Butter-fingered spectators
Plays of the day for the third ODI between New Zealand and West Indies at Queenstown
Kanishkaa Balachandran
01-Jan-2014
95 to 101 in the nick of time • AFP
The drop
Not by a fielder, but from one of several spectators wearing orange t-shirts looking to make $100,000 for catching the ball one-handed. Brendon McCullum slashed a short and wide ball over backward point and the sweeper near the boundary had given up. But one of the spectators gave it everything, willing to risk injury by throwing himself over the boundary hoarding. The acrobatics didn't pay off as the ball comfortably evaded him, the momentum on the fall taking him inside the boundary. He wasn't alone in his struggle though, as the spectators had a tough time getting their hands on the 25 sixes that came their way.
Not by a fielder, but from one of several spectators wearing orange t-shirts looking to make $100,000 for catching the ball one-handed. Brendon McCullum slashed a short and wide ball over backward point and the sweeper near the boundary had given up. But one of the spectators gave it everything, willing to risk injury by throwing himself over the boundary hoarding. The acrobatics didn't pay off as the ball comfortably evaded him, the momentum on the fall taking him inside the boundary. He wasn't alone in his struggle though, as the spectators had a tough time getting their hands on the 25 sixes that came their way.
The six
Corey Anderson sent 14 of them soaring over the rope, but the most significant was the slog that took him from 95 to 101. Anderson was within touching distance of Shahid Afridi's world record for the fastest ODI century off 37 balls. He was on 95 off 35 when he took strike to Nikita Miller and there were no two ways about it - he had to slam it for six. Miller bowled it short and Anderson slammed it over long leg.
Corey Anderson sent 14 of them soaring over the rope, but the most significant was the slog that took him from 95 to 101. Anderson was within touching distance of Shahid Afridi's world record for the fastest ODI century off 37 balls. He was on 95 off 35 when he took strike to Nikita Miller and there were no two ways about it - he had to slam it for six. Miller bowled it short and Anderson slammed it over long leg.
The catch
There may have been several let-offs at the grass embankment, but within the boundary, Lendl Simmons set a good example. McCullum had raced to 33 when he gave Sunil Narine the charge but ended up miscuing it to the deep on the on side. The ball swirled between long-on and deep midwicket with Johnson Charles and Simmons converging. A false move would have led to a messy collision but Simmons was not only alert but managed to judge the steepler well, catching it on the fall.
There may have been several let-offs at the grass embankment, but within the boundary, Lendl Simmons set a good example. McCullum had raced to 33 when he gave Sunil Narine the charge but ended up miscuing it to the deep on the on side. The ball swirled between long-on and deep midwicket with Johnson Charles and Simmons converging. A false move would have led to a messy collision but Simmons was not only alert but managed to judge the steepler well, catching it on the fall.
The swat
The bowlers varied their pace and lengths to Anderson, but to no avail. Dwayne Bravo dished out a slower ball in the 20th over, but it came out horribly wrong. The ball looped out of the back of the hand and reached Anderson as if in slow motion. Anderson waited, as if wielding an axe and swatted a flat six over wide long-off. It was one of the more audacious shots of the day.
The bowlers varied their pace and lengths to Anderson, but to no avail. Dwayne Bravo dished out a slower ball in the 20th over, but it came out horribly wrong. The ball looped out of the back of the hand and reached Anderson as if in slow motion. Anderson waited, as if wielding an axe and swatted a flat six over wide long-off. It was one of the more audacious shots of the day.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo