South Africa Champions dominantly began their World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2026 campaign, beating West Indies Champions by 97 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. While the South African batting lineup put on a spectacular show, one of the standout moments came late in the West Indies Champions’ chase when Faf du Plessis produced a brilliant effort in the field.
With the West Indies innings already in deep trouble, Dave Mohammed attempted to attack part-time spinner Sarel Erwee. The shot went high into the air and appeared to be heading towards vacant space, but Du Plessis had other ideas.
Faf du Plessis produces stunning running catch
Mohammed looked to clear the field with an aggressive heave against a flighted delivery from Erwee in the 18th over. However, he failed to connect properly and the ball ballooned high towards the extra-cover region. Du Plessis immediately tracked the trajectory and sprinted towards the dropping ball.
With the ball coming down quickly, the former South Africa captain timed his approach perfectly before launching himself into a full-stretch forward slide. He managed to get both hands underneath the ball just inches above the ground, completing a sensational catch to send Mohammed back to the pavilion. The dismissal came at 17.6 overs and left West Indies Champions with just one wicket remaining.
Here’s the video:
Faf du Plessis made it look too easy 😎#WCL pic.twitter.com/pWtzjg2zam
— FanCode (@FanCode) October 4, 2026
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South Africa Champions dominate West Indies Champions
The catch capped an impressive all-round performance from South Africa Champions, who had earlier posted a mammoth 242/5 after being asked to bat first. Richard Levi set the tone with an explosive 87 off 39 balls, while AB de Villiers rolled back the years with a spectacular 70 off 39. Colin Ingram and Erwee then provided late acceleration to take South Africa past the 240-run mark.
West Indies Champions never looked close to mounting a successful chase despite Chris Gayle’s entertaining 60. Once the veteran opener was dismissed, the innings collapsed under sustained pressure from the South African bowling attack. Imran Tahir played a key role in breaking partnerships in the middle overs, while Aaron Phangiso picked up three wickets. The 97-run victory gave South Africa Champions an ideal start to their WCL 2026 campaign and a significant boost to their net run rate.
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