Michael Neser pulled off one of the wildest catches you’ll ever see in cricket, and it sparked serious debate. While fielding for the Brisbane Heat, he caught the ball just before stepping over the boundary. Knowing he couldn’t keep it in play, he tossed it up mid-air, sprinted back inbounds, jumped, and caught it again before touching the ground. Everyone watching thought it might be illegal, including players and commentators. But Neser was confident. He’d seen it done before. Back in 2020, his teammate Renshaw pulled off a similar move, batting the ball to another fielder before stepping out.
The umpires huddled, paused the game, and contacted the third umpire to check the rule. Cricket’s wording is confusing, but the key point is this: as long as the fielder’s first touch of the ball is while inbounds and he’s not touching the ground and the ball at the same time outside the boundary, he can complete the catch however he likes. In slow motion, each frame showed Neser pulling it off perfectly. No foot-ball contact while out of bounds. It was ruled out. The ICC confirmed the play was legal.
Some fans still think it feels wrong. He was so far over the boundary line that it looks shady. But as the rule stands, it’s allowed. Whether cricket should change that is up for debate. For now, we just have another highlight-reel play from a guy who clearly knew what he was doing.