Is Steve Smith the best slip fielder? Rating the very best shut catchers in Take a look at Cricket historical past

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• s Steve Smith took his 221st Take a look at catch on Sunday, probably the most by any non-wicketkeeper in Take a look at historical past. 
• Mark Waugh heads our listing of the best slip fielders, with 181 Take a look at catches in 128 Exams. 
• Mahela Jayawardene's 440 worldwide catches are probably the most by a non-wicketkeeper throughout codecs.

Steve Smith passes Joe Root to take the Take a look at catching file

Slip catching hardly ever will get the eye that batting and bowling do. Nonetheless, on Sunday, a few catches in Durban put the craft in entrance of everybody.

Steve Smith dived on the first slip to take away David Bedingham off Pat Cummins on day three of the Take a look at in opposition to South Africa. It confirmed his agility and excellent reflexes as he plucked the ball out of the air.

That was his 221st Take a look at catch in his 126th Take a look at. It took him previous Joe Root, who has 220 from 169 Exams. Smith's 220th had come a number of moments earlier, a pointy response catch to dismiss Temba Bavuma off Nathan Lyon. The South African had reverse-swept, however Smith judged his intentions early and adjusted his place to make that catch look easy. 

Nonetheless, the very best of the lot was the one-handed catch that dismissed Kyle Verreynne. The batsman hit that along with his would possibly, however Smith's elegant response helped him seize it and full a sensational catch within the cordon. The Take a look at remains to be in progress, so the depend can nonetheless rise.

Followers had been elated on social media as the previous Australian captain pulled off three tough catches and tilted the match in his staff's favour. 

@thewobbleseam wrote: "Steve Smith's nice catch in right this moment’s match. South Africa vs. Australia | Take a look at Cricket 🏏."

Steve Smith's nice catch in right this moment’s match. South Africa vs. Australia | Take a look at Cricket 🏏 https://t.co/odlYf3HEWO

— The Wobble Seam (@thewobbleseam) 6

@TUnlimitedd analysed and wrote: "This video sums up how a lot Steve Smith is engrossed and targeted on the sport. His anticipation is value watching. There’s a tendency for gamers to modify off only for a bit and when a possibility comes their method they shell a catching alternative."

This video sums up how a lot Steve Smith is engrossed and targeted on the sport. His anticipation is value watching. There’s a tendency for gamers to modify off only for a bit and when a possibility comes their method they shell a catching alternative. https://t.co/wO2QeFs3LQ

— Troll cricket unlimitedd (@TUnlimitedd) 6

@Neyfiction wrote: "We’re witnessing greatness courtesy of Steve Smith."

We’re witnessing greatness courtesy of Steve Smith https://t.co/PqTmtb0jQA

— ARNOLD (@Neyfiction) 6

@stevensmithclub added: "STEVE SMITH IS AN ALL TIME GREAT SLIP FIELDER. 🐐🔥One other day, one other reminder that the GOAT is constructed totally different. The person is elite in each division! 😮‍💨".

STEVE SMITH IS AN ALL TIME GREAT SLIP FIELDER. 🐐🔥 One other day, one other reminder that the GOAT is constructed totally different. The person is elite in each division! 😮‍💨 https://t.co/SQVQgwPJww

— Honey (@stevensmithclub) 6

Whereas, @Shanks63331148 made a comparability with Joe Root and wrote: "Present me ONE catch like this from Joe Root in these 221 catches. I’ll wait. 😭 Glenn Phillips is a gun fielder, little doubt, however he’s nonetheless not on Steve Smith’s degree. And these are just some of absolutely the screamers Smith has pulled off. #SAvAUS."

Present me ONE catch like this from Joe Root in these 221 catches. I’ll wait. 😭 Glenn Phillips is a gun fielder, little doubt, however he’s nonetheless not on Steve Smith’s degree. And these are just some of absolutely the screamers Smith has pulled off. #SAvAUS https://t.co/ZlVVaMLLsq

— Charlie (@Shanks63331148) 6

The file raises an previous query. Who’s the very best slip fielder the sport has seen? The cordon is the place Exams are sometimes determined, and one dropped edge can undo a bowler's plan.

Listed below are 5 who outlined the place throughout totally different eras, adopted by 4 extra value a point out.

The best slip fielders in worldwide cricket historical past

Mark Waugh

Waugh took 181 catches in 128 Exams and one other 108 in 244 ODIs, a complete of 289. He stood at second slip to the quicks and at foolish level to the spinners. After Mark Taylor retired, he moved to first slip for the spinners. He handed Taylor's Take a look at file of 157 within the 2001 Ashes.

Former wicketkeeper Darren Berry referred to as Waugh the very best slip fielder he had seen. Berry mentioned Waugh stayed relaxed when the sting got here, stored his fingers behind the road of the ball and let it settle into tender fingers. 

Rahul Dravid

Dravid took 210 catches in 164 Exams and 196 extra in ODIs, a complete of 406. He was the primary man to achieve 200 Take a look at catches and went previous Waugh's non-wicketkeeper file in 2009. Fifty-five of his Take a look at catches got here off Anil Kumble and 51 off Harbhajan Singh, which is an instance of simply how a lot "The Wall" mattered to the Indian Take a look at facet.

John Wright, who coached India from 2000, additionally referred to as Dravid the very best catcher he had seen. Wright mentioned India dropped three or 4 slip possibilities in his first Take a look at in cost. In accordance with him, it was Dravid's work on the first slip that basically helped with the staff's improved outcomes abroad.

Steve Smith

Smith's fee is the very best on this listing. He has 221 catches in 240 fielding innings, or 0.92 per innings. Root wanted 323 fielding innings to achieve 220, which works out to 0.68. Smith crossed 200 Take a look at catches in Galle in February 2025, and he now sits forward of Dravid (210) and Jayawardene (205).

He takes most of his catches at first slip to a tempo assault led by Cummins and a spinner in Lyon. That blend of bounce and switch exams a slip fielder's reactions in each instructions. At 126 Exams, he’s nonetheless including to the quantity.

Jacques Kallis

Kallis took 200 catches in 166 Exams and 131 extra in ODIs. He’s fifth on the all-time Take a look at listing, forward of Ricky Ponting's 196. The workload makes the determine extra spectacular, as a result of he additionally scored 13,289 Take a look at runs and took 292 wickets.

South Africa's slip cordon was probably the most reliable of its time. Kallis stood beside Graeme Smith for a lot of the 2000s, and the 2 held a gradual run of possibilities for South Africa by way of that interval.

Mahela Jayawardene

Jayawardene took 205 Take a look at catches in 149 Exams and 218 in ODIs. His 440 worldwide catches are probably the most by a non-wicketkeeper. He stood near the bat, slight and low to the bottom, and he moved shortly to both facet.

His hyperlink with Muttiah Muralitharan is the stand-out. Jayawardene performed 96 Exams alongside Murali, and the scorecard line "c Jayawardene b Muralitharan" appeared 77 occasions. 

Honourable mentions

Stephen Fleming took 171 catches in 111 Exams and 133 in ODIs. He’s New Zealand's most profitable fielder in each codecs. His fee of 0.859 catches per Take a look at innings is among the many highest of any fielder with 100 catches.

Graeme Smith took 169 Take a look at catches in 117 Exams and 105 in ODIs. He stood at first slip, with Kallis beside him, for South Africa. Solely a handful of fielders have taken extra Take a look at catches than he has.

Mark Taylor took 157 catches in 104 Exams and held the Take a look at file for a non-wicketkeeper when he retired. Fifty-one of these catches got here off Warne's bowling. His fee of 0.796 per Take a look at innings was among the many better of his period.

Mohammad Azharuddin took 105 Take a look at catches in 99 Exams and 156 in 334 ODIs. His ODI whole is larger than his Take a look at whole, which displays how a lot he fielded within the covers as effectively. His profile describes him as peerless within the subject, whether or not within the covers or at slip.

Why Waugh nonetheless leads on the energy of his friends' verdict

The numbers favour Smith. He takes 1.75 catches per Take a look at, the very best fee among the many 9 fielders right here, forward of Fleming (1.54) and Taylor (1.51). Waugh sits fifth by this measure with 1.41.

Uncooked charges tilt towards fielders who performed on pitches with bounce and carry. Dravid and Jayawardene took most of their possibilities on slower surfaces, the place the ball arrives low and the response time is shorter. Wright made this level himself when defending Dravid.

"Some critics have argued that almost all of his catches got here in opposition to spinners, which they are saying compares unfavourably to others like Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh," wrote the previous Indian coach in . "However I’d argue the job is tougher within the subcontinent. You get rather a lot much less time to see the ball. When there’s bounce within the wicket, like in Australia, you’ll be able to stand additional again. The ball would possibly come at you at a better velocity, however you get extra time to sight it."

Whereas Waugh's case rests on how the catches had been taken. Darren Berry ranked him on the high.

"Waugh, although, was the very best," he wrote. "He was relaxed however all the time able to swoop when an opportunity was introduced. He took them excessive, low and extensive.

"His stance was effectively balanced, his fingers as tender as butter. Australian bowlers, quick and gradual knew after they discovered the sting they had been in protected fingers with Waugh within the cordon."

Nonetheless, we are able to solely surprise what Wright and Berry might need to say about Smith's heroics, after the Aussie not solely statistically established himself as the best of all time, but in addition reached the milestone with a few catches of the very best calibre.