[Watch] Rusty Theron pulls off a never-seen-before catch in Legends League Cricket 2023
Former South African pacer Rusty Theron took one of the most unique catches in the 2023 Legends League Cricket game in Dehradun on November 25. Playing for the India Capitals against the Southern Super Stars, the 38-year-old initially dropped the skier by Sri Lankan Dilshan Munaweera.
However, the ball inadvertently hit his thigh and went into his hands, following which Theron claimed the catch. It appeared to have touched the ground initially before replays confirmed the grab to be clean.
The bowler who benefited from Theron's juggling act was Sri Lankan left-arm pacer Isuru Udana.
Here is a video of the most unique catch seen on a cricket field by Rusty Theron:
Munaweera was a crucial wicket, considering his quickfire 34 off 27 balls in the Super Stars' opening game against the Urbanrisers Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Theron followed his incredible fielding effort with an outstanding spell of 2/19 in four overs. It helped restrict the Super Stars to a mediocre 163/6 in 20 overs.
In reply, the Capitals were led by a magnificent 100 off 57 balls by opener Ricordo Powell and chased the target in the 17th over. The Capitals, led by former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir, opened their account on the points table after losses in their opening two games.
The six-team competition featuring a slew of retired cricketers started on November 18 and will finish with the grand finale on December 9.
Rusty Theron played for three IPL franchises in his career
Renowned for his ability to bowl yorkers at will in the death overs, Rusty Theron was picked up by the Punjab Kings (formerly known as Kings XI Punjab) for the 2010 IPL season.
The right-arm pacer was relatively impressive, picking up six wickets at an economy rate of less than 7.80 in seven games. Following the lone year with Punjab, Theron was part of the Deccan Chargers (now SunRisers Hyderabad) setup in 2011 and 2012.
However, he did not play a single game in 2011 and played two matches the following year with little success (2 wickets). With the Deccan Chargers transitioning to the SunRisers Hyderabad, Theron was released and was unsold until the Rajasthan Royals picked up the pacer for the 2015 season.
He played the solitary game for the Royals with figures of 1/40 and has not been part of the lucrative league since.
Theron is among the few cricketers to have played for multiple nations in international cricket, South Africa and the U.S.A. He was part of the South African white-ball setup sparingly from 2010 to 2012 before retiring from their domestic circuit in 2015.
Theron has represented the U.S.A. since 2019 and was part of the Texas Super Kings squad in the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) this year.
Overall, Rusty Theron has played 18 ODIs and as many T20Is, picking up 55 combined wickets.