Cricket is a great sport which provides a lot of fun to not only the players but the viewers as well. It is for no reason that it is the second most watched sport in the world after football. The thing which makes cricket different from other sports is the fact that the game can change in just one moment. Most of these moments are produced when some spectacular catch is taken. Yes, sometimes it is not just about catching a ball. But the skill, the effort, the dive and the commitment player shows can produce some magical and eye-catching moments.
Top 5 Stunning Catches in Cricket History
There have many of these magical moments in cricket history. So let us take a look at the best moments, i.e the best catches ever in World Cricket history.
Adam Dale
Dale’s catch is referred to as the ‘Catch of the 19th century’ by many cricketing pundits. Dale took this catch in a match against New South Wales while he was playing for Queensland. The former Australian medium pacer Dale took this catch in the 1997-98 Australian Club season. Dale was fielding at the long on position when the batsman chipped the ball straight down the ground. Dale ran like a bullet, dived across, caught the ball with his right hand and in the next moment stood up celebrating what turned out to be an awesome catch.
Paul Collingwood
Paul was one of the greatest fielders of his era. He took some fabulous catches in his career. But this catch, which he took against bitter rivals Australia in an international match in 2005, just stands out. He was fielding at the point when Steve Harmison bowled a straight delivery to Matthew Hayden who smashed it above the point region. But Collingwood jumped, and snatched the ball out of the air. Every viewer was left awestruck. Even the other fielders could not believe what they saw. It was an amazing catch which will be etched in the minds of all cricket lovers.
David Hussey
Playing for KKR against the Daredevils from Delhi, Hussey pulled off this amazing catch on the boundary line to dismiss Paul Collingwood. Paul had smashed the ball as hard as he could and the ball appeared to be sailing over the boundary rope for a six. But Hussey jumped, threw the ball back on the play, ran back and grabbed it to claim the catch. It stunned the home crowd and turned the match in KKR’s favor. Surely it was one of the best catches ever seen.
Jonty Rhodes
Jonty is considered as the best fielder in the sport of cricket. And catches like the one he took in an international match against Australia are the proof of it. Jonty was fielding at backward point as he was considered an expert of that position. Jacques Kallis bowled a half tracker wide of the off stump and Matthew Hayden latched at it and smashed it in the backward point region. Jonty jumped to his right and caught that bullet in one go. Stunning catch that was and we will never be able to forget it.
Shane Watson David Wiese (Relay Catch)
This catch tops our list for the best catch in cricket history. In an IPL match played between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, Shane and David combined to pull off a stunner. Shreyas Iyer had top-edged the ball when Watson was fielding at the mid-on position. The ball sailed high in the air and was about to land just in front of the boundary rope. But Watson, along with Wiese who was fielding at mid-off, started running back to chase it. Watson merely got there, caught the ball, and threw it back as the momentum took him over the rope. In came Wiese, who snatched the ball before it hit the ground and together, they pulled off what we can surely state to be the best catch we have ever seen in the history of cricket.