The ongoing-edition of Australia’s Big Bash League has been action-packed to the core. Match after match, the players have maintained the adrenaline-levels to an all-time high courtesy of their sensational performances. Talk about brilliant-batting performances, or bamboozling bowling spells-the BBL has a different flavor for each of its fans. The highlight of this season, however, has been the extra-ordinary fielding effort. In almost every match, one player or another has featured into the headlines for their amazing on-field reflexes and athleticism.
To the cricket fan’s delight, the trend has carried over well into the 41st game of the tournament. On this occasion, it was Nic Maddinson of the Melbourne Stars, who got the better of Perth Scorchers’ Cameron Bancroft.
Stars’ captain Glenn Maxwell was having a tough time defending an under-par total of 141 runs. Bancroft’s flamboyant batting on the other side further complicated his tactics. So after his 5 strike-bowlers failed in their attempt to stop the Scorchers’ barrage, Maxwell tossed the ball to part-timer Nic Maddinson. And much shockingly, the ploy worked right from Nic’s first ball, as an on-field mix-up resulted in Scorchers’ captain Mitchell Marsh run himself out. Marsh’s wicket, however, didn’t really affect the balance of the match, as Kurtis Patterson soon joined Bancroft to resurrect the Scorchers’ innings.
The moment of the match came in the 15th over of the second innings. With 48 required of 31 balls, Perth looked well set to take the game away from the hosts. Maddinson had only a single delivery left to concluded his second over, when he produced this stunning piece of sensation.
Nic Maddinson’s game-changing catch
Maddinson bowled a full-ish delivery to Bancroft, who advanced forward from his crease to strike the ball. The shot connected well of his bat, and looked certain to race to the boundary. Except, reflexively, Maddinson raised up his arms in an attempt to stop the ball, and the ball stuck plumb in his hands! Maddinson deftly collected the ball, but the strong recoil of the stop near about dropped Maddinson down on the pitch. The on-air commentators were left as dumbfounded as Maddinson himself, after he had completed the catch. Here’s the video:
How on earth did Nic Maddinson manage to catch that?!?! 😮😮😮 #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/UvqJGrwId8
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 18, 2020
Bancroft’s wicket soon opened the floodgates for the Stars. Their spinners decided to bowl incisively, and in the process, claimed the wickets of all the set Scorchers’ batsmen. Ultimately, the Scorchers’ fell 10-runs short of the target. Melbourne Stars fortified their position on top of the points-table with their 10th win in 11 matches. The Scorchers, meanwhile, slipped to their 6th loss of the season. Glenn Maxwell claimed the Man of the Match award for his impressive innings of 25 (23), backed well by a good bowling spell of 3-0-20-1.
