Watch: Ben Charlesworth shows amazing football skills to save himself from unlucky dismissal

Sussex and Gloucestershire played one of the most fascinating matches in the 2025 T20 Blast on Thursday, July 17, at the College Ground in Cheltenham. One of the most intriguing moments of the pulsating clash came in the first innings when Gloucestershire's seam-bowling all-rounder Ben Charlesworth showed neat football skills to evade an unfortunate dismissal.

Charlesworth came out to bat at No. 4 after D'Arcy Short was dismissed in the 12th over. The left-handed batter played a fine innings, remaining unbeaten on 44 off 24 balls, belting three fours and as many sixes. He finished at a strike rate of 183.33. However, Charlesworth's knock could have ended much earlier had he not brought his footballing acumen to the fore.

Charlesworth tried to cut a wide delivery, but the ball bounced off the pitch and bounced precariously over the stumps. As the ball was making its way down towards the stumps, the 24-year-old used his left foot to volley it over safely towards the wicketkeeper, John Simpson.

The commentator was amused by the incident as he jokingly said it is because of moments like this that cricketers warm up by playing football. He likened the shot with the ones hit by iconic footballer Lionel Messi, who is also a left-footer.

Check out the video below:

Apart from his footballing skills, Charlesworth's presence of mind deserves a lot of praise. Indian fans are still hurting from how Mohammed Siraj was dismissed in the fourth innings of the Lord's Test as the Asian giants suffered a 22-run defeat to England. Siraj defended a ball from off-spinner Shoaib Bashir off the back foot, but it rolled back onto the stumps before the experienced Indian pacer could react. Ravindra Jadeja, who was batting at the other end, was left stranded as India failed to chase down the 193-run target.

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Coming back to the clash between Gloucestershire and Sussex, the former made 185/5 in their 20 overs. In reply, Sussex got home off the last ball with four wickets to spare.

While Tymal Mills-led Sussex has 26 points from 13 games in the South Group, Gloucestershire is sitting at No. 7 with 20 points from 13 matches.