The Cricket World Cup 2019 has so far lived up to its promise of delivering some special moments on the field. But as it often happens when one team ultimately lifts the trophy, the whole tournament can feel like a bit of a blur.
In an effort to really appreciate these moments whether for their spectacular nature or their meaningfulness, we’ve decided to look at them individually as the competition progresses and package our favourites into one series at the end.
These moments can be anything from a remarkable piece of play or wild celebration to a last-gasp victory or funny occurrence. Really, anything that stands out during this World Cup.
So without further adieu, here’s our very first edition of the series – Ben Stokes‘ catch for England in the opener against South Africa.
WHAT HAPPENED
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Stokes!
The image of England’s star all-rounder flying through the air and plucking, what seemed destined to be a flat six, out of the sky one-handed will live long in the memory.
Andile Phehlukwayo swept Adil Rashid well towards deep midwicket for what should’ve been the maximum but for the incredible intervention of a towering Big Ben. Running back towards the boundary, Stokes leapt into the air and pulled off a sensational catch with his right hand while contorting his body awkwardly to reach it.
Former England spinner Phil Tufnell even labelled it “the catch of the century” on BBC.
Have you EVER seen a better catch? 🔥
— ICC (@ICC) May 30, 2019
Ben Stokes with a grab that has to be seen to be believed!#WeAreEngland #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/rpN04OxVTk
WHY IT WAS SPECIAL
Apart from involving almost an impossible standard of skill and athleticism, the catch capped a phenomenal individual performance that earned Stokes the Man of the Match award in England’s 104-run win.
The 27-year-old came into the tournament on the back of some patchy form but top-scored with 89 off 79 balls on the day before impressing in all other aspects as well. He picked up a couple of wickets to help sweep up the South African lower order, took another catch to dismiss JP Duminy and ran out Dwaine Pretorius.
His fine catch was the cherry on top of a dream start to England’s World Cup campaign.
Ben Stokes with the bat, Ben Stokes with the ball, Ben Stokes on the field!
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) May 30, 2019
No question about who's the Player of the Match in the #CWC19 opener 👏 #ENGvSA #WeAreEngland pic.twitter.com/2pZwa10xEt
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