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The Cricket World Cup is barely a week old and already we've seen two unbelievable catches on the fields of England.
Key points:
- England's Ben Stokes dismissed South Africa's Andile Phehlukwayo in stunning style at the Oval
- West Indian bowler Sheldon Cottrell claimed Steve Smith's wicket with an astounding boundary catch
- The stunning catches were not just in the cricket, with a pitcher pulling off a 'Matrix' style reaction grab
The hosts were first to set social media into meltdown, Ben Stokes plucking a screamer out of the sky with a back-handed effort whilst racing towards the Oval boundary in the victory over South Africa.
Andile Lucky Phehlukwayo must have felt anything but the personification of his middle name when his flat slog sweep was spectacularly claimed by the backpedalling Englishman.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain summed up the thoughts of the majority of people's thoughts with some enthusiastic commentary.
"Oh! No way!" Hussain exclaimed, repeating the stunned reaction from the crowd at the Oval.
"No, no way. You cannot do that Ben Stokes! That is remarkable.
"That is one of the greatest catches of all time."
Stokes' current skipper was just as impressed, and bewildered.
"It's unbelievable," said Eoin Morgan.
"I don't know how to describe it."
Not to be outdone, Sheldon Cottrell pulled off a miracle catch of his own in Australia's thrilling 15-run victory over the West Indies, dancing along the sideline to dismiss Steve Smith.
Cottrell, a solider from Jamaica, made the catch one-handed on the run, teetering on the edge of the field of play before flicking the ball up to himself, taking a steadying step the wrong side of the boundary rope before hopping back into the field of play to collect the ball.
"Have a look at that! How does he not go over!" cried the commentator.
"What a catch."
They might use gloves, but these catches were pretty special too
The Cricket World Cup has not held a monopoly on stunning catches though this week.
Major League Baseball often provides ample fodder for highlight-seekers everywhere, and last week was no exception.
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jonathan Davis did his best Ben Stokes impression to retire Tampa Bay batter Avisail Garcia, albeit with the benefit of a gloved hand.
Two days earlier, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jeremy Jeffress displayed extraordinary reflexes, and athleticism, to catch a line-drive hit by Minnesota batter Willians Astudillo that was heading straight for his face.
"Bottom line [it was] instinct, I just reacted," Jeffress said of his Matrix-style move after the match.
The 31-year-old veteran also admitted his relief that he escaped injury, despite being withdrawn from the game before the next inning of play.
"I really thought I was gone."
Whether wearing gloves or not, that is still some grab.
Topics: sport, cricket, baseball, united-kingdom, england, united-states
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