Australia’s Steve Smith has reached an impressive milestone in Test cricket. He has surpassed former captain Ricky Ponting to become the player with the most catches for Australia in Test matches.
Steve Smith reached this milestone during the ongoing second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia. The final match of the series is being held at the Galle International Stadium in Galle, which started on February 6th.
Steve Smith Breaks Ricky Ponting’s Catches Record in Test Cricket
Smith now has 197 catches in Tests for Australia, surpassing Ricky Ponting‘s record of 196. As the stand-in captain during the Sri Lanka tour, Smith took two catches in the innings, moving to the top of the list.
Steve Smith’s first catch was of Kamindu Mendis in the slips, sending the Sri Lanka batter back for 13. He then took a stunning low catch to dismiss Prabath Jayasuriya for a duck, giving Mitchell Starc his third wicket.
Over the years, Smith has been a top fielder for Australia, pulling off incredible catches throughout his career. Even in his late 30s, he’s still delivering his best for the team, which highlights his exceptional fitness.
Steve Smith is having an excellent tour of Sri Lanka. Under his captaincy, Australia dominated the first Test, winning by over 250 runs. Smith also played a key role by scoring his 35th Test century to help secure the win.
Key Catches Lead to Smith Surpassing Ponting’s Record
In the ongoing match, Australia took control on Day 1. After being asked to bowl first, the Australian team performed brilliantly with the ball, putting Sri Lanka under pressure and taking 9 wickets on the first day.
Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon each took three wickets, while Matthew Kuhnemann claimed two. Travis Head also took one wicket, leaving Sri Lanka at 229/9 at the end of Day 1.
Dinesh Chandimal was the top scorer for Sri Lanka with 74 runs, and Kusal Mendis remained not out on 59 off 107 balls. Several other Sri Lankan batters got starts but couldn’t build on them.
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