Top 10 Catches in Cricket: It all started when Allen Hill took the first catch in Test cricket, leaving a legacy for best fielders across the globe to follow. A few years back, I thought recognition and reputation are the words only used by lawyers to safeguard their clients, but cricket added more variety to the words.
Also check out: Best catches in ICC Cricket World cup 2019
From the moment Ben Stokes set the tone in the 2019 World Cup’s opening match, the standard of catching has been nothing short of startling. In an era when players are as fit, agile and athletic as they ever have been, they routinely perform amazing stunts to pull off the most entertaining and acrobatic catches.
Ben Stokes (England) v South Africa
In the World Cup opener, Ben stokes took things to the different level, producing a superhuman effort to catch Andile Phelukwayo at the deep mid-wicket boundary. A leapt in the air to align himself almost horizontally and caught the ball with his right hand arched over and forming a reverse cup. Simply breath-taking, and a moment in the World Cup that will be remembered for many years to come.
Sheldon Cottrell (West Indies) v Australia
After Steve Smith hit Thomas over backward square leg, Sheldon Cottrell sprinted a long way to his left and grabbed out his left hand to grab it in front of the boundary. Then, as his momentum carried him over the rope, he threw the ball in the air, stepped over the boundary and stepped back in to complete a mind-blowing effort.
Imran Tahir (South Africa) v Pakistan
Tahir produced a rare catch for South Africa. Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman had started well, but after dismissing the latter, Tahir struck again. Tossing one up to Imam, who charged down the ground before firmly driving it back at the bowler, Tahir got down low to his right in a flash, before taking off on another famous celebration
Martin Guptill (New Zealand) v Australia
Martin Guptill repeated his heroics to pull off a blinder at leg gully, after having dropped two chances. After Smith laid into a pull, the ball was travelling at breathtaking speed, but apparently not quickly enough to stop Guptill from diving to his left and sticking one hand out to stop it dead in its tracks.
Top 10 Catches in Cricket History
Every cricket nation has its superhero legends. India is the breeding ground of champion batsmen, Pakistan the biggest producer of speed merchants or South Africa, the holy hand of ferocious fielders, but when it comes to taking catches, every nation strike, when the iron is hot.
Best Catches in Cricket: In the last decade, the fielding and catching standards have gone on top. The blazing ball seems like a flying 100$ note in the air and fielders running to catch it at any cost. This is a perfect scenario. Modern cricket players are like corporate employees, always ready to convert half chances into opportunities. If you aspire to become a world-class fielder, Sportzcraazy has come up with top 10 best catches in Cricket history.
#1 When 120 KG Dwayne Leverock steeled the show dived to his right and took a stunner, dismissing Robin Uthappa
Top Ten Catches in Cricket: The ball brushed Robin Uthappa bat edge and flew towards Leverock like a tracer bullet. The hefty player took the unbelievable catch shocking the world and earning accolades from World-class batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Have a look at the catch.
#2 Corey Anderson dismissed Nathan Lyon by taking an incredible caught and bowled catch
The year was 2016. It was a juicy half volley, giving Nathan Lyon ample time to play a firm shot, but the shot flew inches about the ground towards Corey Anderson. He stuck out his left hand to catch the ball and rolled over like an acrobatic somersault taking a blinder. The commentators hailed the catch as the best caught and bowled catch forever. Have a look.
Read More: Best Wicket Keeper In Cricket
#3 Ricky Ponting dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar
Ricky Ponting has taken some brilliant catches in his career and one of the best came against India. Sachin Tendulkar cut through the backward point for a couple of runs and then went square off the next ball. Ricky Ponting, standing at backward point, leapt on his right-hand side and took a one-handed stunner to remove the master blaster.
https://youtu.be/gxtyVArAy2s
#4 When Kumar Sangakara took eye-popping catch to dismiss Ravi Bopara
Top Ten Catches in Cricket: Kumar Sangakara was a traditional batsman, but equally cheeky, nasty and innovative wicket-keeper, almost predicting the batsmen shot before the ball is played. In 2014 during an international match between Sri Lanka and England, Sangakara showed his brilliance by taking a last-minute improvised catch behind the stumps.
This time the prey was English batsman Ravi Bopara. Sangakara had the measure of the batsman. Bopara bent down to play a paddle sweep against Rangana Herath and guess what? Sangakara was already standing at the leg slip completely foxing the batsmen.
Watch the video below.
#5 Andy Bichel stunner against New Zealand
Top Ten Catches in Cricket: Australia way back in early millennium was like the Great Wall of China, almost impossible to surpass. The team of 11 gladiators, but there were some unsung heroes too. One of them was Andy Bichel.
His long bowling spells have won many matches for Australia, but this time the credit goes to his acrobatic catching skills. The year was 2005, the kiwis were playing against FICA world XI. New Zealand went on to a flier with all guns blazing, but the pivotal point of the match came after Kyle Mills was caught by Andy Bichel in the most heroic and flabbergasting way possible.
Bichel jumped and took the catch, just an inch behind the boundary rope, but lost his balance and crossed the ropes. He threw the air in the air behind the boundary lines and immediately regained the balance, completing the catch to send Mills back to the pavilion.
Also Check: Amazing Catches in IPL History that will Blow your Mind
The catch is a treat to the eyes, Watch below.
Best Catches in Cricket: The great thing about miracles is that they don’t happen every day. We salute the modern-day great, he was shrewd old fox type captain, always ready to sacrifice everything for the team. If I could write a book on him, it would be called “Take a bow”.
Spectators were always in awe of Ricky Ponting spectacular fielding. In 2003, Ricky Ponting was placed at forwarding short leg against during the Sydney test match in 2003. Tatenda Taibu was at the crease and Simon Katich was the bowler. Katich bowled the short ball and Taibu smashed it like hell towards the leg side.
The camera panned towards the mid-wicket, without realizing the ball was already caught by the punter at forwarding short leg. All the action happened in a split of a second, making every spectator jaw drop.
Watch the video below :
#7 Best Catches of Ashes
This incident took place in 2005 famous Ashes. The match was evenly poised. Shane Warne solid defence raised the eyebrows of the Englishmen propelling Michael Vaughan to bring his speed wizard Andrew Flintoff into play.
Flintoff produced a fiery ball angling into Shane Warne beating him with pace. The ball took the edge off the bat and went to Andrew Strauss in the second slip. Strauss missed the catch, the ball stayed low, the ball flew from Straus’s hands and was about to drop, until lightening Geraint Jones took the blinder bringing England back into the game. The match eventually ended in a stalemate with no team winning.
Read More: Best Fielders in The Cricket History
Watch the video below:
#8 When Kaushal Silva & Niroshan Dickwella camaraderie dismissed Younis Khan
Top Ten Catches in Cricket: As we know, Younis Khan is a hard nut to crack on his day and can really grind the bowlers. Unfortunately, it was just not his day, he looked off colour. During the 2nd test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the SSC ground in Colombo in 2014, something really astonishing happened.
Younis Khan was at the crease. He played a forward defense off Rangana Herath delivery. The ball brushed his boot and went to silly point. Kaushal Silva was quick the grab the ball and in an attempt to run out the batsman, he threw the ball off to the wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella hands. He took the catch easily.
The replay showed, the ball did not touch the ground and Younis Khan was declared out.
Top Catches by Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes was regarded as the superman in the South Africa squad before AB de Villiers came to the scene. Among many, and probably the best, of Rhodes’ stunners came in the 1999 cricket World Cup. This time, he flew upright but could only get his fingers to the ball. However, he showed amazing reflexes and completed the catch on the rebound while on his way down.
#10 Trent Boult sharp catch to dismiss Kieron Pollard
Top Ten Catches in Cricket: Keiron Pollard Caribbean style celebration after dismissing the batsmen has miffed various batsmen in the international circuit, but this time it was the other way around. He was getting the taste of his own medicine, during a T20 international match between the West Indies and New Zealand. He got out at midwicket by Trent Boult sharp catch.
It later proved to be the catch of the match. The approach was completely out of the box, making it one of the best catches of all time in the Cricket history.
