- Aiden Markram produced a sensational catch in the SA20 qualifiers on Tuesday
- The Sunrisers Eastern Cape booked their place in the SA20 finals with a win
- Markram jumped a few feet in the air to send JJ Smuts away with the catch
Cricket fans were left stunned on Tuesday evening after Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain Aiden Markram produced a sensational diving catch during their SA20 win against Durban Super Giants.
The win saw the Sunrisers book their place in their second successive SA20 finals after completing a 51-point victory against their opponents in Newlands.
Eastern Cape would bat first, with England star Dawid Malan posting a top score of 63, while Markram would be dismissed for 30 runs.
They would take the field for the second innings and go 13/2 before Markram would produce the sensational catch to dismiss JJ Smuts with the Durban Super Giants struggling at 13/3.
Pace bowler Ottniel Baartman had fired a bouncer at Smuts, with the batsman cutting wildly at the shot and sliding the ball halfway into the air towards Markram.
Aiden Markram produced a sensational one-handed diving catch in the SA20 on Tuesday
Sunrisers Eastern Cape then claimed a 51-run win against Durban Super Giants
The South African international leapt high into the air and reached out with his right hand to pluck the ball out of the air to send Smutts clear.
His acrobatics left the Cape Town crowd at Newlands stunned, with the 29-year-old going several meters into the air to take the catch.
Fans online praised the Eastern Cape captain for his heroics, with one person on X (formerly Twitter) writing: ‘Aiden Markram has magnet hands.’
Another wrote: ‘Aiden Markram with the catch of the tournament!!!!!’
One called it: ‘A great catch, which will certainly go down as one of the best.’
Fans online praised Markram for having ‘magnet hands’ after taking the sublime catch
He was immediately mobbed by his teammates after taking the stunning catch
The South African will now lead the SA20 final for the second year in a row
“Even more amazed at how cool Aiden Markram was after taking this absolute stunner,” said another.
Even the Sky Sports commentators were baffled, with one saying: ‘No! No! No! One of the nice catches! You can’t believe that. My God. The timing, the jump, the brilliance of Captain Aiden Markram.
“We all thought it was a border!”
He added: “The captain had other ideas, namely that Aiden Markram is an absolute unworldly.”
Baartman would take another three wickets, while Marco Jansen would also claim four dismissals to help Eastern Cape hold the Super Giants to a score of 106, ultimately sealing victory.