Share

Faf miracle catch a result of 'practice'

Johannesburg – Proteas captain Faf du Plessis stunned the Wanderers crowd on Saturday with a catch at second slip that simply shouldn’t have happened.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews, on 10 at the time, slashed at a wide one from debutant Duanne Olivier.

The delivery found the outside edge, flew off the bat and looked almost certain to fly to the fence for a one-bounce four.

But then, out of nowhere, Du Plessis plucked the ball out of the air with a one-handed ‘reverse grab’.

Replays showed just how quickly Du Plessis had launched himself into the air, and by the time he was done with the catch he had his back to where the ball had come from.

Speaking after the Test on Saturday, which South Africa won by an innings and 118 runs to win the series 3-0, Du Plessis said that he had practiced such catches at training.

At first it seemed like he was joking – you can’t practice catches like that, can you?

But, it turns out you can.

“I’ve been practicing that. I do try and jump up with one hand and catch reverse cup (at training),” Du Plessis confirmed.

“It was funny. We were standing in the slips … myself, Dean (Elgar) and Hashim (Amla) and Quinny (De Kock) and I was saying that with the bounce in this wicket there was going to be one that would fly and I’m calling it.”

At that point Du Plessis turned to Elgar, who was standing in the corner at the press conference.

“What do we call them at training?” the skipper asked.

“A ‘Dupie’ special?

“It happened about 10 or 15 overs later, but I can claim it.” And it might not be the last time we see the ‘Dupie Special’.

“I do practice them, so hopefully I can pull off  few more in the future.”

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1272 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2240 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE