Mark Waugh said it was “one helluva catch”. Isa Guha labelled it “incredible”. Allan Border? “Freakish.”
Steve Smith took one of the greatest catches of his career on day four of the Gabba Test, lurching to his left at first slip and plucking the ball one-handed, just millimetres from the grass.
His victim was England No.8 Will Jacks, who had feathered the ball while trying to defend during the second session of the day.
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Smith’s extraordinary catch ended a partnership of 96 runs between Jacks and captain Ben Stokes, with the former departing for 41 after an impressive lower-order knock.
The catch also triggered a collapse, with Stokes (50), Gus Atkinson (3) and Brydon Carse (7) all falling within the next six overs as Australia cleaned up the English tail.
Steve Smith celebrates his incredible catch. Getty
The Australians bowled out England for 241 to ensure they required only 65 runs for victory.
They took just 10 overs to chase down the runs and did so with eight wickets in hand.
“He is an outstanding catcher, and that’s right up there [as] one of his best,” Michael Vaughan said on the Fox Cricket broadcast.
“The key for Steve Smith is to stay nice and low,” explained co-commentator David Warner.
“With Alex Carey behind the stumps … he can be blindsided there by his gloves.
“So what happens is he’s in this [low] position here, [feet] wide apart, he gets real low, and his reaction time is a fraction of a second … and he took a one-handed catch.
“It takes some serious skill to do it, but if one man can do it often, it’s Steve Smith.”
Australia’s acting captain also caught Atkinson and Carse to draw level with Indian legend Rahul Dravid on 210 Test catches.
England’s Joe Root (213) is the only player who’s taken more catches in Test cricket than Smith and Dravid.
But while Root has taken 213 catches from 160 Tests, Smith has racked up 210 from only 121 appearances. Dravid took 210 catches in 164 Tests.
Most Test catches
Joe Root (213)
Steve Smith (210)
Rahul Dravid (210)
Mahela Jayawardene (205)
Jacques Kallis (200)
Ricky Ponting (196)
Mark Waugh (181)
Alastair Cook (175)
Stephen Fleming (171)
Graeme Smith (169)