Watch: Jacob Bethell took a stunning catch on the boundary in The Hundred Eliminator match at The Oval today (August 17), diving high to his right before sliding inches short of the rope.
Southern Brave were put in to bat first in the winner-takes-all contest against Birmingham Phoenix, with James Coles in to bat towards the end of their innings. Brave had reach 111 with five balls left, with Sean Abbott set to bowl the final set to Coles.
Abbott sent down a back of a length ball first up, which Coles looked to hit for a maximum behind square into the leg side. Bethell was stationed on the square-leg boundary and instantly picked the ball out in the air. He ran round the rope as the ball threatened to sale over the boundary, and dived high to his right.
Somehow, he managed to pluck the ball out of the air with both hands while mid-air, before he tumbled to the ground. He fell dangerously close to the boundary rope but, showing great awareness, managed to stop himself from touching it as he slid along the grass, before casually getting to his feet and throwing the ball away, signalling to the crowd in celebration.
20-year-old Bethell has been tipped as a future England player since he appeared in the 2022 U19 World Cup. He has previously been described by former-England batter and fellow Warwickshire player Ian Bell as "the best 17-year-old" he'd ever seen.
Southern Brave finished on 126-6 from their innings, James Vince continuing his impressive form in the tournament with 43 off 35 balls.
Watch: Bethell takes stunning boundary catch
Incredible awareness of the boundary! 😮
— The Hundred (@thehundred) August 17, 2024
An outstanding catch from Jacob Bethell 🙇#TheHundred pic.twitter.com/b5AZCQugsJ
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