#NoMatterWhat - 5 reasons why the South African team is the fittest fielding unit in the world
Over the years, perhaps the most evolved factors in cricket have been fielding and fitness. While the game has swayed in the favour of the batsman, with big bats and flat pitches, batsmen have adapted to the new conditions and incorporated several innovations to the game.Similarly, bowlers have also done their part to ensure batsmen don’t have it too easy, using their wits to bring about their own inventions, which include the carrom ball and the slower-ball yorker. But the aspect of fielding still remains in the shadows.While Cricket has seen its fair share of amazing catches and moments of brilliance in the field, the first person who really intensified the importance of fielding was former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes. With fast hands and faster reflexes in the field, Rhodes proved how crucial a run-out or a couple of good catches could drastically alter the result of a game.The best fielding unit in modern day cricket are undoubtedly the South African cricket team, with each and every player sweating it out in the field. From 20-year-old Kagiso Rabada to 32-year-old Hashim Amla, every single cricketer takes his fielding seriously. The concept of age and lethargy has no place in the Proteas side, with fielding being given top priority by their coaches. What exactly puts South African fielding on a higher level? These are some factors:
#1 Focus at the domestic level
The infallible logic is that when players are exposed to high levels of fielding while playing for their domestic sides; it becomes easy for them to adjust to it during the higher levels of the game, especially during pressure situations. The fact that the domestic cricket shows so much competition is a sign of how seriously the players take their fielding.
When players are encouraged to field their best from a young age, it becomes second nature for them by the time they are eligible to appear for the side, as evidenced by some of South Africa’s best fielders.
One of their under-rated fielders, Dale Steyn started his cricket career at the age of 11, where he played for the Northerns (who later merged with the Easterns to form the Titans) one of South Africa’s most prestigious cricket counties. There, he got the chance to play alongside South Africa’s best fielders of the day – AB De Villiers, who was also inducted into the game when they were schoolboys.