When Steve Smith is at his best, his hands make the sweetest sound when making contact with the ball, and it has been no different this summer as the Australian star closes on another record.
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But for all the talk of the champion finding his hands again when it comes to batting, with that yet to ring true in two Tests to date, the sound referred to in this instance relates to his catching in the slips.
Having started the summer seeking to become just the fourth Australian to score 10,000 Test runs, Smith is instead on the verge of a different landmark moment in his glittering career.
The 35-year-old, who requires another 296 runs to join the 10,000-run club after a lean start to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, appears certain to overtake Ricky Ponting’s record for Test catches taken by Australian fielders by the end of the summer.
Smith has taken five catches already in the first two Tests to take his career tally to 188 and needs to secure only another nine catches to overtake the Australian mark held by Ponting of 196.
The Sydneysider is also within range of the overall record held by Indian champion Rahul Dravid, who took 210 catches in 164 Tests at a rate of .697 catches per innings.
Former Australian great Adam Gilchrist, who stood alongside several fine slips fieldsman including Fox Cricket expert analyst Mark Waugh in his career, is far from surprised given Smith’s skillset.
Fox Cricket’s Adam Gilchrist joins the Follow On Podcast to review Australia’s scintillating 2nd Test victory over India in Adelaide. LISTEN BELOW
Gilchrist told Fox Cricket’s podcast The Follow On that Smith, who has a reputation for working exceptionally hard in the nets on his batting, is no less diligent when it comes to honing his skills in the field.
“He just has very soft hands and is very relaxed, but it is mainly the body position and the body height,” Gilchrist said.
“You look at replays and Steve Smith’s hands are down really, really low and he is just in a really good position and he has just got outstanding reflexes.
“But I just love the way the ball sounds going into his hand. If you do watch the warm-up, or do see them practice, it is just a deep, soft sound. He is naturally gifted, but don’t underestimate how much they work at it.”
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The record of Smith in terms of catches per innings is superior to the entirety of the top 50 aside from former Australian player and coach Bob Simpson, who took 110 catches in 64 Tests at an average of .94 catches per innings.
Smith, whose average is .89 catches per innings, has played 57 fewer Tests than Ponting (.597) but is likely to reel him in by the Sri Lankan tour at the end of summer at the latest.
He passed Waugh, who took 181 catches in 128 Tests at an average of .738 per innings, last summer and Gilchrist said there were similarities between the pair.
“I think he stays low, so his technique is really good and he gets himself in a really nice position,” Gilchrist told The Follow On.
“Just by very subtle little movements and staying low and staying at a certain height, he gets the eyeline right. He does remind me a lot of Mark Waugh in the way he caught at second slip.”
TOP 10 LIST OF CATCHES TAKEN IN TEST CRICKET
PLAYER MATCHES CATCHES AVE (per innings)
1. Rahul Dravid (India) 164 210 .697
2. Joe Root (England) 151 207 .721
3. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) 149 205 .759
4. Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 166 200 .934
5. Ricky Ponting (Australia) 168 196 .597
6. Steve Smith (Australia) 111 188 .89
7. Mark Waugh (Australia) 128 181 .738
8. Alastair Cook (England) 161 175 .583
9. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) 111 171 .859
10. Graeme Smith (South Africa) 117 169 .751
Source: ESPN Cric Info
While catches win matches, Smith will be keen to make a significant imprint in his pursuit of 10,000 runs at the Gabba given his run of outs to date this series.
After making a duck and 17 in Perth, the New South Welshman fell for 2 in Adelaide when getting a fine edge of a ball that was going down leg-side as he seeks to join Ponting (13,378 at 51.85), Allan Border (11,174 at 50.56) and Steve Waugh (10,927 at 51.06).
He is yet to strike a boundary for the summer and has averaged just 23.20 in his seven Test appearances so far in 2024, with his only half-century coming in Brisbane in January.
But Cummins is confident “another big score” is just around the corner for the No.4, who has made 9,704 runs at an average of 56.09.
“You look at his record (and the) stats would suggest (runs) are not far around the corner,” Cummins said.
“In particular this year, he’s looking fantastic in the nets. (He is) just looking really sharp (and) looking like he’s got plenty of time doing all the right things like he always does.
“He got caught down the leg side last game. I don’t know (how) you can look into that too much, so I’m sure a big score’s just around the corner.”
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