Five instances when cricketers stunned everybody with their presence of mind

Cricket is a funny game and more often, players are expected to play a smart game to clinch a win for the team. More often than not, a player’s smartness has won the game for their team and the most recent being Ravichandran Ashwin’s presence of mind during the India-Pakistan clash played on October 23 in the 20-20 World Cup 2022. 

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Although cricket is a game of team effort when it comes to momentum, it depends on an individual and a player can change it in favour of his team if they have the presence of mind. We decided to handpick five such incidents where players proved their worth with their incredible smartness. 

1) MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni (Image Source: Twitter)

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MS Dhoni, the former Indian captain, often came up with smart run-outs and wicketkeeping skills that helped the Indian team win a few games by slight margins. A prime example of it would be his run-out against Bangladesh during the 2016 20-20 World Cup which helped India seal the game by just 1 run. 

However, tracing back to 2016, during a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia, Dhoni fooled Mitchell Marsh with a cheeky runout and smiled it off about the incident during the press conference after the game. 

Watch the video here:

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2) Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq (Image Source: Twitter)

Misbah-ul-Haq proved his worth during a test match against England when he changed his shot at the last moment only to fool wicketkeeper Jos Buttler and slip fielder James Anderson. Facing Adil Rashid, Misbah tried to play a sweep shot reading the ball and eventually changed it to a late cut over the off side after noticing Buttler moving to the leg side. 

This moment still stands out in his career and many agreed that he has changed since his 2007 20-20 World Cup scoop shot error that cost Pakistan the finals of the inaugural tournament against India. 

Watch the video here:

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3) Tom Latham

Tom Latham (Image Source: Twitter)

Tom Latham, the New Zealand cricketer, can take the game away with his batting on his given day and during a game against South Africa, the prominent batter proved his presence of mind with a pre-meditated catch while fielding at short leg.

Anticipating South African skipper Faf du Plessis’ paddle shot, Latham managed to pull off a stunning catch and impressed the crowd who witnessed the magic unfold right in front of their eyes. This moment still remains afresh in many fans’ minds and it will go down as one of the best moments in the history of New Zealand Cricket. 

Watch the video here:

4) Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin (Image Source: Twitter)

Ravichandran Ashwin is a genius when it comes to cricket and the player has proved it a lot of times in the past. However, during the opening clash against Pakistan in the 20-20 World Cup 2022 at Melbourne, Ashwin proved his worth and his smartness that sealed the game for India. 

Requiring 2 runs off the last ball chasing 160, Ashwin faced Mohammad Nawaz and let the delivery slide down the leg side eventually clinching an extra run for the Men in Blue. With scores tied, the off-spinner played a lofted drive over mid-off and won the game for team India. 

Watch the video here:

https://youtube.com/shorts/vwcJoWxpJdE?feature=share

5) Mark Boucher

Mark Boucher (Image Source: Twitter)

Mark Boucher is one of the best players that South Africans have ever witnessed and the wicketkeeper proved his brilliance during a game against Sri Lanka when he came up with a stunning run-out to dismiss Marvan Atapattu. 

As the batter faced Johan Botha and tried to flick it down the leg side, Boucher, who caught the ball tried to appeal for a caught behind. However, Atapattu, who lost his balance, made his way out of the crease and Boucher, who noticed the same, dislodged the bails without even looking at the stumps and proved his brilliance.

Watch the video here: