Chris Sabburg

Christopher John Martin Sabburg (born 2 January 1990) is an Australian cricketer, a specialist fieldsman best known for his role in dismissal of Kevin Pietersen[1] while playing as a substitute fielder in England's first Ashes Test during their tour of Australia in 2013–14. He played two seasons for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.[2]

Born to parents of German ancestry,[3] Sabburg was considered one of the best fieldsman in Queensland[4] even though he wasn't a full-time cricketer. He still managed to impress Brisbane Heat coach to earn a spot in the team for two seasons. He never got to bowl or bat in his first season, but he took five catches and played his part in Brisbane Heat's winning campaign in 2012-13 Big Bash League.[5]

He became a notable player after he took a successful catch to dismiss Kevin Pietersen on the 4th day of the first Test between England and Australia.[6] Sabburg was fielding at fine leg for only two deliveries when Ryan Harris left the field for a short time.[7] Pietersen hit a short ball from Mitchell Johnson towards fine leg where it was caught by Sabburg sprinting from the boundary to secure a catch. Pietersen was dismissed for 26 and Australia went on to win the game by 381 runs.[8] Sabburg said after the game: "It wasn't a very hard catch, to be honest. I just had to do the simple things and catch it. All the boys got around so it was pretty awesome. I was hoping 'Harry' was going to stay off … I wanted to stay on." It also was not the first time substitute fielders were notably used in a Test between England and Australia. In 2005 at Trent Bridge England's substitute fielder Gary Pratt famously ran out Ricky Ponting.[7]

Sabburg is formally an uncapped Test player - his brief moment on the field during a Test match does not count towards official records. Cricket purists claim that players like Marnus Labuschagne or Sabburg are the reason why substitute fielders should not be credited for catches or appearances on the field. Therefore Sabburg is not officially recognized as an international cricketer.[9]