Playing for England in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, New Zealand-born all-rounder Ben Stokes made a stunning, leaping catch over his shoulder to dismiss South African batsman Andile Phehlukwayo in the first game of group-stage play at The Oval in London on Thursday.
You don’t need to know what any of that means to appreciate Stokes’ grab, which conjured up memories of Odell Beckham Jr.’s famous one-handed Sunday Night Football play from 2014. Announcer and former England captain Nasser Hussain immediately called Stokes’ play “one of the greatest catches of all time” and former England player Phil Tufnell deemed it “the catch of the century.
But wait! Stokes would later admit that his catch, however impressive, was “a fluke,” noting that he was in a poor position to make the play and took a step in the wrong direction before adjusting by leaping backward. In a post-match interview, teammate Moeen Ali said, “it was obviously a very good catch, but… he actually messed up. He came running in and then had to go back. If you’re in the right place, it’s easy.”
To put it in baseball terms: Stokes got a bad read on that ball and his route efficiency was poor. In cricket terms, “the all-rounder came in when England were wobbling but set up a big total, then took a wonder catch and the last two South Africa wickets to deliver a convincing victory.”
