Spectator taking selfie with the ball after taking a catch during the UAE vs PNG match. (Instagram/icc and cricketworldcup)
The spectator, who was in the top tier, ran around like an absolute professional and pouched the catch as clean as a whistle
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) played Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Nepal’s Kirtipur on Wednesday. UAE won the match easily on the back of a century by their captain Muhammad Waseem and notched up their 15th win in 35 matches. However, that was not the biggest talking point from the match.
What really lit up the proceedings was a spectacular catch by a spectator as Waseem sent one sailing over long-on and into the stands. The spectator, who was in the top tier ran around like an absolute professional and pouched the catch as clean as a whistle. He then quickly whipped out his mobile phone and took a selfie with the ball to make the occasion memorable.
Not every day do you see catches being taken so cleanly and with such authority in the stands. What you usually get are efforts made but in vain. However, what we saw in this match was different and it provided a fun-filled moment to remember for not just the person taking the catch, but also cricket fans across the world.
Looks like PNG, who were sent on a leather hunt by the UAE captain, could use the services of the gentleman in the stands and get him down on the ground to field for them!
The video and the selfie were shared by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket World Cup on Instagram.
Watch the catch below:
Talking of the match per se, the UAE restricted PNG to a middling 234/7 in 50 overs with Hazrat Bilal being the pick of the bowlers, taking 4/47 in 10 overs. Rohan Mustafa was miserly, giving away just 20 runs in his 10 overs while picking up a wicket.
UAE made short work of the target, winning with just over 11 overs to spare. Waseem played a blistering knock of 119 off just 76 balls. His innings was studded with six hits to the fence and as many as 12 over it. Vriitya Aravind (33 off 56) provided good support.
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UAE’s win took them to 33 points and closed the gap with the USA, who are in fifth place with 35 points in the CWC League 2 table. PNG continue to languish at the bottom of the table with a mere 11 points from 36 matches. The CWC League 2 is being played from August 2019 to March 2023 and is part of the qualification process for the ICC World Cup this year. The top three teams in the CWC League 2 will move to the ICC World Cup Qualifier tournament, while the four bottom-placed teams will have to fight it out in the ICC World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
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Scotland leads the CWC League 2 table at the moment, while Oman and Namibia are No 2 and No 3 respectively. The ICC World Cup 2023 is to be played in India from October to November.
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