5 best slip fielders in world cricket today
Slip fielding is a difficult art to master, as it demands extreme levels of skill and concentration. It has to be one of the most thankless jobs in world cricket today, as many catches taken in the slip cordon are worth their weight in gold. Cricket has seen legends like Mark Waugh, Rahul Dravid , Mahela Jayawardene taking up the coveted position behind the keeper and setting a benchmark for themselves.
In modern times though, slip catching has been on the wane and a dropped catch is often attributed to a team's victory or defeat in the end. Let us take a look at some of the better slip fielders in modern day cricket today.
# Ben Stokes
The burly all rounder from Durham has to be one of the most athletic fielders in world cricket today. He could field anywhere, from manning the deep boundaries to standing in the slip cordon.
With England's test bowling unit comprising Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, edges are bound to come frequently, and Stokes has made the gully position his own in Test cricket, taking incredible catches every now and then.
His diving catch to dismiss Adam Voges is still fresh in the minds of fans across the globe. However, his catching off the spinners has been the major highlight, as he has developed into a quality catcher at first slip.
With talented spinners like Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the team, Stokes has to be on his heels all the time, expecting thick outside edges . He is also an excellent fielder off his own bowling, which adds weight to his ever growing resume.