Peter Handscomb almost equalled a fielding world record during the Western Australia vs Victoria Sheffield Shield match in Perth.
Handscomb kept wickets for Victoria in their last Sheffield Shield fixture of the season in place of regular keeper Harry Dixon, who fielded in the outfield instead. Victoria were put into bat on day one and were bowled out for 197 with Handscomb scoring 48. Before the end of the day's play, Western Australia lost their captain Sam Whiteman with Handscomb taking the catch behind the wickets.
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Peter Handscomb takes seven catches as wicketkeeper
On day two, the trio of Will Sutherland (3-32), Peter Siddle (3-10), and David Moody (4-41) ran through the WA lineup to bowl them out for 186, 11 short of Victoria's first-innings total. Handscomb was involved in six of the nine dismissals on day two, taking his tally to seven catches for the innings.
Victoria then piled up 370-9 in the second innings putting up a target of 382 for WA, who made a valiant effort but fell 34 short, getting bowled out for 347.
Match 30, Western Australia vs Victoria
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This puts Handscomb as joint-second on the list of most catches taken by a player (wicketkeeper or not) in a single first-class innings, with the world record being eight catches. Interestingly, this was the 100th instance of a wicketkeeper taking seven or more catches in a first-class innings. Eight catches have been taken by wicketkeepers ten times.
Handscomb has kept wickets for Australia in the only two T20Is that he played, and in three out of his 22 ODIs. While he has not donned the gloves in Test cricket, the right-handed batter has kept wickets across different formats and levels in domestic cricket.
Handscomb, currently 33, last played for Australia two years back in the 2022-23 Border Gavaskar Trophy in India. He has 1,079 runs from 20 Tests at an average of 37.20, 632 runs from 22 ODIs at 33.26, and 33 runs from two T20Is.
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