Published: Jun 08, 2015, 07:02 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 08, 2015, 07:15 PM (IST)
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is a highly intense tournament and has given the fans many incredible moments to cheer. They have set high fielding standards as they have a plethora of fine fielders featuring in the tournament.
Martin Guptill has been a livewire on the field and possesses a great presence of mind. One such exquisite illustration of his athleticism was witnessed in the 26th match of the 2014 season of the CPL between Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Lucia Zouks. While playing for Warriors, Guptill pulled of a ripper at long-on boundary to dismiss Zouks’s Kevin Pietersen.
Pietersen came into bat when Zouks were in a commendable position at 152 for three inside 17 overs. His primary job was to go all guns blazing and get maximum runs in the death overs. On the fifth delivery of the 18th over from Navin Stewart, Pietersen played a pull shot towards long-on to a back of a length delivery in a bid to earn a priceless boundary. When the ball was hit off his bat, it seemed that it would be landing outside the huge boundary, but Guptill who was patrolling the long-on area kept an eye on the ball till the last second and heaped high in the air to pull off a one-handed stunner. He maintained his balance to perfection and landed safely inside the boundary rope to complete a fantastic catch.
Guptill shone again with the bat as he scored a blistering 66 off 47 deliveries and provided his team a desirable start. Warriors chased down the set target of 190 comfortably in the 19th over but Guptill’s catch will be remembered as one of the greatest catches in the CPL history.
