Sydney Sixers and Hobart Hurricanes players took a knee in a stand against racial injustice and persecution, as Jordan Silk marked the opening night of the Big Bash League with some jaw-dropping acrobatics.
The Sixers failed to reignite their engines after the dismissals of James Vince (67 off 41 balls) and Jack Edwards (47 of 39) in successive overs, losing by 16 runs though they claimed a “bash boost” point for leading after 10 overs.
Silk may have already provided one of the highlights of the tournament, which has been talked down by its free-to-air rights holder Channel Seven in its feud with Cricket Australia.
Once hailed by Ricky Ponting as the best fielder in Australia, Silk stunned former legends and fans around the country with his gravity-defying save in the deep to prevent Hobart’s Singapore-born recruit Tim David from scoring a six.
Leaping at full stretch over the boundary rope, Silk snared a one-handed “catch” almost parallel to the ground before throwing the ball back into the field of play. Though technically a chance, his effort left former and current stars in awe.
“This is so bloody good!!!” Glenn Maxwell tweeted.
Former great Mark Waugh, one of the best fielders of his generation, predicted “you won’t get a better bit of fielding this season” while commentating on Fox Sports.
“Jordan Silk flew like superman! I reckon he’s saved four runs there,” fellow cricket legend Adam Gilchrist said.
Colin Ingram and David both smacked half-centuries for the Hurricanes, who recovered after losing two wickets from the first two overs.
