‘I knew it!’ Renshaw revels in Neser’s copycat act

Silk brought undone by bizarre Neser boundary juggle

The man who first sent the cricket fraternity abuzz over handling the ball while in the air outside the field of play in the KFC BBL says he knew Michael Neser’s juggling effort was out the second he saw it.

Matthew Renshaw wasn’t at the Gabba with his Brisbane Heat teammates after being called into the Australian squad for the third Test at the SCG but was watching on TV as Neser threw it up to himself not once but twice to complete a match-defining catch.

The Heat seamer’s effort has divided cricket fans, players and commentators alike in the 24 hours since the incredible effort as punters debate whether the game’s Laws should allow such a catch to be taken.

But Neser revealed after the match that he was aware of Law 19.5.2 that allows a fielder to jump from outside the field of play as long as their first contact with the ball was inside the rope as he had seen Renshaw do similar in KFC BBL|09.

“I knew Renshaw did it a couple of years ago. I knew it was a rule I wasn’t too sure if they changed the rules,” he said on the Channel 7 broadcast.

“So I thought I’d give it a try (and) thankfully they didn’t change the rules.”

On that occasion, Renshaw parried the ball to Tom Banton who completed the catch inside the rope to dismiss Matthew Wade after Renshaw did a little hop in the air to bat the ball back inside the boundary after his momentum carried him over.

But, crucially, both Renshaw and Neser first touched the ball inside the rope meaning they could take off from outside the rope so long as they aren’t grounded with the ball over the boundary.

“He copied me didn’t he,” Renshaw told cricket.com.au’s Unplayable Podcast, in an episode to be released on Tuesday, ahead of the third Test against South Africa.

Juggling act! Renshaw’s fancy fielding dismisses Wade

“As soon as he did it, I knew it was out because I’ve seen the rule before.

“I was on the phone to Joe Burns as it happened, and he was telling me it wasn’t out. And I was like ‘no… that’s out, I’m pretty sure about it, I did it’.

“I think mine was a bit more difficult because I had to pass it to someone else.

“‘Ness’ (Neser) threw it to himself which is a bit easier. I had Bants (Tom Banton) standing five metres away and I had to parry it to him, volleyball it to him so I’d say mine was probably a lot more difficult.”

What makes the pair of athletic and quick-thinking feats even more freakish is they both occurred on the same section of turf.

“Same corner (of the Gabba). Mine was Wadey (Matthew Wade) over long on and his was Silky (Jordan Silk) over long of,” Renshaw said.

“It’s weird that it was the exact same place that it’s happened in the past.”

But not everyone in the Aussie squad was as impressed with the application of the Law by their teammate from the Adelaide Test last month with Josh Hazlewood revealing he “didn’t like it all”.

“I think it should be back to the old rule where you have to be in the field of play and that’s your last step before you throw it back in,” he told reporters on Monday.

“It was something different and ‘Ness’ is pretty cluey with the rules. Players are definitely aware of the rule (and) it worked for them last night.

But Hazlewood admitted as long as the rule was in place, he too would take advantage of it if given the chance.

“If it’s in the rules, go for it,” he said.