Steve Smith creates history in Darwin, equals Joe Root's world record in 124 Tests

Times of India Published Aug 15, 2026 Reviewed Aug 15, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Steve Smith equalled Joe Root's world record for most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test cricket by taking 218 catches in 124 Tests.

218 · catches124 · Tests

Steve Smith reached the record of 218 catches in 42 fewer Tests than England's Joe Root.

42 Tests · Tests

Steve Smith reached 218 catches 89 innings earlier than Joe Root.

89 innings · innings

Bangladesh scored 426 runs in their first innings, 67 runs ahead of Australia after Day 3.

426 runs · runs67 runs · runs

Hasan Mahmud took eight wickets in the match, including 6/55 in the first innings and 2/?? in the second.

8 wickets · wickets

Mehidy Hasan Miraz scored 65 runs before dismissing Steve Smith for 44.

65 runs · runs44 runs · runs

Josh Hazlewood claimed 6 wickets for 89 runs and reached 300 Test wickets, becoming the ninth Australian to do so.

6 wickets · wickets89 runs · runs300 wickets · wickets

Cameron Green and Alex Carey remained unbeaten at stumps, scoring 43 and 19 runs respectively.

43 runs · runs19 runs · runs

Steve Smith etched his name into the Test record books on Day 2 of the first Test against Bangladesh, equalling Joe Root's world record for the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper in Test cricket. Smith started the match with 215 catches and completed the landmark by taking three catches at second slip during Bangladesh's first innings.

He held on to edges from Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das to reach 218 catches in just his 124th Test.Smith matches Root's record in 42 fewer TestsSmith's achievement stands out for the speed with which he reached the landmark. The Australian has now taken 218 catches in 124 Tests, while England's Root needed 166 Tests to reach the same tally.

Smith also got there 89 innings earlier than Root.The two now share the top spot on the all-time list for most Test catches by a non-wicketkeeper.RankFielderTestsCatches1Steve Smith (AUS)1242182Joe Root (ENG)1662183Rahul Dravid (IND)1642104Mahela Jayawardene (SL)1492055Jacques Kallis (SA)166200Bangladesh put Australia in troubleBangladesh moved within six wickets of a historic Test victory over Australia after the hosts ended Day 3 on 161/4, still 67 runs behind Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 426.Hasan Mahmud continued his dominance, taking two wickets in the second innings after his 6/55 in the first, taking his match tally to eight.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz also made a crucial impact, scoring 65 before dismissing Steve Smith for 44 to further dent Australia’s hopes.Australia’s Josh Hazlewood claimed 6/89 and reached the milestone of 300 Test wickets, becoming the ninth Australian to achieve the feat.Cameron Green (43*) and Alex Carey (19*) remained unbeaten at stumps, but Australia face a huge task to overcome the deficit and set Bangladesh a competitive target.

Bangladesh are now firmly in control and eyeing one of the biggest Test wins in their history.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.

This article was originally published by Times of India ↗. citations.press indexes the source-backed facts above and links to the original. Something wrong? Corrections policy · Report an error