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WATCH | Tom Latham's mind blowing catch: When courage, intuition and agility provided a moment of magic

As good as it gets!

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New Zealand's Tom Latham catches out South African captain Faf du Plessis in Hamilton on Sunday. (Photo credit: Twitter screengrab @BLACKCAPS)
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A brilliant catch is probably the most attractive thing to watch on a cricket field. One might hit the most sumptuous drive, the most bludgeoning six, or bowl an absolute peach of a delivery, but a catch pulled out of nowhere is what'll make you scratch your head in disbelief.

New Zealand's Tom Latham produced one such moment when he took a stunning catch to get rid of South African captain Faf du Plessis on Sunday. His brilliance came at a pivotal moment with the Kiwis going on to gain ascendancy in the contest.

So what makes a great catch? The ones that give you no reaction time, as well as those that touch the clouds and come back are both challenging in their own ways. Different fielding positions demand different sets of skills from a player.

On most instances, fielders patrolling the boundary need to run fast and get under the ball, get a grip on their wobbling eyesight, and have a steady base to be able to pouch the ball. Fielders inside the circle rely greatly on reflexes. They need to be agile enough to spend some air-time and pluck catches out of thin air.

The poor souls standing in front of the bat, however, play a different ball game altogether. Not only do fielders at Short Leg and Silly Point need superhuman reflexes to take catches, they are also most-likely to get seriously injured while doing their job on a cricket field.

Fielders standing close-in need courage, intuition, agility, and a wonderful pair of hands to be able to take a catch. But above all, they require great anticipation. A keen eye on the subtle movements of the batsman can go a long way in converting a half-chance into a wicket. It can also save you from getting hit. Yes, that risk is eminent during every ball. The contributions of Eknath Solkar, Garfield Sobers, David Boon, Ricky Ponting, and the likes, in bat-pad positions will forever be remembered. 

On Sunday, Du Plessis was batting on 53 and looking set to guide his side to a position of dominance in the third Test in Hamilton. His plans, though, were foiled by the brilliance of Latham who was stationed at Short Leg.

With left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner in the middle of a tight spell, Du Plessis decided to play a fine sweep to rotate the strike. Just as the right-hander got into position to play the stroke, Latham anticipated what he was doing and rapidly took a few steps to his right. The ball came off the bat gently and Latham pounced to his right and completed a memorable catch.

That moment of magic proved to be the turning point in the contest as the visitors were later bundled out for 314. Latham then got together with his opening partner Jeet Raval to cap off a good day for the Kiwis and finish at 67 for no loss.

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