Due to the ongoing pandemic, there’s not much cricket action but with the little bit that’s around in England, there was something that caught the eye of all those watching; and it’s been doing the rounds all across. It was a display of sheer athleticism by Kent pacer Matt Milnes off his own bowling to dismiss Middlesex batsman Max Hoden.
Matt Milnes’ Presence of Mind
As it happened at the Bob Willis Trophy game between English counties Kent and Middlesex, Milnes ran in to bowl with Hoden on strike. He caught Hoden on the pads and went up in appeal (still in his bowling stride); the umpire turned down the decision with a shake of his head. In an instant reaction, Milnes (now in his bowling + appeal stride) turned around and caught the ball whilst it was still in the air. This time his appeal met a positive response from the umpire who ruled Hoden out caught and bowled. It was sharp presence of mind on his part to stay in his delivery stride and into the dismissal.
How to get a wicket: cover all bases!#BobWillisTrophy pic.twitter.com/FCZGhyfI6s
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) August 15, 2020
High Levels of Fitness
Cricket today has taken huge steps in terms of players’ fitness levels. It’s a key requisite of the modern game. Matt Milnes’ athleticism is a classic example of it, along with his quick thinking.
Cricket Resuming Back to Normalcy
Ever since it was hit by the pandemic lockdown five months ago, cricket action has slowly began to crawl back to normalcy. After the recently concluded test series between England and West Indies, the England team is currently hosting Pakistan in a test series, alongside its domestic competitions.
Good news for Indian cricket fans comes in the form of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to be played in the UAE from September. That’s a huge move considering the cricket frenzy fans have been deprived of any cricket action since March.