How many times have you a seen fielder celebrate a six which sailed over his head? Take your time, bang the keyboard, search on YouTube. As you are doing all this, also try to look for an instance where the ball boy redeemed himself during the same innings after a drop catch. Now what if we say, the two questions are related? Wait, let's make it more jaw-dropping. The questions have the same answer. Stumped? Don't be. We've got you covered.
Your search will end with the Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi Pakistan Super League (PSL) match in Rawalpindi. The fielder in question here is New Zealand's Colin Munro. With his side, Islamabad United on top, Munro decided to share a light moment with a ball boy.
In the last ball of the 7th over, Islamabad pacer Faheem Ashraf tried to cramp Zalmi's Amer Jamal for room. But the right-hander was up to the task. He clipped the rising delivery off his hips and the ball sailed just over Munro, standing at fine leg. The ball stationed at duty at that area, came running to take the catch but failed to hold on to it. Munro was kind enough to give the boy a hug and some consolation.
Little did anyone imagine that the ball boy would redeem himself with Munro again for company. It happened in penultimate ball of the 19th over. Left-arm pacer Rumman Raez bowled a slower one around leg stump and Arif Yaqoob gave it an almighty swing. He made a good connection. Enough to take it over the fine-leg boundary. This time, the same kid, who had dropped the catch, divided forward to hold on to a much difficult opportunity.
{{/usCountry}}Little did anyone imagine that the ball boy would redeem himself with Munro again for company. It happened in penultimate ball of the 19th over. Left-arm pacer Rumman Raez bowled a slower one around leg stump and Arif Yaqoob gave it an almighty swing. He made a good connection. Enough to take it over the fine-leg boundary. This time, the same kid, who had dropped the catch, divided forward to hold on to a much difficult opportunity.
{{/usCountry}}It was Munro fielding at that region again. The left-handed batter was delighted, not because the ball went for six but for the kid who had redeemed himself with a wonderful catch. He was celebrating with the ball boy, giving him high fives and a hug.
Colin Munro gives high five and hug to ball boy who redeemed himself after dropping a catch
Aamer Jamal’s rapid-fire half-century was not enough to make up for the early lapses as Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 29 runs. Islamabad put up 196-4 thanks mainly to captain Shadab Khan's 80 off 51 balls.
Brothers Naseem Shah, 1-26, and Hunain Shah, 2-25, then sliced through the Peshawar top order in the power play and reduced it to 18-5.
Jamal drove the comeback by smashing 87 off 49 balls to lead them to 152-6 in the 18th over when he was clean-bowled by leg-spinner Shadab, who finished with 3-41.
Islamabad moved to third on the six-team table, ahead of Peshawar on net run-rate.
Peshawar's chase was in early trouble when skipper Babar Azam was needlessly run out off the first ball he faced. Babar failed to beat Alex Hales’ direct throw at the non-striker’s end.
Saim Ayub was caught in the slips in an eventful first over and it became 3-3 when Imad Wasim took a well-judged, sharp two-handed catch at short fine leg to dismiss Mohammad Haris. Hunain’s double-wicket maiden extended Peshawar's collapse.
Jamal counterattacked in the middle overs, sharing a 107-run stand with Paul Walter, who contributed 33. Jamal smashed six sixes and eight fours before he misread Shadab’s googly in the same over he launched a 102-meter six.
Earlier, after being put into bat in chilly weather, Hales' middle stump was knocked back by Ayub's first delivery, a carrom ball. But Shadab shared two valuable half-century stands with Salman Ali Agha (37) and Jordan Cox (26). Azam Khan's unbeaten 29 off 14 provided a late flourish.