5 Cricketers who owned their fielding positions

Jonty Rhodes brught about a revolution in the game in regards to fielding

If anyone ever asked me – “Who do you think is the greatest fielder of all time?” - I would without a second’s delay reply – “Jonty Rhodes”. To me, it’s as simple an answer as “Sachin Tendulkar” – for greatest batsman ever.

However, we are a species that love to challenge the default. For every cry of “Sachin”, there have been enough references to Lara and Ponting; or more recently Dravid, Kallis, Mahela and most notably Sangakkara. However, I guess what gives us the confidence to unflinchingly consider Sachin at the top, is because of the sheer mountain of runs he has scored.

All other aspects – be it average, runs in winning causes vs. losing causes, highest scores – fade into oblivion, in front of 34357 international runs, and most importantly a century of centuries.

Do we feel the same way about Jonty? While he still remains our favourite, his numbers aren’t that impressive. In fact, if we delve into international cricket stats (Tests, ODIs ,and T20Is), he was 61^st on the list of number of catches, and 46^th on the list of highest number of catches per innings. This might force you to accept the fact that there were many others who have made a bigger mark in the fielding department – and that’s what prompted us to dive into some numbers and research. After all, numbers never lie!

Presenting ladies and gentlemen, our verdict of the best fielders of all time in 5 crucial fielding positions.

#1 First Slip – Graeme Smith

The former South Arfrican skipper was one of safest hands in the slips

With 292 catches in all international cricket and a catch per innings rate of 0.643, Graeme Smith emerges not only as our best slip fielder but the best fielder overall as well. The prolific former South African who holds the record for most tests played as captain, as well as most Test wins as captain, was one of the safest pair of hands in the slip area.

He can easily be quoted as one of the shining examples of top order batsmen who were also slip fielders, something which attributes to their excellent hand-eye coordination and immense concentration.

Notable Mentions: Stephen Fleming, Ross Taylor, Mahela Jayawardene, Rahul Dravid & Mark Taylor.