When Ben Stokes found himself running towards the mid-wicket boundary, it seemed an almost impossible catch to take. But the English all-rounder leapt backwards and plucked the ball out of thin air to the disbelief of the crowd behind him.
Jaws dropped, the crowd roared and Stokes lapped up the admiration during the opening game of the 2019 Cricket World Cup at the Oval in London on Thursday.
The 2019 edition of the tournament began in style with hosts England defeating South Africa by 104 runs. It was Ben Stokes, however, who stole the show with the bat and in the field.
South Africa were at 180 for 7 in the 34th over, when Andile Phehlukwayo and Hashim Amla were at the crease facing the bowling of Adil Rashid. As Phehlukwayo aimed to hit a six over deep mid-wicket, he could have been forgiven for already celebrating the shot.
Stokes on the boundary had other ideas though. With his hand outstretched and at full tilt, he leapt backwards in midair to find the ball clasped between his fingers. This catch caught the fancy of the commentators too as Nasser Hussain exclaimed, “No way, no no way! You cannot do that Ben Stokes!”
Have you EVER seen a better catch?
— ICC (@ICC) May 30, 2019
Ben Stokes with a grab that has to be seen to be believed!#WeAreEngland #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/rpN04OxVTk
The studpenous catch also evoked a slew of reactions on Twitter with a number of users expressing their admiration and disbelief.
A bat-to-hand time of 2.55 seconds, a height of 8ft 8in and speed of 66mph: Ben Stokes pulls off one of the all-time great catches in World Cup opener
— Nasser Hussain (@nassercricket) May 31, 2019
via https://t.co/jTw0hUd9Mw https://t.co/DWxsJ6iKfy
Ben Stokes. How on Earth!?#ENGvsRSA #CWC2019 pic.twitter.com/XQahiZJWfA
— Ste Hoare (@stehoare) May 30, 2019
First day of the World Cup and we might have seen the catch of the tournament! #BenStokes
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 30, 2019
Ben Stokes. Wow. What a catch. #CWC19 #CricketWorldCup pic.twitter.com/JYowKlnEyj
— Enda Conway (@EndaConway) May 30, 2019
Ben Stokes paying tribute to Johnty Rhodes against RSA. #ENGvSA pic.twitter.com/FtT4fNJyIU
— FB (@FB4Troll) May 30, 2019
Absolutely outrageous catch from Ben Stokes. Could watch this over and over again #CricketWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mximbIlX3T
— Jay Taylor (@JayTaylorMedia1) May 30, 2019
What a catch by Ben Stokes,one of the greatest catches of 44 years history of World Cup. https://t.co/Hy9ZuqgZpp
— Mirza Iqbal Baig (@mirzaiqbal80) May 31, 2019
England batted first in Thursday’s match and posted 311 runs in their alloted 50 overs. Ben Stokes shined with the bat as well scoring 89 runs, with skipper Eoin Morgan posting 57 runs. In a surprise move, South Africa opened the bowling with leg-spinner Imran Tahir who picked up a wicket off the second ball of the first over. This is the first time ever that a spinner has opened the bowling in a World Cup.
Chasing 312, South Africa’s Quinton De Kock scored 68 with Van Der Dussen adding 50 runs. However, the Proteas struggled to come to terms with some brilliant bowling from England with Jofra Archer grabbing three wickets and Plunkett and Stokes scalping two each.
Ben Stokes’ all-round performance and England’s authoritative win have certainly propped England up as one of the favorites to take home the coveted title.