Delport's loss, and McCullum's near Fosbury flop
Plays of the day from the Champions League T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Dolphins in Bangalore
Rachna Shetty
22-Sep-2014
Brendon McCullum sure does value every run • BCCI
The half-chance
Watching an athletic fielding effort in a Twenty20 can be as exciting as a stroke-filled fifty. Faf du Plessis pulled off one such effort in the deep. A loft smacked straight down the ground by Morne van Wyk almost ended up as a catch as du Plessis raced in from the leg side. He took the ball but his momentum took him across the line. He threw the ball back over the line but stumbled before he could get to the other side.
Watching an athletic fielding effort in a Twenty20 can be as exciting as a stroke-filled fifty. Faf du Plessis pulled off one such effort in the deep. A loft smacked straight down the ground by Morne van Wyk almost ended up as a catch as du Plessis raced in from the leg side. He took the ball but his momentum took him across the line. He threw the ball back over the line but stumbled before he could get to the other side.
The acrobat
As remarkable as du Plessis' effort was, it paled in comparison to Brendon McCullum's near Fosbury flop that saved a certain six. McCullum fielding in the deep kept his eyes on the ball and the boundary line while trying to get under a straight slog from Robbie Frylinck. He jumped up, grabbed the ball but realised he would fall outside the boundary. Almost parallel to the ground, and turning mid-air, McCullum released the ball back over the rope with a flick of his right wrist and then landed smoothly, the left arm taking the weight of his body. A save worthy of the price of admission into the ground.
As remarkable as du Plessis' effort was, it paled in comparison to Brendon McCullum's near Fosbury flop that saved a certain six. McCullum fielding in the deep kept his eyes on the ball and the boundary line while trying to get under a straight slog from Robbie Frylinck. He jumped up, grabbed the ball but realised he would fall outside the boundary. Almost parallel to the ground, and turning mid-air, McCullum released the ball back over the rope with a flick of his right wrist and then landed smoothly, the left arm taking the weight of his body. A save worthy of the price of admission into the ground.
The missing bowler
They might have won by 54 runs but one question to emerge from Monday's game is Ishwar Pandey's absence from the Super Kings attack. The fast bowler had bowled his full quota of overs in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders but his most conspicuous moment against Dolphins came thanks a misfield at short fine leg in the sixth over, when he let a ball go through for four.
They might have won by 54 runs but one question to emerge from Monday's game is Ishwar Pandey's absence from the Super Kings attack. The fast bowler had bowled his full quota of overs in the previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders but his most conspicuous moment against Dolphins came thanks a misfield at short fine leg in the sixth over, when he let a ball go through for four.
The bat-breaking swipe
Cameron Delport greeted Mohit Sharma at the crease with a six over long-off and successive fours, reaching a manic 28 off 6. He was in the mood to swipe another one to the boundary but mistimed the shot through cover and was left holding his bat handle while the rest of the blade swung wildly in the air. Delport was out for a nine-ball 34 off the last ball of the over, Dolphins went on to lose the match, and he also had to cope with the loss of his favourite bat.
Cameron Delport greeted Mohit Sharma at the crease with a six over long-off and successive fours, reaching a manic 28 off 6. He was in the mood to swipe another one to the boundary but mistimed the shot through cover and was left holding his bat handle while the rest of the blade swung wildly in the air. Delport was out for a nine-ball 34 off the last ball of the over, Dolphins went on to lose the match, and he also had to cope with the loss of his favourite bat.
The hat-trick
Robbie Frylinck completed an unusual hat-trick in the match against Super Kings. The game against Perth Scorchers ended with Mitchell Marsh smacking two sixes off Frylinck to take the Australian side to victory. Frylinck faced the same treatment when he came on to bowl here, as Suresh Raina hit him for a six over cover first ball.
Robbie Frylinck completed an unusual hat-trick in the match against Super Kings. The game against Perth Scorchers ended with Mitchell Marsh smacking two sixes off Frylinck to take the Australian side to victory. Frylinck faced the same treatment when he came on to bowl here, as Suresh Raina hit him for a six over cover first ball.
Rachna Shetty is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo