Watch: Spectator wins $4,000 for taking incredible diving catch in New Zealand

One of the most exciting sights during a cricket match is when spectators attempt to catch a ball in the stands. The emergence of T20 cricket has given spectators a better chance to showcase their catching skills due to the rampant hitting by the batsmen. 

While some of the viewers don’t succeed in their attempts, others pull off incredible catches. An instance of a brilliant catch by a fan was witnessed in 2014 when Andrew McCullouch completed an impossible one-handed diving catch during a match between the Otago Volts and the Wellington Firebirds in Hamilton, New Zealand.

The incident took place during the 13th over of the match when Michael Bracewell hit Jeetan Patel for a massive six over the midwicket region. McCullouch was sitting with his partner on the grass stand of Seddon Park and he ran down the slope as soon as he saw the ball coming towards the stand and caught it with a dive.

McCullouch’s diving one-handed catch on the stands 

The batsman that dispatched the ball over the midwicket boundary for a six was Michael Bracewell, who interestingly enough, happened to be the brother of McCullouch’s partner. McCullouch's one-handed diving effort won him $4,000 (NZ$ 5,000).

The domestic T20 competition in New Zealand has gained a lot of attention for giving away cash prizes to the audiences for the catches that they pull off. The initiative was very innovative and it did lead to a greater crowd engagement in the T20 matches. 

McCullouch was applauded by the entire stadium for his superb effort. He was shown on the big screen afterwards with multiple replays of his superb one-handed catch.