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Nathan Smith flew like Superman at deep third to grab a stunning catch and send back Eshan Malinga for 4 (5).
Snippets from Nathan Smith’s stunning catch on Wednesday. (PC: X)
All-rounder Nathan Smith took a stunning diving catch at the deep-third boundary to dismiss Eshan Malinga in New Zealand’s second home ODI against Sri Lanka at Seddon Park in Hamilton in the ongoing 2024-25 series. It was the icing on the cake of a big 113-run win (DLS method) for the Kiwis after rain reduced the match to 37 overs each side.
It happened on the last ball of the 29th over, with Sri Lanka already struggling at 136/8 in the chase of 256. It was a typical good length ball on middle and off from William O’Rourke which Malinga tried to swat across the line after making room. He got beaten by the pace and the ball took the top edge to loop high over the wicketkeeper.
Smith was standing a bit square and had to sprint a few good meters to even come close to the trajectory of the ball. Still a bit far, he put in a last-ditch dive — full-fledged and flying parallel to the ground for a second — to grab it perfectly in the bucket. Watch it here:
Sri Lanka got all out for 142, allowing New Zealand to clinch the series with an unassailable 2-0 lead. The visitors could never get going in the innings.
The top three were dismissed early. Kamindu Mendis offered a slice of hope with his 64 (66) as wickets continued to fall on the other end. But he, too, was dismissed by O’Rourke. Smith also took a wicket in the innings — the second-highest run-scorer Janith Liyanage for 22 (31).
For New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra and Mark Chapman’s 112-run partnership for the second wicket set the tone for the innings. Both batters scored good half-centuries and though the Kiwis collapsed after the latter got out, it allowed them to put a par score on the board.
“We opened up really well, lost wickets in the middle but seamers did their thing on a wicket that offered a little bit,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said afterward. “We knew we had to bowl well at the start, credit to Theekshana and he bowled wide and made us hit to the bigger side and they stuck to their line and lengths for a long time and made it challenging for us. Usually, it swings here under lights, but the bounce our bowlers got has proven to be challenging. Good game time for the guys,” he added.
