Smith\u2019s ridiculous catch sparks disbelief as Aussie breaks Test record<\/a><\/p>\nSteve Smith of Australia celebrates the catch once again this time for Kyle Verreynne (WK) of The Proteas during day 3 of the 1st Dafabet Test match between South Africa and Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on October 11, 2026 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Gerhard Duraan\/Gallo Images\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Mark Waugh sits among the finest slips fielders Australia has produced and the Kayo Sports\u2019 expert analyst said Smith\u2019s ability to read the play set him apart from others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what great fielders do. They can anticipate and they make something out of nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think some players have got it and some haven\u2019t, and Steve Smith\u2019s a great catcher. (It was) bread and butter for him, but he makes hard catches look easy, Steve Smith.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes he drops the odd easy one, but he catches a lot of really tough ones very easily, so he\u2019s a tremendous fielder and he\u2019s the best.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he saved his best for last to remove Verreyne, who had timed his bid at reverse-sweeping off the bowling of Lyon so sweetly he could not believe he had fallen.<\/p>\n
Nor could former South African fast bowler Vernon Philander, who was awe-struck by his skill.<\/p>\n
\u201cSteve Smith. You can\u2019t do that. That is not human. That is an unbelievable grab,\u201d Philander said. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou shouldn\u2019t be able to do that. Do not enter that region because there is a guy called Steve Smith. Wow, ladies and gentlemen, that is absolutely exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Catch controversy! Should it have stood? | 02:19<\/p>\n
CHAMPION AUSSIE QUARTET REACH CRAZY MILESTONE<\/p>\n
The band got back together against Bangladesh but in their third Test back after a sabbatical, Australia\u2019s champion quartet of bowlers were locked in and firing in sync.<\/p>\n
The top of the score sheet evidenced this, with Mitchell Starc, Lyon, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood all snaring a wicket before any of them had snared a second.<\/p>\n
In doing so, the quartet, who first banded together at the Gabba for the opening Test of the 2017\/18 Ashes series, surpassed 600 wickets as a combination, with the spread of wickets remarkably even.<\/p>\n
And they increased their lead on the next most successful quartet to almost 200 when rattling through the Proteas in the second session.<\/p>\n
They were helped by the magnificent hands of Smith and Lyon, in particular, will be delighted by the champion\u2019s sharp reflexes after a leaner series against Bangladesh.<\/p>\n
The record is a testament to their individual brilliance and collective greatness and the return to form of Lyon is important as well, according to former Australian batter Simon Katich.<\/p>\n
There is a tropical element to playing cricket in Durban at this time of the year, with the temperature 31C on Sunday, which is nine degrees above the October average.<\/p>\n
With the New South Wales spinner rolling through the overs, the Australians were able to rotate the three quicks in shorter spells to enhance their menace.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the beauty of Nathan Lyon,\u201d Katich said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can lock him in at an end when he is up and firing and the quicks can rotate in short, sharp bursts from the other end.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, left, celebrates with his teammate Nathan Lyon after taking a wicket of South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs on day three of the first cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Durban, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo\/Themba Hadebe)Source: AP<\/p>\n
Among the many talents of Cummins is his happy knack of snaring a wicket against the tide and the Australian captain was able to strike at critical times on Sunday.<\/p>\n
It was Cummins who denied David Bedingham a half-century when inducing a thick edge that flew to Renshaw in the slips when the Proteas No.3 was on 49.<\/p>\n
Then, with Tristan Stubbs and Wiaan Mulder establishing a solid middle-order partnership, it was Australia\u2019s captain fantastic who adjusted his tactics and drew both into false strokes.<\/p>\n
Mindful the pitch was almost two-paced, with an area in the middle offering uncertain bounce, Cummins started peppering the middle-order pair with short balls.<\/p>\n
It proved the trick, with Mulder\u2019s mistake looking particularly lamentable as he shaped to hook before trying to pull out at the last moment in what was an awkward dismissal.<\/p>\n
Former South African quick Vernon Philander was full of praise for the Aussie captain, saying that his deeds with the ball were critical to the tourists seizing the initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a fantastic, surprise bouncer from Cummins,\u201d he said of the dismissal of Mulder. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe has the ability to bowl those quick sharp bouncers and that is a massive wicket in the context of this game. South Africa was starting to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
The South Africans will rue their inability to string partnerships together once settled, particularly given a couple of horror shots contributed to dismissals.<\/p>\n
Just as Australia looked rusty against Bangladesh in Darwin in August when playing a Test for the first time in eight months, the South African batters struggled to find the right tempo.<\/p>\n
Rust has to be a factor in that, with the Proteas playing their first Test since the fabulous series win in India last November.<\/p>\n
Renshaw reflects on stunning 190 | 10:11<\/p>\n
PROTEAS FAIL RENSHAW EXAM<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s batter clearly did not play close enough attention during Matt Renshaw\u2019s marathon 190.<\/p>\n
Openers Ryan Rickelton (0) and Aiden Markram (37) as well as No.3 David Bedingham (49) all edged Australia\u2019s champion fast bowling trio into the slip cordon, playing at deliveries that would not have hit the stumps.<\/p>\n
While Wiaan Mulder (30) was caught in two minds against a Pat Cummins short ball and only succeeded in lobbing the simplest of catches to substitute fielder Cooper Connoly at square leg.<\/p>\n
In Cummins\u2019 next over, Tristan Stubbs (32) was undone by a bouncer too, topping edging a pull shot to fine leg.<\/p>\n
\u201cHave they made the Australians work for their wickets as much as Matt Renshaw did yesterday? I\u2019d say no,\u201d former Australian batter Simon Katich said on commentary.<\/p>\n
On days one and two Renshaw owned the channel outside off stump, leaving balls that he did not need to play at expertly.<\/p>\n
When Australia\u2019s bowlers took ownership of that same line on Sunday, it highlighted a glaring contrast in new age batting versus old school principles against fast bowling.<\/p>\n
Renshaw\u2019s epic was a testament to Test cricket of a previous era, even if his effective use of the reverse sweep against the spinner was out of a modern play book.<\/p>\n
As well as leaving the ball diligently, the left-hander accumulated runs when the South African got too straight with their lines and shelved the pull shot under a short ball siege until he was well and truly in three figures.<\/p>\n
It was an innings that the tourists had been crying out for after a plethora of batting collapses and it also highlighted an unusual trend in recent Australian Test squads.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s batting order has been like a cat on a hot tin roof of late, with players jumping around constantly within the top seven.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s hierarchy has been unable to solve their issues at the top of the order, however, with 11 different opening pairings – including Scott Boland acting as a nightwatchman in last year\u2019s Boxing Day Test – being used since David Warner retired in early 2024.<\/p>\n
Renshaw was initially recalled to blunt the new ball, having opened against Bangladesh in Mackay in August, but his success at No.5 showcased a significant shift in Australian cricket.<\/p>\n
It used to be common place that players batted in the top four for their states and slotted into the middle order for the national team.<\/p>\n
Australia’s Matt Renshaw acknowledges the crowd after his dismissal by South Africa’s Simon Harmer on day two of the first Test match between South Africa and Australia at the Kingsmead stadium in Durban on October 10, 2026. (Photo by Marco Longari \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Michael Hussey opened the batting for Western Australia for a decade before donning the baggy green and forging a glittering career primarily in the middle order.<\/p>\n
Travis Head had a stint opening earlier in his career for South Australia and also spent considerable time at No.3 before taking up his place for Australia\u2019s further down the list.<\/p>\n
There have been many more examples of players exemplifying the adage that if you could bat in the top order at the level below, you could slot in anywhere at international level.<\/p>\n
But in recent times Australia have moved the likes of Cameron Green, Nathan McSweeney and Josh Inglis higher in the order than they usually bat at Shield level.<\/p>\n
Australia has had a clear lack of top order talent and if Renshaw\u2019s heroics remind the selectors that it is easier to slide down than to go up, it may be music to the ears of those battling the new Kookaburra for their states.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I think it\u2019s one of those that, having opened the batting for so much time, you get used to leaving the ball,\u201d Renshaw told Kayo Sports before play on day three in Durban.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was one of those where, especially the situation that we had, it was about trying to survive as long as I could.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut yeah, different challenges in there.<\/p>\n
\u201cBatting in the middle order, working out what\u2019s up to bat on was probably the tougher challenges and a lot of leaving.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got called boring by Josh Inglis this morning, so yeah it\u2019s just one of those ones that sometimes they felt like that was the one that was going to get me out, so I didn\u2019t feel like that was the option.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renshaw\u2019s success after tasting Test cricket as a 20-year-old following the Hobart crisis against South Africa in 2016, in the wake of Sandpapergate in 2018 and on the spinning surfaces of India in 2023 also offers hopes to those who have been tried recently have been discarded.<\/p>\n
The likes of McSweeney, Sam Konstas and Inglis should take the belief that you can grow as a player and find the perfect formula for success at the highest level.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, definitely. I think I had an opportunity in 2023 and sort of didn\u2019t take that with some tough tours,\u201d Renshaw said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut yeah, I think after that I just sort of had a look and went \u2018yeah, I want to try and play my cricket this way and not stress about if I\u2019m going to play for Australia again.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably wasn\u2019t thinking about playing for Australia again, never mind making a Test hundred. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo yeah, really special to sort of prove that what I\u2019m doing is working, the way that I\u2019m thinking about my life and my career is going really well.\u201c<\/p>\n
Matt Renshaw gives Australia hope v SA | 06:44<\/p>\n
WHERE TO NEXT FOR RENSHAW?<\/p>\n
Matt Renshaw\u2019s success at No.5 has seemingly given Australia more questions than answers.<\/p>\n
With Cameron Green set to return later in the series after scoring a century against Bangladesh from No.5 and Nic Maddinson\u2019s painstaking 33-ball duck on return from a decade-long absence from Test cricket, Renshaw may be redeployed as an opener.<\/p>\n
He was recalled to open the batting in the place of the axed Jake Weatherald in Mackay, but that lasted only one Test.<\/p>\n
Australian great Mark Waugh, who picked both Maddinson and Renshaw for their debuts against South Africa at the Adelaide Oval in 2016, believes there will not be a fourth straight Test with a different opening combination.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a right or wrong answer either, just quietly,\u201d he said on Kayo Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrilliant innings, by the way. Just a fantastic innings on a number of fronts.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think in the second Test, he\u2019ll bat five.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll give Maddinson another Test, so that won\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddinson will open in the second Test match,\u201d he added. \u201cNo doubt about that and Renshaw at five. We know that.<\/p>\n
Former Australian leg spinner Kerry O\u2019Keefe replied: \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a one-off thing with Maddinson. They\u2019re going to persevere.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey think he can do a job from the top of the order.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every Ball: Maddinson’s horrific return | 03:47<\/p>\n
Waugh also believes that Renshaw\u2019s success was not down to his place in the batting order, but the way he went about his innings.<\/p>\n
Australian captain Pat Cummins once said batting orders were \u201coverrated\u201d and this team have shown a willingness to shuffle around the order.<\/p>\n
That attitude could lead to Renshaw returning to the top – where he batted upon being recalled against Bangladesh in Mackay.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he can equally bat well in both spots, to be honest,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he bats like that opening, he\u2019ll make runs there as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably just depends on what balance the selectors want and who\u2019s in and out of form.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Marnus, for example, fails two or three times, that can change the whole dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Australian captain Alyssa Healy believes all-rounder Beau Webster may be \u201cin strife\u201d when Green is fit again.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps even before that because she said \u201cthey might look at two spinners in PE and Cooper Connolly comes into the frame\u201d.<\/p>\n
While Healy believes there could be a scenario where Marnus Labuschagne is put up to open the batting and Steve Smith returns to No.3.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll we can confidently say right now is whoever they pick at five makes runs. So whoever they need to find form should bat five,\u201d she said on Kayo Sports.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo now that Renshaw has made 190, just put him back up the order. Let\u2019s put Travis back down to five, get him into form. So that\u2019s the spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then they can go off into another position.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think Renshaw will end up back at the top of the order. In my mind, Travis Head needs to be back down at five.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Cam Green comes back, he bats four.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every Boundary: Renshaw’s marathon ton | 10:17<\/p>\n
AUSSIES MAY BE OLD… BUT YOUNGER REINFORCEMENTS ARE ON THE WAY<\/p>\n
Australia may be fielding its oldest team in almost a century, which follows an Ashes series where three members of its champion bowling quartet scarcely played due to injury.<\/p>\n
But the sight of Nathan Lyon, who suffered a severe hamstring injury at Adelaide Oval last December, sprinting along the boundary line and diving to save a boundary in the first session was an indication of the confidence he has in his body.<\/p>\n
The Aussies may be old. But in the infancy of a massive year of Test cricket, it is pleasing to see the stalwarts of Australian cricket currently in the rudest of health, even if there are question marks elsewhere.<\/p>\n
While the Australians are firmly on top, chatter about selection and batting orders is certain to continue in the lead-in to the Gqeberha Test in a week\u2019s time for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n
Chief among the talking points will be the fitness of both Cameron Green and Josh Inglis, who has returned to South Africa and joined his teammates before play on Day 3.<\/p>\n
There is an air of mystery surrounding the extent of time Green, who injured his abdomen when struck in the stomach in a one-day encounter, will be sidelined for.<\/p>\n
The Western Australian has done some work and with the Test a week away, the Aussies will be hoping that his progression to full health speeds up in coming days.<\/p>\n
The return of Inglis, who returned home after breaking a finger after the Zimbabwe white ball series, adds complexity to the conundrum as to who bats where and when for selectors.<\/p>\n
Renshaw\u2019s remarkable century at No.5 is a factor to consider, but if Nic Maddinson was flown to South Africa as a reserve and either Inglis or Green is fit, he will make way.<\/p>\n
The Fox Cricket panel of experts featuring Alyssa Healy, Mark Waugh, Brendon Julian and Kerry O\u2019Keeffe had contrasting thoughts as to what selectors will do, which is a pointer to the puzzle they are trying to solve in a team likely to arrive in Gqeberha in front.<\/p>\n
\u201cInglis is the next cab off the rank, right? But he\u2019s not an opener and he\u2019s not a three. They want Inglis back in,\u201d Julian said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s back over there at the moment now. He\u2019s running around and he\u2019s doing what he\u2019s got to do. He\u2019s saying, \u2018I am ready to come back in.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, he\u2019ll play wherever they want to, or wherever they put him. But are they going to open with him?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A vintage display from Steve Smith in the slips cordon and a fine performance from Australia\u2019s esteemed bowling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":924368,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-924367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/924368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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