Shaun Pollock, a famous South African cricket player known for his fast bowling, said that the catch made by Suryakumar Yadav during the final match of the T20 World Cup 2024 was valid. On June 29, India became the champions of this big event by defeating South Africa by 7 runs at the Kensington Oval stadium in Bridgetown, Barbados. In the final over, when 16 runs were needed, Suryakumar made a great catch while juggling the ball to get David Miller out.
Miller attempted to strike a high, slow pitch from Hardik Pandya straight down the field, but he didn’t time it well. Suryakumar displayed great calmness, accurately gauging the path of the ball and making the catch successfully. There was some question about whether Suryakumar’s feet touched the boundary line, but the third umpire decided that the fielding team should be given the credit for the catch.
Pollock mentioned that Suryakumar made a good catch and praised him for doing well when it was tough. “The catch was good. The padding had shifted, but that happens during the game. It wasn’t Suryakumar’s fault. He didn’t step on the padding. It was a really great skill,” Pollock said during a talk.
Later, Suryakumar received the ‘Best Fielder’ award from Jay Shah, the honorary secretary of the BCCI. This award was initiated by fielding coach T Philip during the ODI World Cup in India last year.
Suryakumar expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you so much Dilip Sir for giving me this chance and for allowing me to receive this award from Jay sir.”
In the final, India batted first and scored 176 runs with 7 wickets lost, thanks to Virat Kohli’s 76 runs off 59 balls. Axar Patel also made a significant contribution before being run out. Heinrich Klaasen scored a quick 50 off 23 balls, but it wasn’t enough for South Africa. Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah kept their cool to secure the win for India.
