VIDEO | Nathan McSweeney denies Steve Smith certain six with outrageous back-pedalling single-handed flick
Very rarely do we see a non-catch put up its nomination for the âBest fielding moment of the competitionâ award but today, Nathan McSweeneyâs effort might just walk away with every award there is. The youngster outrageously pedalled backwards and stuck out his left arm to deny Smith a certain six.
If you were an ardent follower of the Indian Premier League (IPL) back in the day, youâd know about the exact moment Iâm going to be referring to in the next sentence. In 2012, a then 22-year-old Steve Smith, playing for Pune Warriors, stunned the whole cricketing fraternity with a superman-esque effort on the boundary line against the Kolkata Knight Riders, saving what was a certain six. The Australian, back in the day, dove to his right with one arm stretched, caught the ball and quickly slapped it back to play in order to save four runs for his team. 8 years later, Superman Steve Smith, today at the SCG, faced a taste of his own medicine.
On the first ball of the 16th over, with the game still in balance with Sixers needing 45 off 30 balls, Kane Richardson bowled a half-volley that tailed in to Smith. And Smith, well set on 33, looked to launch the ball over mid-on and thus freed his arm and took a wild heave at the delivery. From the outset, it looked like the former Aussie skipper had connected it sweetly, and it looked like the ball was headed to a big six over Cow Corner. But this was until 20-year-old Nathan McSweeney decided to weave his magic.
Running in from deep mid-wicket, back-pedalling, the youngster, just as the ball was about to land bang on the ropes, completely off-balance, put out an outstretched right hand to prevent it from hitting the boundary rope. And the ball stuck to his left hand, but in a fraction of a second, the Renegades man had the intelligence to flick it back on to the field in order to save four runs for his team. The youngster ended up diving outside the fence, but had incredibly, against all odds, saved four runs for his team. He denied Steve Smith what would have been his first six in the BBL in over six years.
It was an effort from Nathan McSweeney, should I say, as glorious as his hair. Â
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â KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 25, 2020
Nathan McSweeney with some excellent work on the boundary! #BBL09 pic.twitter.com/lFZV2Bxhyk