London: The 2019 Cricket World Cup might already have its best catch of the tournament.
Running backward toward the boundary rope, England allrounder Ben Stokes leapt high and took an improbable one-handed catch on the stretch to dismiss South Africa's Andile Phehlukwayo.
It sparked gasps in the crowd at The Oval and amazement across social media.
"It's the best catch I've ever seen in the flesh," former England spinner Graeme Swann posted on Twitter.
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Ex-England captain and Sky TV commentator Nasser Hussain labelled it the greatest ever catch.
The Oval crowed roared its approval at what was a truly memorable moment, but Stokes – and captain Eoin Morgan – tried not to get too carried away when bombarded with questions about it.
"I was actually in the wrong position – it would have been a regular catch if I was in the right place but, yeah it is one of those that sticks or doesnt," Stokes said.
"The crowds reaction behind me was pretty awesome – I just tried to take that in as much as I could. I bowled the next over and Morgs had to come to me and ask if everything was alright, if my heart rate had gone down – things like that catch do get you fizzed up."
Stokes admitted he had taken a step in from the boundary and that led to him having to pull off his fantastic take as hosts England got their campaign off to a winning start, winning by 104 runs.
Ben Stokes celebrates his stunning catch with teammates.Credit:PA
Morgan said the only other catch he had seen to rival it was by South African AB de Villiers in a game in Bangalore.
"Ben misjudged it – he ran in, stopped, I thought it was way over his head," he said. "I don't know how to describe it – it's unbelievable."
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