Best catches in Cricket World Cup are always unforgettable. You have to up your game if you want to make difficult catches. But in the World Cup, you will have to steady your nerves before you can commit to taking any catch. This is the World Cup, where the pressure of the game gets to you.
That’s why when you see some of the best catches in Cricket World Cup, you know that the fielder must have trained for them. Sometimes for years!
Today, we will talk about some of the best catches ever taken in ODI World Cup history.
Top Five Best Catches in Cricket World Cup
There are literally thousands of catches in the ODI World Cup, some of them average and a few of them the best.
- Even from these few best, we have shortlisted them to just five.
- Ben Stokes (England vs. South Africa, ODI World Cup 2019)
- Kapil Dev (India vs. West Indies ODI World Cup 1983)
- Dwayne Leverock (India vs. Bermuda ODI World Cup 2007)
- Ajay Jadeja (India vs. Australia, ODI World Cup 1992)
- Daniel Vettori (New Zealand vs. West Indies, ODI World Cup 2015)
We now start our recap of the five best catches in Cricket World Cup with England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes’ superb effort.
Ben Stokes (England):
England all-rounder Ben Stokes completed a superb catch at the boundary in the opening match of the 2019 ODI World Cup against South Africa at the Oval.
- It was Andile Phehlukwayo who took on the spin of Adil Rashid and swept him towards the corner where Stokes was waiting.
- The England all-rounder made a sublime effort, jumping and plucking the ball out of thin air.
- It was an outstanding catch and is perhaps among the best catches in Cricket World Cup.
Kapil Dev (India):
From one all-rounder to another. Yes, we are speaking about Kapil Dev, who took a splendid catch in the 1983 ODI World Cup final against the West Indies.
- With just 184 to win, India had to get rid of the West Indies top order early, which had a dangerman called Viv Richards.
- Richards, who had raced away to 33 off just 28 balls, pulled this one from Madan Lal and mistimed his shot in the process.
- The Indian skipper, who was stationed at short midwicket, saw the ball in the air and ran backwards, all the while with his eyes fixed on the ball.
- He would run many yards, steady himself, and complete the catch, which is perhaps among the five best catches in Cricket World Cup.
Dwayne Leverock (Bermuda):
From 1983, we now head straight to the 2007 ODI World Cup, where fans saw another top catch.
- This was India vs. Bermuda, which was played in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
- India had batted first, and opener Robin Uthappa edged an away-going delivery straight to first slip. This is where Leverock stepped in.
- That ball was travelling and, in fact, moving away from Leverock, who had to put in a dive to pluck the ball out of thin air.
- Leverock, who was overweight, had to put in some special effort just to hold onto this brilliant catch, and he celebrated like hell in the aftermath.
- This was one rare moment in the tournament that has stayed with the fans even after so many years. Why shouldn’t this not fall under the best catches in Cricket World Cup?
Ajay Jadeja (India):
And from 2007, we are now heading to the 1992 ODI World Cup, where India’s Ajay Jadeja put in a brilliant effort in the group clash against Australia at Brisbane.
- Australia had batted first and needed some lusty blows to get to at least 250. That was when Alan Border took on Kapil Dev and tried to carve him through the side.
- Nevertheless, he couldn’t time the ball, and it went up in the air.
- Meanwhile, Jadeja, who was positioned at long off, rushed in and put in the dive to complete a superb catch, which was unusual at that point in time, especially from Indian fielders.
Daniel Vettori
Former New Zealand skipper Vettori completed a stunning grab and sent the bowler Trent Boult and his team into a frenzy during the 2015 ODI World Cup against the West Indies.
- It was the fourth quarterfinal, and New Zealand, riding on the double century from Martin Guptill, had already posted 393 on the board.
- In reply, the West Indies were desperate to get some runs, and that was when Marlon Samuels played an uppercut and found Vettori at third man.
- In fact, Vettori had to leap in the air and pluck the catch, which he did with his right hand.
- Still, after so many years, this catch gets lots of replays on YouTube.
Final Thoughts On Best Catches in Cricket World Cup
Catches win matches, and these five instances are a great example.
Some of these catches went in vain as the teams went on to lose the games, but the effort helped turn the momentum of the game on its head.
Do remember, these were not ordinary catches; they were prime examples of human athleticism, which brought more excitement and fanfare to cricket.
To sum things up, five of the best catches in Cricket World Cup were not freaky; they came on the back of great effort. Not to forget the amount of practice that went into executing them.
FAQ On Best Catches in Cricket World Cup
With 15 catches, Rohit Sharma has the most catches for India.
Two Indians (Ajay Jadeja and Kapil Dev) have featured in our list of the best catches in Cricket World Cup.
There is no definite answer to this question, but we think Daniel Vettori’s catch against the West Indies was perhaps the best.
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