Michael Neser’s boundary line catch should prompt cricket rule change

Michael Neser’s brilliant piece of quick thinking was great for the BBL, but it can’t be allowed to happen again, writes Robert Craddock. HAVE YOUR SAY

There’s a boundary in cricket for a reason.

If you can lean over it and take a catch, then good for you.

If you can pop the ball up before you leave the field of play, and keep it in play, you should be able to run over the line and back and take a fair catch.

But Michael Neser’s inventive juggling catch was literally a step too far.

It’s fun to be discussing this issue because you only truly find out where cricket’s boundaries should be by pushing them too far then retreating.

Cricket thrives in moments like this. The Big Bash suddenly seems alive again. They will probably tighten the rules because of this.

Innovation and creativity in cricket is to be encouraged and applauded at every turn, and when the accepted boundaries are pushed beyond acceptable limits, that’s when the lawmakers should step in.

Michael Neser took one of the catches of the season against the Sixers. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Nesser quite brilliantly did his best to take a catch and left it up to the umpires to make a call. There is no problem with that. There’s a grey area in the rules and he plunged into it. It’s his job to do his best not to make the call.

Not many players would have his game awareness.

But to take this law to the nth degree would be almost comical

What is to stop fieldsman of the future perfecting the kangaroo hop where you keep popping the ball up in a series of leaps to somehow get it back inside the field of play.

This is one of the best things to happen to the Big Bash this season.

After a few rugged years the Big Bash has looked better this month.