Ashes: Anderson 'nearly' pulls off miracle diving catch; fans laud 39-yr-old's athleticism

During the second day of the ongoing third Ashes Test, England pacer James Anderson came close to pulling off a spectacular diving catch off Mark Wood's bowling. The incident occurred near the close of Australia's first innings when Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc were at the crease trying to amass some last-minute runs to help their side gain a significant lead. Anderson nearly caught a spectacular catch while diving to his right at mid-on in the 82nd over.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who was batting at 20 off 23 balls at the time, clobbered a good length delivery by Wood towards the mid-on region in the field, where Anderson was waiting to take the catch. Despite Anderson's eye-opening save, the ball slid from the 39-year-old's grip as he failed to seal his fingers on time. However, Anderson managed to save three crucial runs for his side as the ball couldn't reach the boundary due to his monumental effort and the Aussies had to settle for a single. Here's how fans reacted to Anderson's athleticism on the field. 

Ashes, 3rd Test

Earlier in the game, Anderson had helped England make a comeback into the third Ashes Test by picking four wickets for 33 runs in the 23 overs that he bowled. Anderson's amazing spell made sure Australia were bowled out for less than 300 runs in their first innings. 

As far as the third Ashes match is concerned, Australia are on top with a lead of 54 runs at stumps on Day three. After dismissing the visiting England side for just 185 runs in the first innings, Australia posted 267 runs on the board courtesy of some fine batting by Marcus Harris, David Warner, Travis Head, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, who scored 76, 38, 27, 21, and 24 runs, respectively. Australia finished its first innings with a lead of 82 runs. 

Australia then began the third innings of the match with a bang, as the side managed to dismiss four English batters for just 31 runs before stumps on Day 3. England skipper Joe Root and all-rounder Ben Stokes closed the day for England as they remained unbeaten at scores of 12 and 2, respectively.