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Why Glenn Maxwell's catch is completely legal

Maxwell does everything silently

England may have won the fourth one-day international match against Australia last night, but it was Glenn Maxwell, who took all the spotlight after taking a stunning boundary catch to dismiss Liam Plunkett.

England's Plunkett was looking dangerous, he smashed 17 from 10 balls and it looked like six more until Maxwell performed the excellent juggling act boundary catch.

Maxwell's catch also took advantage of an unheralded law change back in 2013, which made the effort legal because he was in the air, despite jumping from outside the boundary rope.

According to the MCC LAW 32.4. Fielder beyond the boundary

A catch shall not be made and a Boundary 6 shall be scored if after the ball has been struck by the bat a fielder
    (i)    has some part of his person touching or grounded beyond the boundary when he catches the ball, or after catching it subsequently touches the boundary or grounds some part of his person beyond the boundary while carrying the ball but before completing the catch as defined in Law 19.4.  
    ii)    catches the ball after it has crossed the boundary in the air without the conditions in 3(e) above being satisfied.

*3(e)    a fielder catches the ball after it has crossed the boundary in the air, provided that after being struck by the bat, the first contact with the ball is by a fielder, not touching or grounded beyond the boundary, who has some part of his person grounded within the boundary or whose final contact with the ground before touching the ball was entirely within the boundary.

Explained Maxwell scenario in pictures:

1) Maxwell takes the original catch outside boundary with a jump

2) He has a quick look at the boundary rope and where he is...

3) When he realised his momentum is lost, he decides to toss the ball in the air and go inside the boundary

4) He finds the tossed up ball, seizes the opportunity, jumps inside the boundary area to catch it in the air

5) Then he completes the brilliant hand-eye coordination catch as he snaffles it one-handed after jumping back into play field

Here’s the law explained through a MCC video:

England went on to win the match by three wickets to level the five-match ODI series by 2-2 with one match to play.

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