On Day 3 (Saturday, February 8) of the second Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium, Australian captain Steve Smith delivered an exceptional diving catch to dismiss Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann claimed the wicket, bringing an end to Dhananjaya’s innings in Sri Lanka’s second innings.
Australia resumed their innings on Saturday morning at 3-330, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey and captain Steve Smith at the crease. The pair extended their partnership, adding 20 more runs before Prabath Jayasuriya broke through to dismiss Carey. Australia eventually finished their innings at 414, having batted for 106.4 overs, which handed them a 157-run lead over Sri Lanka.
Jayasuriya was the standout bowler, finishing with figures of 5 wickets for 151 runs. Sri Lanka began their second innings, and it didn’t take long for Australia to make an impact. In the 40th over, Matthew Kuhnemann delivered a ball to Dhananjaya de Silva, who attempted to defend but edged it to first slip.
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Steve Smith, standing in his usual position, made a brilliant diving catch to his right, grabbing the ball with one hand. The on-field umpires referred the decision upstairs, where the replay confirmed Smith’s catch was clean, and de Silva was dismissed for 23 runs off 46 balls. The catch quickly went viral on social media, with fans praising Smith’s athleticism.
OUTSTANDING from Steve Smith 😮
What. A. Catch. #SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/mVIJLZWbGI
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) February 8, 2025
Earlier in the match, Steve Smith had already reached another milestone, scoring his 36th Test century in his 116th Test. Smith’s 131-run knockoff 254 balls, which included 10 fours and a six, saw him equal Joe Root and Rahul Dravid’s record for the most Test centuries. He is now the second-fastest Australian to reach 36 centuries in Test cricket, with only Ricky Ponting ahead of him. Smith now has 10,271 runs in Test cricket at an impressive average of 56.74, with 41 fifties and 36 centuries to his name.
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As Sri Lanka responded to Australia’s first innings, Kuhnemann struck twice after lunch, removing Pathum Nissanka (8) and Dimuth Karunaratne (14), who was playing his final Test match. Nathan Lyon also contributed to Sri Lanka’s struggles by dismissing Dinesh Chandimal (12) and in-form Kamindu Mendis (14). However, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis steadied the innings with a vital partnership. By the end of the day’s play, Sri Lanka was 173/5, with Mathews unbeaten on 64 runs and Mendis on 28. Sri Lanka had a 15-run lead in their second innings.
