Steve Smith smiles after taking a stunner in slips to dismiss Dunith Wellalage in SL vs AUS 2025 1st ODI [Watch]

Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith clutched a stunning catch in the slips to send back Sri Lanka spinner Dunith Wellalage in the first ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, February 12. Renowned for his reflexes in the slip cordon, the ace batter made an addition to his stunning catalog of catches claimed over the course of his career.

Steve Smith, leading the team in the Sri Lanka tour amid Pat Cummins' absence, had a busy afternoon in the slip cordon with edges flying all over the place. The Sri Lankan batters could not deal with the new-ball onslaught by Spencer Johnson and Aaron Hardie as their pokes and nudges brought the outside edge into play.

Smith had taken solid catches in the slip cordon to send back Avishka Fernando and Janith Liyanage. However, he outdid himself when he plucked the ball out of thin air with a dive to seal Wellalage's dismissal off Matt Short's bowling.

The part-time off-spinner, coming around the wicket, challenged the left-handed batter with a flighted delivery around the off stump. The ball turned just a touch to make contact with the outside edge. Initially, it seemed like the ball would make it through the gap between the wicket-keeper and slip. However, Smith transferred his weight at the last moment and stuck his hand out in time to claim a one-handed stunner.

Have a look at the stunning catch right here:

Wellalage was dismissed for 30 runs off 34 deliveries to leave Sri Lanka at 122-6 in the 26th over. Smith's stunner broke the budding 67-run partnership the spinner had built with skipper Charith Asalanka.

Steve Smith had taken a one-handed stunner in slips during the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka too

Steve Smith recently created history by claiming his 200th catch in Test cricket during the second Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. He equaled Jacques Kallis' tally in the process to move to joint-fourth on the list.

The contest also included a brilliant catch by Smith to dismiss opposition skipper Dhananjaya de Silva off Matthew Kuhnemann's bowling on Day 3. On that occasion, the ace player had to react quickly to clinch the ball inches from the ground.