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At 40, Faf du Plessis showcased his stunning fielding prowess with a stunning catch in the SA20 Eliminator.
Snippets from Faf du Plessis’ stunning catch in SA20. (PC: @SA20_League/X)
Even at 40, Faf du Plessis continues to prove why he ranks among the best fielders of this generation. The South African star lit up the SA20 with a gravity-defying catch on Wednesday, February 5.
The jaw-dropping moment unfolded in the first innings of the Eliminator clash between Joburg Super Kings and Sunrisers Eastern Cape at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion.
Du Plessis, the captain of JSK, won the toss and asked their opponents to bat first. In the fifth over, veteran spinner Imran Tahir bowled a flighted, outside-off delivery to SEC opener David Bedingham.
The right-handed batter smashed it hard and high, targeting the deep-cover boundary. Du Plessis, placed at the mid-off, had his eyes set on the ball. He pulled off a backward jump to his left, stretching his arms and the ball landed directly into his clasps.
Tahir was visibly delighted after Du Plessis completed the stunning overhead catch. The spin-bowling maestro ran across the field before imitating Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic “siuuu” celebration. He also shared a hug with Du Plessis while Bedingham returned to the pavilion with 27 runs. His quickfire knock was laced with three boundaries and one six.
Sunrisers Easter Cape lost four wickets in the first ten overs. Captain Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs then joined hands to begin the rescue operation. The duo stitched a 75-run stand before Stubbs was dismissed for 26.
Markram remained unbeaten till the end. He scored 62 off 40 balls, hitting five fours and two maximums. Marco Jansen also chipped in with a 23-run cameo as SEC posted a challenging 184 in 20 overs.
Devon Conway and Du Plessis gave Joburg Super Kings a powerful start but failed to survive long. Conway contributed 30 runs while the skipper managed 19. Jonny Bairstow was their leading scorer with 37 runs.
Evan Jones made some efforts down the order but failed to change the course of the game as the Super Kings fell 32 runs short of the target. For Easter Cape, Craig Overton, Liam Dawson and Ottniel Baartman each picked two wickets. The Aiden Markran-led side will need to overcome Paarl Royals in the second qualifier to reach the SA20 final.
