Brisbane Heat’s Michael Neser took an acrobatic catch to dismiss Jordan Silk during his team’s match against Sydney Sixers. It was a brilliant effort from the Heat pacer to pull off an absolute stunner. However, the way Neser completed the catch was pretty much debatable as fans were left confused about how can the batter be given out when the fielder has crossed the boundary ropes. Now, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued a clarification on why the catch was legitimate.
The global governing body shared the laws of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) explaining the rules behind it. Meanwhile, MCC shared the video wherein Glenn Maxwell explains the logic behind the catch.
“Law 19.5.2 states: A fielder who is not in contact with the ground is considered to be grounded beyond the boundary if his/her final contact with the ground, before his/her first contact with the ball after it has been delivered by the bowler, was not entirely within the boundary,” said ICC.
“It is important to note that as long as the fielder’s first touch of the ball is inside the boundary line, they are allowed to finish the catch however they like, provided their feet are not grounded with the ball over the boundary. Neser’s initial contact with the ball, the timing of his jump and the eventual catch were all within the laws of the game, the batter was correctly declared out,” ICC added.
Meanwhile, Michael Neser was not sure if it was a legitimate dismissal when he took the catch. However, he fondly remembered that Matt Renshaw had pulled off a similar catch. “I knew (Matt) Renshaw did it a couple of years ago. I didn’t know if they’d changed the rules and thankfully they didn’t change the rules,” Neser said after the match.
