Video: Stray ball in Murray v Federer clash caught in the crowd by Shane Warne of all people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xt4YkhX-10

Ah here, the equivalent to this in Ireland would be something along the lines of Roy Keane catching a stray kick-pass in Croke Park during the All-Ireland Final. Seriously, you couldn’t write this stuff.

Andy Murray finally defeated Roger Federer in a Grand Slam tournament after a five-set thriller in Melbourne this morning, but probably the most exciting aspect of the game as far as Australians were concerned was when a stray ball by Federer during the fourth set was caught in dramatic fashion by the country’s most famous cricketer, Shane Warne.

It was no easy catch either. Sat in the front row of what we can only imagine was the VIP section of the Rod Laver arena, Warne reached out over the hoardings and effortlessly gathered it with one swoop of his right hand.

Given that he’s used to catching far heavier and harder balls than that, Warne would have been pilloried had he let it slip through his grasp and his reaction was incredibly modest for a man who has never been shy of courting attention in the past.

As we said, you couldn't make this stuff up.

Hat-tip: 101 Great Goals