Texas Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis was blazing away in the Challenger of Major League Cricket against San Francisco Unicorns on Friday, but a moment of brilliance in the field from his counterpart Corey Anderson not just put an end to the knock but also turned out to be one of the outstanding moments of the league's 2024 season.
After Finn Allen's stroke-filled century (101 off 53 balls) led the Unicorns to a commanding total of 200 for 6 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Du Plessis came out firing to smash 45 off just 22 balls, but just when he looked to be setting up the chase, and possibly taking the game away from the opponents, Anderson's stunning one-handed catch at mid-off sent the South African veteran back in the hut.
In the fifth over of the Kings' run-chase, when the scoreboard read 55 for no loss, paceman Carmi le Roux had du Plessis playing an aerial shot that found the toe-end of the bat and looked to be just out of Anderson's reach at mid-off. But the former New Zealand allrounder plucked a blinder out of nowhere with his left hand before landing on the ground, only to get up and kick the ball in swagger.
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The moment proved critical as the Unicorns went on to win the game by just 10 runs despite unbeaten half-centuries by Devon Conway (62* off 38 balls) and Joshua Trump (56* off 36 balls).
The Unicorns will meet Washington Freedom in the title match on July 29.
