VIDEO | Tim Bresnan pulls off Imran Tahir celebration after outrageous full-stretch catch

08/25/2020

English cricket has the affinity to produce some world-class slip fielders and Tim Bresnan added to the glowing list with a stunning piece of work in the Bob Willis Trophy yesterday. However, what was even more mesmerizing was the way he celebrated the wicket - an Imran Tahir edition 2.0.

Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss, and Ian Bell - the formerly English troika raised the bar for slip fielding in English conditions, majorly due to the fact that the conditions suit pacers taking the ball away from the right-handers. It was, in a way, a cultural expansion for the succeeding generation and the hindsight gives us a great understanding of the same which is felt in the veins of County cricket. Most recently, the Central Group game between Warwickshire and Worcestershire added to the list when Bresnan held on to what was an absolutely terrific catch at slip.

After Daryl Mitchell completed his century, Worcestershire secured four batting points to boost their hopes of qualifying from the Group, but that didn’t stop the Warwickshire unit from putting in the extra yards. Oliver Hannon-Dalby picked up three wickets but the star of the show had to be Bresnan whose assist was no less than encouraging.

Hannon-Dalby bowled a good length ball to Jake Libby, who was batting on 84, as the ball slowly moved away from the right-hander. Before the opener could realise the impact of the slower ball, it had taken a sly outside edge to fly to the right of Bresnan who was standing at first slip. And what a catch he took!

Bresnan flew to his right to gobble the unbelievable catch and so excited he was by that, instead of celebrating with his teammates, he ran towards the boundary rope in true Imran Tahir fashion. In all probability, he must have learnt the same from Tahir himself, who spent a few years of his cricketing career playing for the same county - Warwickshire 2nd XI and the main team afterwards.