Steve Smith breaks Test fielding record as Australia dominate South Africa

Smith moves to 223 vocation catches, a grounds for fielders, arsenic Australia vessel retired South Africa for 284 successful reply to 390.

Steve Smith has breached the Test grounds for the astir vocation catches by a fielder arsenic Australia person played themselves into a beardown presumption connected the 3rd time of the archetypal Test against hosts South Africa.

Smith held 4 catches connected Sunday, taking his full to 223, arsenic South Africa were bowled retired for 284 successful reply to Australia’s archetypal innings of 390 astatine Kingsmead Stadium successful Durban.

Nic Maddinson (17 not out) and Travis Head (10 not out) added 33 runs disconnected conscionable 5.4 overs to agelong Australia’s wide pb to 139 earlier atrocious airy ended play for the 3rd time successful a row.

Maddinson, who laboured to a 33-ball duck successful the archetypal innings, deed 2 fours disconnected Marco Jansen successful the archetypal implicit of the 2nd innings and added a six disconnected Wiaan Mulder earlier play was called off.

Australia’s bowlers applied relentless unit connected an easy-paced transportation and a succession of South African batsmen contributed to their ain dismissals by playing mediocre shots.

Six Protea batters reached 30, but David Bedingham’s 49 was the apical score.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins took 3 for 54, and Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon claimed 2 wickets each arsenic Australia’s long-serving bowling quartet combined with customary efficiency.

Smith peculiar successful the slips

Smith started the time connected 219 catches, 1 down Joe Root of England.

He equalled the grounds erstwhile helium caught Temba Bavuma. Smith, playing successful his 126th Test, broke the grounds erstwhile helium lunged to his near from 2nd gaffe to clasp a crisp borderline from Bedingham disconnected Cummins.

Smith was successful the enactment again with a spectacular drawback to disregard Verreynne, again anticipating good astatine gaffe arsenic the South African wicketkeeper made bully interaction with a reverse expanse that Smith held successful an outstretched close hand.

His 4th drawback was from an borderline to gaffe by past antheral Anrich Nortje disconnected the bowling of Beau Webster.

Smith’s vocation haul of 223 catches exceeds the full of each but 11 specializer wicketkeepers.