As the modern cricket game progresses, we’ve seen a lot of innovation with bat, ball, and in the field as well. Today, we see players jumping all around and being super athletic on the boundary ropes, with relay fielding and relay catching a normal part of today’s game, especially in the shortest formats. Today, we saw another moment of brilliance.
It happened in the Big Bash League 2022/23 where there was a double header to celebrate New Year’s 2023. It was Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers as the second game of the day and Sixers were chasing 220+ when Heat’s Michael Neser pulled off one of the best outfield catches we’ve ever seen, in a crucial moment in the 19th over of the chase.
BBL 12 – Michael Neser pulls off genius catch on boundary
It’s difficult to keep your cool in pressure situations and Neser did what we’ve never really seen before too many times. He caught the ball within the boundary, lobbed in up and when he realised it’s landing outside the boundary again, he jumped up in the air to collect it and lob it up again, this time back within the legal playing ground.
He was brilliant with the ball with 3 wickets and then he came and took this smart and game-changing catch. Not many people would’ve known this rule but you can lob the ball even up to 300 or 500 times from outside the fence, as long as your last point of contact with the ball was in the boundary when the catch is eventually completed.
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It was a super crucial moment in the game because the Sixers needed 33 runs in 12 balls at the start of the 19th over. Mark Steketee was under pressure as he bowled the first ball wide (32 in 12), and then was smashed for six off the first legal delivery by Jordan Silk (26 in 11). And then, Silk went over extra cover for what we thought was another six. However, Neser pulled the rabbit out the hat!
Silk was the last recognised batsmen from the Sixers and two consecutive sixes would’ve reduced the required score to 20 in 10 balls, which is quite gettable given the zone he was in. However, Neser ended his innings and even educated a lot of cricket fans across the globe about this rule of outfield catching while outside the boundary. See the catch here:
Michael Neser's juggling act ends Silk's stay!
Cue the debate about the Laws of Cricket… #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/5Vco84erpj
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 1, 2023
Presence of mind is super important in any sport and today, we saw why in this BBL 12 encounter of Heat vs Sixers. Heat went on to win comfortably after the Silk dismissal, and started 2023 on a great now, registering their second win of the season. This is one of the reasons we love the Big Bash League and we expect to see many more such amazing moments through the rest of the BBL 12 season.
For similar sports news and updates from around the world, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com.
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