Ben Stokes led the acclaim for a Sussex wonder catch – with one word.

Brad Currie’s flying grab on the boundary to dismiss Hampshire’s Benny Howell is being hailed as perhaps the best catch of all time.

The clip has been viewed almost five million times on Twitter.

It helped Sharks beat the T20 Vitality Blast champions in a thriller at the 1st Central County Ground on Friday.

England skipper Stokes tweeted “Filth” as he shared a clip of the catch and added two ‘exploding head’ emojis.

The Vitality Blast’s own Twitter feed was in no doubt, proclaiming in capitals: “STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING. BRAD CURRIE HAS JUST TAKEN THE BEST CATCH OF ALL TIME.”

Currie ran to his left on the legside boundary and dived to hold what looked like a pulled six by Howell off Tymal Mills.

 

Had he not done so, there is every chance the six would have helped Hampshire secure the win the formbook had suggested.

Instead, a six-run success for Sharks kept alive their hopes of qualification.

Currie had earlier taken 3-27 on his Blast debut.

He told BBC Sussex: “You sort of act on instinct.

“It was on my left side and going down the slope at Hove so I thought I had all the attributes in my favour, “I think when it’s like that you just go ‘I’m just going to give it my best effort’.

“You see it and try and judge it and I guess out came a flying version of me. It just sort of stuck.

“It is one of those that sticks and you thank your lucky stars.”

Sussex face Kent at Hove on Tuesday.

Currie said: “To beat a Hampshire side like that is an incredible effort.

“It shows what potential we have.

“Going forward there is no reason why we can’t string a load of games together.”

Currie recently produced the second-best bowling spell in ECB Southern Premier League history with career-best figures of 9-28 as Bashley (Rydal) skittled New Forest rivals Lymington for 68.

Many Sussex followers still cherish a similar catch by James Kirtley for England versus India at Lord's in 2002 as the best they have seen.