Joint world record holder Dom Bess happy to contribute in any way he can
HE may share it with 24 other people but Dom Bess can still proudly say that he holds a world record.
It was one that slipped by almost unnoticed amid the hurly burly of Yorkshire’s win against Notts at Headingley on Sunday, one that set up a T20 quarter-final with Bess’s former club Somerset at Headingley on Wednesday.
Bess took five catches in the match - the joint-most by an outfielder in a T20 game.
Of the 24 other times it has happened only three were in the English tournament - Matt Machan doing it for Sussex against Glamorgan at Hove in 2016; Miles Hammond for Gloucestershire against Hampshire at Bristol last year; and, also last year, George Garton for Warwickshire against Derbyshire at Edgbaston.
Three of Garton’s catches came off the bowling of Hassan Ali - the Yorkshire pace bowler who is the leading wicket-taker in this year’s competition with 25 at 12.92 - to help the Pakistani to career-best figures of 6-23.
No Yorkshire wicketkeeper, for the record, has ever taken five catches in a T20 match, Gerard Brophy the only one to have managed five dismissals (four catches, one stumping) against Durham at Chester-le-Street in 2008.
Rare company, in other words, for the versatile Bess, the all-round package in more ways than one.
Having been left out of Yorkshire’s five previous T20s - after playing in the first six - he proved that key contributions do not always show up in the runs or wickets columns and that matches can be impacted in various ways.
“I think being three-dimensional is massive,” he told The Yorkshire Post.
“In red-ball cricket, I’ve found myself sort of in around third slip, fourth slip, and also at leg slip, which is equally as challenging.
“You don’t really practise much of the high balls (catches) during the red-ball stuff, and then obviously as soon as midsummer comes, everything’s coming at you high on the boundary, and in 50-over cricket, too.
“But I’ve done quite a bit of work with (coach) Tom Smith, although I need to apologise to Logan (van Beek) because I think I’ve dropped two off him now and caught everything else.”
Bess caught superbly on Sunday despite the challenge, at times, of the sun in his eyes.
First, he held Freddie McCann off his own bowling - a key wicket in the final over of the powerplay.
He then caught Tom Moores at deep backward-square off A.J. Tye, grabbed a sharp opportunity in the covers to dismiss George Linde off Joe Root, held Jack Haynes at deep backward-square off Root again before helping to finish the contest by catching Benny Howell off Tye in the long-leg region.
Important interventions, all, as Yorkshire confirmed their passage to the knockout stages with an 18-run win against the North Group winners - only the seventh time that the club has reached the last eight since the tournament began in 2003.
“It’s great to get through and it’s not happened too often at Yorkshire,” said Bess, who was part of the Yorkshire side that lost to Lancashire in the semi-final at Edgbaston four years ago.
“As I’ve said before, the club that we are, there should be expectations of reaching the quarter-finals almost bare minimum, if I’m honest.
“Also, coming here from Somerset, they’ve always promoted white-ball cricket down there and done really well, so as a kid growing up, I was always wanting to challenge to get into that squad.
“Having made the move to Yorkshire, it’s a massive part of this club now and any trophy that we can get our hands on, that’s why we play.”
Bess and co are just three wins from claiming Yorkshire’s first limited-overs silverware for 24 years.
Not since the club beat Somerset in the old Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy at Lord’s have they tasted success, with Yorkshire one of only four counties - along with Derbyshire, Durham and Glamorgan - never to have won the T20 Blast.
“It’s an exciting prospect,” said Bess, as Yorkshire look to book their place at Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday.
“Momentum of winning is a massive habit, and it’s good to get through because I think we’ve had some tricky games, to be honest, some really close games, but I think we’ve got all bases covered right throughout the squad.”
Nothing perhaps emphasises Yorkshire’s strength in depth more than the fact that Bess has found himself left out at times.
The club has several spin options and tactical flexibility.
“I’ve asked questions about how I can try and get back in the team, and I’m just grateful to have been given the opportunity against Notts and to have contributed,” he added.
“I think that's the biggest thing - even if it's five catches. To have five catches, stop as many as I can out there - that’s the main thing, just trying to contribute.”
A share in a world record is, perhaps, as good a contribution as any.