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Rarest Cricket Mishap In History! Joe Root Survives After Bizarre Catch Drop In SA20

Soumyajit Dutta

Joe Root survives dismissal after rarest mishap [Source: @JioCinema/X.com]Joe Root survives dismissal after rarest mishap [Source: @JioCinema/X.com]

The SA20 League witnessed an intense clash between Paarl Royals (PR) and Pretoria Capitals (PC) in the 20th match of the 2025 season. Battling at Boland Park, PR managed to set a competitive target after a disciplined batting effort led by Joe Root and David Miller. However, Joe Root's resilience can somewhat be credited to the greatest mishap of the century.

In what can only be described as one of the rarest occurrences in cricket, Joe Root found himself surviving a moment of sheer luck due to an uncharacteristic mistake by Jimmy Neesham. The incident, which left the crowd and players stunned, became the talking point of the match.

Rarest Mistake Gives Joe Root A Lifeline

Facing a ball from Jason Behrendorff around the wicket, Joe Root smashed a short-pitched delivery towards the deep square leg region. The ball soared in the air and was caught in a flash by Jimmy Neesham. However, luck was on Root's side.

After successfully grabbing the catch, Neesham was striding off and unfortunately, the ball slipped off his hands while he was in motion. It was a difficult decision for spectators to judge whether it would be given an out or not since the catch was already taken. However, the third umpire rolled out a 'Not Out' decision which left Jason Behrendorff and his teammates in utter disbelief.

Nevertheless, being probably the most controversial and rarest mishap of cricket in decades, Root didn't let his lifeline go to waste as he racked a solid 78 off 56 balls displaying 2 sixes and 8 boundaries.

Root Leverages Lucky Lifeline To Post Competitive Total

Paarl Royals posted a respectable 140/4 in their allotted 20 overs, with Joe Root anchoring the innings with his splendid 78* off 56 balls. Skipper David Miller provided a late flourish with a quick-fire 29* off 18 balls, guiding the team to a competitive total despite Pretoria Capitals’ disciplined bowling attack, led by Senuran Muthusamy’s economical spell of 1/15 in four overs.