Crowd catch and Coach reaction. (Photo Source: X(Twitter)
On Day 3 of the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, a fan grabbed a stunning catch from the stands which went viral in no time. The incident happened in the first ball of the 83rd over. Asitha Fernando ran in and bowled a fiery bouncer that Mark Wood pulled and dispatched to the stands.
As the ball sailed into the crowd, one of the fans in attendance extended his arms to snag the ball with one arm. What made the catch even more stunning was that the person was holding a pint on his other hand. As the camera panned towards the dressing room, an ecstatic Paul Collingwood was spotted imitating the incident in absolute jubilation.
YES, SIR! 🫡
Take incredible catch ✅
Don’t spill a drop ✅
Impress the coaches ✅ pic.twitter.com/IamoUULjmb— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 23, 2024
England meanwhile posted 326 runs in the first innings. Jamie Smith had a fantastic outing, scoring his maiden century in Test cricket. The hosts were 125/4 at one stage and things looked difficult for them. However, Brook and Smith took control of the situation and stitched a crucial partnership. After Brook’s dismissal, Smith took charge and played remarkably well to help England take a massive lead of 122 runs.
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The stumper-batter built important partnerships with Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and Mark Wood, which shows that the youngster has the capability of building innings with tailenders as well. He was picked ahead of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes in the series against Sri Lanka and in the absence of Ben Stokes, he has done a commendable job in the middle order.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, would be disappointed with their bowling effort. They had the game on their hands at one point but lost the grip after failing to capitalize in the middle overs. Even with the bat, the visitors failed to impress. They lost the wickets of Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis early as the Dhajanya de Silva-led side was 10/2 at Lunch on Day 3.