Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman AB de Villiers has called his stunning catch to dismiss Alex Hales as ‘one of his most satisfying catches of his career’.
The 34-year-old had already lit up the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday evening with a blistering 69-run knock off 39 deliveries and later left cricket fans around the world in awe after defying a gravity act to remove Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Hales with a one-handed catch. RCB won the match by 14 runs with Sunrisers falling short of their 219-run target.
Writing in his column in Times of India, he said: “When Alex Hales struck the ball high and hard over mid-wicket during our match against SRH in Bengaluru, my first thought was ‘try and create a chance’. I needed to run hard, to make metres just to get a hand on the ball, before I could even think of taking a catch. So I picked my line and ran as hard as possible, keeping my eyes fixed on the ball, but it was soaring high, up high into the night sky.”
Just seen the replay of that catch; What the Duck was that @vikramsathaye @ABdeVilliers17
— Jonty Rhodes (@JontyRhodes8) May 17, 2018
He added: “Something else was needed. A jump was needed, so I slowed down a little, creating space to use my arms to propel myself as far into the air as possible… so I jumped, and reached up and backwards and, somehow, the ball stuck in my outstretched right hand. The job wasn’t half done. As I came down, the ball slipped from my fingers and I only just managed to push it towards my stomach… and then to hold what must rate as one of the most satisfying catches of my career.”