Steve Smith took his 197th catch in Test cricket on Thursday (February 6) against Sri Lanka, breaking an Australian record.
On day one of the second Test between the sides in Galle, the hosts elected to bat first in opener Dimuth Karunaratne's 100th and final Test match.
Pathum Nissanka departed early, before Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal put on 70 runs for the second wicket. But Karunaratne's dismissal triggered a middle-order slide from 101-2 to 150-6.
Match 2nd Test, Sri Lanka vs Australia
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Steve Smith was in the game at first slip when he pouched a regulation chance off the bowling of Travis Head to dismiss Kamindu Mendis – his 196th catch in Test cricket, level with Ricky Ponting for the most by an Australian outfielder (non-wicketkeeper).
He didn't have to wait long to break the former skipper's record. In the evening session on day one, Prabath Jayasuriya nicked a delivery from Mitchell Starc, and Smith dived low to his left at slip to hold on – number 197, and out on his own for the most catches taken by an Australian outfielder.
Smith still has a shot of breaking the all-time record, which is held by Rahul Dravid with 210 catches. Contemporary Joe Root, currently on 207, will almost certainly get there first though.
Most outfield catches in Test cricket: Steve Smith overtakes Ricky Ponting
| Player | Team(s) | Matches | Catches |
| Rahul Dravid | ICC/IND | 164 | 210 |
| Joe Root | ENG | 152 | 207 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | SL | 149 | 205 |
| Jacques Kallis | ICC/SA | 166 | 200 |
| Steve Smith | AUS | 116 | 197 |
| Ricky Ponting | AUS | 168 | 196 |
| Mark Waugh | AUS | 128 | 181 |
| Alastair Cook | ENG | 161 | 175 |
| Stephen Fleming | NZ | 111 | 171 |
| Graeme Smith | ICC/SA | 117 | 169 |
| Brian Lara | ICC/WI | 131 | 164 |
| Ross Taylor | NZ | 112 | 163 |
| Mark Taylor | AUS | 104 | 157 |
| Allan Border | AUS | 156 | 156 |
Most outfield catches across international formats, full list
Across international formats, Smith has taken 324 catches, the second-most of any active outfielder behind Virat Kohli (327). Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene is the only player to have taken over 400 outfield catches.
| Player | Team(s) | Matches | Catches |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Asia/SL | 652 | 440 |
| Ricky Ponting | AUS/ICC | 560 | 364 |
| Ross Taylor | NZ | 450 | 351 |
| Jacques Kallis | Afr/ICC/SA | 519 | 338 |
| Rahul Dravid | Asia/ICC/IND | 436 | 335 |
| Virat Kohli | IND | 543 | 327 |
| Steve Smith | AUS | 348 | 324 |
| Joe Root | ENG | 356 | 310 |
| Stephen Fleming | ICC/NZ | 396 | 306 |
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