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At 40, Faf du Plessis showcased his stunning fielding prowess with a surprising catch within the SA20 Eliminator.
Snippets from Faf du Plessis’ stunning catch in SA20. (PC: @SA20_League/X)
Even at 40, Faf du Plessis continues to prove why he ranks amongst the perfect fielders of this generation. The South African star lit up the SA20 with a gravity-defying catch on Wednesday, February 5.
The jaw-dropping moment unfolded in the primary innings of the Eliminator clash between Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape on the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion.
Du Plessis, the captain of JSK, won the toss and asked their opponents to bat first. Within the fifth over, veteran spinner Imran Tahir bowled a flighted, outside-off delivery to SEC opener David Bedingham.
The best-handed batter smashed it hard and high, targeting the deep-cover boundary. Du Plessis, placed on the mid-off, had his eyes set on the ball. He pulled off a backward jump to his left, stretching his arms and the ball landed directly into his clasps.
Tahir was visibly delighted after Du Plessis accomplished the stunning overhead catch. The spin-bowling maestro ran across the sector before imitating Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “siuuu” celebration. He also shared a hug with Du Plessis while Bedingham returned to the pavilion with 27 runs. His quickfire knock was laced with three boundaries and one six.
Sunrisers Easter Cape lost 4 wickets in the primary ten overs. Captain Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs then joined hands to start the rescue operation. The duo stitched a 75-run stand before Stubbs was dismissed for 26.
Markram remained unbeaten till the top. He scored 62 off 40 balls, hitting five fours and two maximums. Marco Jansen also chipped in with a 23-run cameo as SEC posted a difficult 184 in 20 overs.
Devon Conway and Du Plessis gave Joburg Super Kings a strong start but did not survive long. Conway contributed 30 runs while the skipper managed 19. Jonny Bairstow was their leading scorer with 37 runs.
Evan Jones made some efforts down the order but failed to alter the course of the sport because the Super Kings fell 32 runs in need of the goal. For Easter Cape, Craig Overton, Liam Dawson and Ottniel Baartman each picked two wickets. The Aiden Markran-led side might want to overcome Paarl Royals within the second qualifier to succeed in the SA20 final.
