A reminder of a cameraman catching Ian Botham's six, a lifetime supply of multivitamins and two cans of cold lemonade Vodka : The story behind Harry Gill's stunning catch off Tim David's six

Indian Express

5 days ago

A lifetime supply of multivitamins, former Australian captain Mark Waugh getting reminded of a similar catch of the bat of Ian Botham in 1987, getting calls from people after years and a reminder of Australian Rugby Star Brisbane Broncos' Ben Hunt dropped chance against North Queensland Cowboys in the final minutes of the 2015 NRL Grand Final. That's what Aussie fan Harry Gill has experienced in the last 24 hours post his catch in the stands off the bat of Australian batsman Tim David in the opening T20I against South Africa at Darwin on Sunday. The 26-year-old pilot had taken the sensational catch following the six by David in the 12th over with his left hand with two cold cans of vodka lemonade in his right hand and the catch reminded Gill of the moments of Hunt dropping the rugby ball in the NRL final in 2015.
'I had a bit of time, but it was just coming straight for me. I was praying I didn't drop it like (Broncos star) Ben Hunt did in the 2015 grand final. The lemonade ones are bloody good. I've got a bit of a hangover this morning. It just stuck. My hand is a bit sore this morning but, yeah, happy with it. My phone is blowing up. People I haven't spoken to in 10 years have been in contact,' Gill, who is a pilot in Darwin, told The Age on Monday.
With Australia playing at Darwin for the first time in 17 years, David had come to the crease with the Australian team losing three wickets for 30 runs in 3.1 overs. David, who would play a knock of 83 runs off 52 balls, was batting on 40 runs having hit four sixes and two boundaries before he launched a Corbin Bosch delivery into the stands with an alert Gill in the front row taking the catch in the stands meters away from the advertising boards in the 13th over. The catch would draw reactions from commentators with former Australian opener Mark Waugh talking about the famous catch taken by Channel Nine Cameraman Tony Fox off the six by England's Botham off the bowling of Australian bowler Simon O'Donnel in the World Series Cup Final at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 1987. Fox had taken the catch two-handed near the sight-screen in the front row in the stands with a cigarette in his mouth and throwing the ball back to the field. 'You just need a smoke and you'd be right at home.' Waugh would say on Fox Sports post Gill's catch on Sunday. Waugh's fellow commentator Mark Howard too would praise the one-handed catch by Gill. 'A nice snare in the crowd. Two cans in the right hand, the kookaburra in the left. Cool and casual.' Howards said on Fox Cricket.
Gill though would talk about Fox's catch as 'much cooler' but shared that the South African fielder Drewald Brewis too termed it as a 'good catch'.'His is so much cooler, bro. I wish I had a durry (cigarette) in my mouth so I could have done that. The South African cricketer that was in front of me said it was a pretty good catch,' Gill told The Age.
At the time of the catch, Gill was wearing a cap bearing the name of the multivitamin brand Good Day. The brand was launched by Tom Birmingham and Eddy Simpson, hosts of Hello Sport podcast and Birmingham was quick to offer Gill a life-time supply of the Multivitamins. 'We are dead serious about lifetime supply. Natural life, of course. Once he's dead, we will turn the subscription off. We're getting his address and he'll be getting whatever. We'll have something dropped off at his house every month. We're going to fly him down to Sydney at the end of the year for our Christmas party. It's like the multivitamin gods are smiling on us. The catch was phenomenal. Two cans in the hand means he's an alpha male. He looked excited and pleased with himself, but also, in a way, like he does it all the time. This will be shown forever, like that guy smoking the dart behind the sight screen.' Birmingham told The Age.
As for Gill, he just termed his holding of two cans as a 'lazy effort' and shared how he went home post the match and watched a horror movie. 'It's just obviously easier to go and buy two drinks than one. The lines weren't even that bad. It was just me being lazy. I got a few more tins to celebrate after. It turned out to be a pretty good game. I then just went home and watched a horror movie,' said Gill.