The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up game between Australia and New Zealand was a thriller in more than one way. While Australia won the match eventually, it was Steve Smith and Ashton Agar's fielding efforts that have now become the talk of the town. On the last ball of the 18th over, Mitchell Santner cracked down on Kane Richardson, shooting the ball high in the air. But he managed only enough power to send the ball to the boundary, well almost.
As the ball takes its flight high up in the sky, the TV commentator says, "Oh... Now, how well has he timed this? Has he got enough on it?" The video then shows Smith managing to catch the ball and trying to balance himself as he appears to go past the boundary rope. He throws the ball back to his teammate, Ashton Agar, standing well inside the field. "Oh... That's outstanding. If he has stayed inside the rope then that is brilliant," the commentator added.
Later, umpires decided Smith's effort was bona fide and Santner was dismissed.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has shared a video, saying, "Steve Smith, take a bow."
The awe-inspiring catch has got a lot of appreciation from cricket lovers on social media and more than 5.22 lakh people have liked the video in just four hours of being shared. The Instagram video has been watched more than 3.2 million times.
“Awesome Steve. Unstoppable, smarty Smith,” said a user.
Another wrote, “No reaction,”.
“That kind of talent reminds me of myself at my peak in the garden playing against my brother,” said a person.
“More I see the video… I am like… “naah, that's a six”. Do you agree?” asked a cricket enthusiast.
Smith was so close to the rope that many thought it would have been a six.
“Look at his feet. They got touched on the boundary line in the final moment,” read a comment.
Australia will next face India in their second warm-up game on October 20. The match will start at 3:30 pm. The T20 World Cup is being held in Dubai.
