VIDEO | Wicket-keeper Matthew Wade channels his inner MS Dhoni as he imitates the latter's bowling action
They say wicket-keepers are all-rounders in their own sense, and Matthew Wade took the statement to a whole new level today, as he decided to try his luck with the ball. The Tasmanian showcased his bowling skills for an over, where he pulled off an action similar to that of MS Dhoni.
Wicket-keepers rolling their arm over in Test Cricket is quite a common occurrence, with the likes of MS Dhoni, Tatenda Taibu, Mark Boucher and Kumar Sangakkara - all having tried out their luck with the ball at some point in their careers. While it might not be surprising, it fascinates viewers every single time it happens, with everyone tuning in at that very moment with curiosity to either get a glimpse of a rare wicket or perhaps a more comical outcome.Â
And today, Matthew Wade, who despite not keeping wickets in the match is considered primarily to be a wicket-keeper, decided to roll his arm over in an attempt to break the dangerous-looking partnership of Ben Stokes and Rory Burns.Â
Skipper Tim Paine threw the ball to Wade in the 76th over, and the Tasmanian, who has eight first-class wickets to his name, responded to the call with confidence. Wade started his over with a tight delivery on the pads of Burns, and to everyone's surprise, the 31-year-old showed good pace, bowling in the 75-80 mph range.
However, more than anything else, what caught the eye of the general public was his action, which had a striking similarity to that of Dhoni. Dhoni, being a wicket-keeper himself, famously took the ghost wicket of Kevin Pietersen in 2011, which was later overturned after initially being ruled out on-field. Unlike Dhoni, Wade hardly posed a threat to the English batters but did indeed give everyone a light-hearted to moment to look back on.