In the Legends League Cricket 2023 match in Dehradun on November 25, Rusty Theron, the former South African fast bowler, made a remarkable catch. While representing the India Capitals against the Southern Super Stars, the 38-year-old initially missed a skier from Sri Lankan Dilshan Munaweera.
Surprisingly, the ball unintentionally struck his thigh and ended up in his hands, allowing Theron to complete the catch. Although there was an initial appearance of the ball touching the ground, subsequent replays confirmed the catch to be clean.
The beneficiary of Theron’s juggling feat was Sri Lankan left-arm pacer Isuru Udana. Watch the video of this extraordinary catch by Rusty Theron on the cricket field:
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Munaweera’s wicket was significant, especially given his rapid 34 off 27 balls in the Super Stars’ initial match against the Urbanrisers Hyderabad.
Subsequently, Theron complemented his remarkable fielding with an impressive bowling spell of 2/19 in four overs. This played a crucial role in limiting the Super Stars to a modest total of 163/6 in 20 overs.
Responding to the target, the Capitals were guided by an outstanding century from opener Ricordo Powell, who scored 100 runs off 57 balls, successfully chasing down the total in the 17th over.
Led by former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, the Capitals secured their first points on the table after facing defeats in their initial two matches.
The six-team tournament, comprising numerous retired cricketers, commenced on November 18 and will conclude with the grand finale on December 9.
Rusty Theron featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for three different franchises during his career
Known for his skill in consistently delivering yorkers during the death overs, Rusty Theron was selected by the Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) for the 2010 IPL season.
The right-arm pacer displayed a commendable performance, securing six wickets with an economy rate of under 7.80 in seven games. After his single year with Punjab, Theron joined the Deccan Chargers (now SunRisers Hyderabad) for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
After an impressive 2010 season with Punjab Kings, Theron had minimal impact in subsequent years with Deccan Chargers/SunRisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. Despite playing a single game for the Royals in 2015, he hasn’t been part of the IPL since.
Theron is unique as he played for both South Africa and the U.S.A. in international cricket. He was part of South Africa’s limited-overs team occasionally between 2010 and 2012 and later retired from their domestic cricket in 2015.
Since 2019, Theron has been playing for the U.S.A. and recently joined the Texas Super Kings in the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) this year. In total, he has participated in 18 ODIs and the same number of T20Is, securing a combined total of 55 wickets.
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