The catch of the World Cup?
Very little had gone Quinton de Kock's way at this World Cup until Kusal Perera edged a Kyle Abbott delivery and he was called into action. De Kock had to dive to his left, across Hashim Amla, stretch out as far as he could and then a little further. As the ball found the glove, it popped out and de Kock reach even further, mid-dive, to ensure he'd caught it. A good catch can be the catalyst for renewing confidence and that may just be what it did for de Kock.
The popping veins
Dale Steyn's quiet tournament was always expected to explode in sound and it did when Tillakaratne Dilshan edged to second slip and Faf du Plessis reacted quickly to take a dying catch. Steyn put away the chainsaw and simply let out a roar in celebration, that seemed to stem from the veins popping in his temples and the demons dancing in his eyes. Steyn seemed possessed by the moment Later that over, he touched his the base of his neck in discomfort and received a massage from the physiotherapist Brandon Jackson on the boundary. The muscle tension may have had nothing to do with the celebration, or more likely, it may have had everything to do with it.
The unnoticed hat-trick
JP Duminy had Angelo Mathews caught at midwicket off the last ball of his eighth over when the Sri Lanka captain tired to clear the infield but did not get enough height on it. That was just reward for disciplined lines and it got better when, with the first ball of his next over, Nuwan Kulasekera walked after edging behind. Duminy could see the batsmen playing for turn, something he does not offer too much of, and when Tharindu Kaushal did the same and missed, he knew he has his man. Kaushal was hit plumb in front and Duminy had two in two ... from that over. He actually had three in three, and the ninth hat-trick in World Cup history.
The instinctive retreat
Batsmen despise being run out at the non-striker's end when their partner hits one straight, and most have now conditioned themselves to dart back into the crease if the striker appears to be hitting down the ground. There is a chance Kumar Sangakkara could have prevented Lahiru Thirimanne's wicket when Thirimanne pushed early at a Imran Tahir ball and softly lobbed one to the left of the bowler. If he had stood his ground after backing up, Tahir's path to the ball might have been blocked, meaning the return catch would not be pulled off. But almost by reflex, Sangakkara saw the shot and moved quickly back into his crease, and with his way cleared now, Tahir completed the take and ran halfway to the boundary in celebration.