Although Ben Stokes' place in England's side for the upcoming T20 World Cup may be in question, his status as one of cricket's best fielders is certainly not after he produced another stunning piece of brilliance in the win over Australia in the second T20I.
With Mitchell Marsh in the midst of an important partnership with Marcus Stoinis, he looked to smash Sam Curran down the ground for six. However, Stokes produced an amazing piece of athleticism to prevent the ball from going over the boundary.
Stokes leapt in the air and caught the ball one-handed, before realising he was going to land on the boundary rope and flicking it back into play while making sure it did not ricochet back off him and over the boundary.
His efforts likely prevented a six and save England four runs, with Marsh and Stoinis running two. Jonny Bairstow, who has been working for BT Sport during the series while he recovers from a broken leg, was left stunned by Stokes' effort.
"Oh Stokesy, wow," was his reaction. And on commentary for host broadcaster Fox, legendary Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist was left in disbelief.
"It didn't really look like it was going to clear the rope [by] a long way, but he [Stokes] just positioned himself beautifully ... released perfectly," he said. "Well done, outstanding. Modern fielding of the highest quality."
Fans were also stunned by Stokes' effort, with one tweeting: "Absolutely outstanding from Ben stokes here". Another added: "The spatial awareness and reflexes required to pull this off are absolutely superhuman".
"That right there is why Ben Stokes is in this team," wrote a third. "If he's going to commit himself 100% to the this T20 side he will deliver."
"This is one of the most ridiculous things I've seen on a cricket pitch," added another. And Stokes' acrobatics ultimately proved crucial in the outcome of the match, with England beating Australia by just eight runs to seal a 2-0 series victory with a game to spare.
