Satire: Usain Bolt takes catch at Short Leg

Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Usain Bolt stunned spectators and fellow teammates after taking a most astounding catch in his Big Bash League debut for the Melbourne Stars last night.

It happened in the 12th over of the Sidney Sixers’ innings when David Hussey, bowling his off-spinners, decided to flight one up to the batsman. It was met with a tentative forward defensive prod, which took the inside edge and popped up towards the leg side. It seemed to be heading to ground, when a diving Bolt picked it up mere inches from the grass. What made the catch especially incredible was that the man was fielding at mid-off for the delivery.

“It was unbelievable!” said an awe-struck Hussey. “When the batsman poked at it, my first thought was “Oh, nice! A dot ball.” But then I saw this 6 foot 5 inch blur whoosh past me while screaming. Lemme tell ya, I’ll never forget the image of Usain at full speed, and thumping his chest, before going for the dive! It’s not every day you see a fielder on the 30 yard circle take a bat-pad catch.”

This bit of magic comes just a few months after Bolt had first expressed interest in trying his hand out at cricket; an announcement that led to a bevy of non-cricketing sport stars to sign up for T20 Leagues around the world. The transition hasn’t been an easy one for everyone, though. Just last week, English Rugby World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson was fined for tackling a helpless Tamim Iqbal to the ground while the latter was attempting a single in a Bangladesh Premier League game. “How the heck are you supposed to stop them from scoring then?” he was heard asking.