Central Stags handed the table-topping Wellington Firebirds just their second defeat in the ongoing Super Smash season by reaching the target of 147 with 19 balls and six wickets to spare at Basin Reserve. Doug Bracewell delivered a memorable performance with a match-winning 11-ball blitzkrieg of 30 runs and also claimed two wickets with the ball.
However, the game’s historic significance was primarily attributed to Troy Johnson’s remarkable fielding heroics early in the second innings. Facing a low target, the Firebirds were desperate for a breakthrough after the Stags made a commendable start.
Will Young seemed to compound the hosts’ misery by lofting Michael Snedden over his head in the sixth over. Despite the initial appearance of a well-timed shot, Johnson at mid-on seized the opportunity. Sprinting towards the boundary ropes with the ball approaching from behind, he executed a perfectly timed lunge forward to make a grab reminiscent of the famous Kapil Dev catch from the 1983 World Cup final.
The difficulty of the catch became even more absurd as Johnson, after securing the ball, found himself sliding uncontrollably towards the boundary. Faced with the choice of letting the ball spill or conceding a boundary, Johnson, in a remarkable athletic feat, momentarily took support from the ground with his hands.
Don't rub your eyes. It's real!
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He then launched himself up in the air across the boundary, and in that split second of suspension, forcefully looped the ball back into the field of play. His skipper, Nick Kelly, completed the formality without any fuss, securing a genuinely unique and one of the greatest catches in modern, if not all, cricketing history.