Videos: Wahab Riaz Grabs A Stunning Catch To Dismiss Roston Chase
Dec 31, 2018 at 2:03 PM
The day one of the opening Test between West Indies and Pakistan at the Sabina Park, Jamaica was highly eventful. A total of seven wickets fell on the day as West Indies failed to tackle the Pakistani bowling attack.
The only respite for the hosts came in the form of Roston Chase and Shane Dowrich. The duo struck an individual half –centuries and forged 118 runs stand for the 6th wicket to bring some stability.
However, while Pakistan’s bowling and the fightback shown by Chase and Dowrich dominated the day’s proceedings. The key highlight of the day was surely the catch taken by Wahab Riaz in the 70th over off leg-spinner Yasir Shah’s bowling.
The catch was very, very special; and there are two reasons for it. First – the outcome of the catch was that it finally broke a thriving stand that ruined the early advantage Pakistan had gained by triggering a top order collapse. The second fact was the nearly unbelievable fielding effort that was on display
Chase played with a counter-attacking flair and showed aggressive instincts in shorter burst throughout his stay at the crease. And, it was one of such attempt to clear the boundary that resulted in his downfall.
Yasir Shah invited him to attack with a loopy delivery in the full-length area. Chase sensed a chance to attack and went for it, smashing it straight over the bowler’s head. The ball, unfortunately, did not look like it had the distance to sail over the boundary ropes. as it gained too much height.
However, luck seemed in favour of the batsman for some moment as the ball appeared to be landing safely despite a sprinting Wahab Riaz chasing it from a distance.
The bulky fast bowler, however, quashed the misunderstanding in style. He put in an athletic dive, outstretched his arms and rolled his hips to grab the ball. Luckily, he was also able to stop himself from skidding over the boundary line.
Initially, no one believed. Commentators Ramiz Raja also needed some time process the stunning spectacle before he sighed and concluded it was out. The umpires played it safe and checked with the TV umpires for confirmation. The replays showed the effort as flawless and Chase was asked to walk back.
The Pakistan cricket team was ecstatic. For them, a highly frustrating stand had come to an end. The Chase-Dowrich duo saved the home side from a big embarrassment. At one stage earlier in the opening day, they found themselves reeling at 71/5 with the top order failing to stand against the class of Mohammad Amir and make any impact.
Here is the video:
https://twitter.com/daniel86cricket/status/855650740609724416