I refuse to watch anything that might shatter the illusion of magic for me. Breaking The Magician’s Code is, to me, a sacrilegious programme that should not exist. I’m not an idiot. I know on a fundamental level that all magic is a dexterous street hustle performed by rail-thin mall goths called Stanislav the Big Freak or whatever. But I have no desire to learn how they manage to pull a 7 of clubs out of an unsuspecting rube’s eyeball. I don’t care how they freeze themselves in permafrost for a month and then walk out in perfect health. I do not want you to tell me if he hid his actual balls in his back pocket and whipped out a fake ballsack to hack them off with a blunt cleaver. Let me live in blissful ignorance, where I can gawk and hoot in awe and wonder at the light-fingered feats of these HIM-tattooed dorks.
To that end, a South African cricketer has used a wicket celebration to pull out an actual magic trick on the field and I cannot get enough of it.
Playing for the Paarl Rocks in the South African domestic cricket Twenty20 league, Tabraiz Shamsi removed Durban Heat top-order batsman Wihan Lubbe with a regulation spooned catch to cover point.
Rather than high five teammates or fist pump the air, though, Shamsi instead celebrated the wicket by hoiking a red rag out of his pocket, before magically transforming it into a metal baton.
We have seen magical deliveries before, but @shamsi90 has shown us a magical celebration for the first time. 🧙♂️
Watch all action from Mzansi Super League 🏏LIVE on SONY SIX 📺 #SonySports #MzansiSuperLeague pic.twitter.com/fsCbmAlAKy
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) December 5, 2019
The absolute scenes there. You mean to tell me old mate was casually swanning about the field with that in his pocket for nearly eight overs before this? Unbelievable. Pure insanity.
It didn’t help his side much, but; Durban chased down Paarl’s first innings total of 195 with seven balls to spare.
Still, it’s one thing to be a spin wizard. But an actual wizard as well? Buddy, that’s a true all-rounder right there.
