Srinagar: South African legend Jonty Rhodes incredible runout of Pakistan legend Inzamam ul Haq in 1992 World Cup, has been ranked as Greatest Moment in Men’s Cricket World Cup history .
From the 32 epic moments in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup history, the fans have voted for their single Greatest Moment!
The hunt for the Greatest Moment in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup began on 14 September, from a bracket of 32 memorable moments from the tournament’s history.
After two weeks of voting from cricket fans across the globe, Jonty Rhodes’ best Superman impression to effect a flying run-out of Inzamam-ul-Haq in the 1992 edition has been voted the single Greatest Moment in the Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Jonty Runs Out India
A pioneer of fielding in cricket, it was fitting that Jonty’s most memorable moment on the field came on the game’s grandest stage. Pakistan and South Africa faced off in the group stage of the 1992 World Cup, with Pakistan set a target of 212 by the Proteas.
After losing a couple of wickets early, Inzamam was taking the game away from South Africa and was batting at 48 off 44 balls at the time. Inzamam mis-hit the ball to point and set off for a single, only to be sent back by Pakistan captain Imran Khan at the other end.
Any other fielder and Inzamam probably had a chance of making it back to the crease but not with Jonty Rhodes!
Sensing an opportunity, the Proteas star showcased amazing athleticism and the presence of mind to run and knock down the stumps while flying parallel to the ground instead of going for a direct hit.
The incredible fielding feat changed the course of the game as South Africa went on to win by 20 runs.
This epic moment faced stiff competition from 31 others that have been etched in the memories of cricket fans, including Ben Stokes’ deflection in the 2019 World Cup, Kapil Dev’s running catch in the 1983 Final, Sachin Tendulkar’s onslaught against Pakistan in 2003, among many others.
Having reached the final bracket, Jonty’s run-out was up against the historic MS Dhoni-six that won India the Final in the 2011 edition but the gravity-defying fielding effort trumped the former India skipper’s heroics.
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