, even though South Africa have tried to fight back, Australia have maintained a firm grip on the game.
Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it. Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences. Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport. He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.Read More
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