In this Women’s World Cup 2017 qualifier match between Thailand and Zimbabwe, the former registered a narrow 36-run win. But, the player that stood out came from the losing side, Thailand skipper Sornnarin Tippoch.
The 30-year-old had a near-perfect game. With the ball, she gave away merely 27 runs from her 10 overs with a wicket, and was the top-scorer with the bat with 50 from 92 balls, keeping her side in the chase. However, she could not get her team across the finish line.
What certainly was the highlight for Tippoch by a long stretch is her diving catch at mid-on to send back Josephine Nkomo. One needed to possess Jonty Rhodes-like athleticism and Andrew Flintoff-like handling to execute what Tippoch did. Lunging forward at full stretch with her outstretched right hand, the Thai player pouched the ball. Nkomo could scarcely believe that her opponent held on to it. It is only early 2017, but this is a certain contender for the catch of the season, across genders.