Watch: Matt Parkinson takes one-handed stunner in The Hundred; celebrates in Imran Tahir style
England and Manchester Originals legspinner, Matt Parkinson, on Tuesday (August 10) pulled off one of the most exciting catches you’ll ever see on a cricket field. Playing against London Spirit at the Old Trafford in The Hundred, Parkinson took a stunning grab that made the crowd stand up and applaud his athleticism.
The great piece of fielding came on the 56th ball of the Spirit’s innings in the 100-ball encounter. With Spirit opening batsman Adam Rossington shaping up to play a reverse sweep through the off-side, Originals left-arm spinner Tom Hartley intentionally dropped the ball short of a length to ensure he has no real power behind his stroke.
As it happened, though, Rossington got just enough bat on it for the ball to be seemingly sailing over the short third-man Parkinson. At some point, while the ball was in the air, the batsman would’ve expected to have gotten a certain boundary.
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Matt Parkinson ran across the outfield like Imran Tahir after a stunning grab.
But, much to the batter’s shock, Matt Parkinson timed his jump to perfection and grabbed the ball with his right-hand. It was an exceptional catch since the ball was flying over the fielder’s head and he had almost found himself in a bit of a tangle with his position.
Matt Parkinson does an ‘Imran Tahir’ after unforgettable grab
That wasn’t all. Once the grab was completed, Matt Parkinson funnily channelised his own ‘Imran Tahir’ and ran across the outfield with fans joining him in celebration and the rest of the Manchester Originals’ fielders trying to catch up to him.
A side-on replay of the catch was even better than the front-on one, where those watching outside could really understand how difficult a catch Parkinson had just made seem easy.
Parkinson takes a stunning catch @thehundred
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— Kartik Vyas ( भारतीय
) (@Kartikvyas007) August 10, 2021
One of the commentators found it similar to the famous catch taken by England all-rounder Ben Stokes against South Africa in the 2019 World Cup, with the only difference being his position in the outfield.
The wicket of Rossington was a timely one for Originals as he was batting on 46 off 28 balls at the time. In a close-fought encounter, Parkinson’s catch helped his team restrict the opposition to 142/6 off their 100 balls. The spinner also bowled a fantastic 20-ball spell on the day, giving away just 18 runs for his 2 wickets.
Unfortunately, though, Matt Parkinson’s effort with the ball and in the field were not good enough to seal victory for the home team. They lost gut-wrenchingly by six runs.