Steve Smith breaks Australian record for most Test catches by a fielder
Sutherland District Cricket Club | February 07, 2025
When Steve Smith held a sharp chance to his left at second slip off Mitchell Starc late in the day yesterday, it was his 197th catch in Tests, going past Ricky Ponting’s previous record of 196 for the most catches by an Australian fieldsman in Test cricket. What is remarkable about this achievement is that Steve set the new record in his 116th Test, whereas Ponting played 168 Tests (taking his 196th catch in his 167th Test).
The leading catchers (non-w/k) for Australia are now:
Steve Smith 197 catches in 116 Tests
Ricky Ponting 196 catches in 168 Tests
Mark Waugh 181 catches in 128 Tests
In terms of catches per match played, the leading Australians are:
Bob Simpson 1.774 (110 ct in 62 Tests)
Steve Smith 1.698 (197 ct in 116 Tests)
Mark Taylor 1.510 (157 ct in 104 Tests)
In terms of catches per innings fielded, the leading Australians are:
Bob Simpson 0.940 (110 ct in 117 inns)
Steve Smith 0.895 (197 ct in 220 inns)
Mark Taylor 0.797 (157 ct in 197 inns)
For all countries, the leading catchers (non-w/k) are:
Rahul Dravid (India) 210 ct in 164 Tests
Joe Root (England) 207 ct in 152 Tests
Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) 205 ct in 149 Tests
Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 200 ct in 166 Tests
Steve Smith (Australia) 197 ct in 116 Tests
For all Australian Test players (now 471), the leading catchers are:
Adam Gilchrist 379 ct in 96 Tests
Ian Healy 366 ct in 119 Tests
Rod Marsh 343 ct in 95 Tests
Brad Haddin 262 ct in 66 Tests
Steve Smith 97 ct in 116 Tests
For all international matches (i.e. Tests/ODIs/T20Is), the leading catchers (non-w/k) per innings fielded are (min 200 catches):
Steve Smith (Australia) 0.716 (324 ct in 452 inns)
Mark Taylor (Australia) 0.687 (213 ct in 310 inns)
Graeme Smith (South Africa) 0.643 (292 ct in 454 inns)
