The game of cricket has evolved a great deal and today the importance of fitness is paramount. In the current day and age, a team which has a group of fit and agile fielders generally go into a match with their noses in front.
Gone are the days when big fast bowlers would bowl their quota of overs and then saunter around at fine leg or third man region. Today with the advent of Twenty20s, there is no place on the field for the players to hide. Apart from batting and bowling, whichever is the greater suite, fielding should be an inherent trait in every fielder.
Over the years, we have witnessed agile and superb fielders grace the cricket field. Be it Jonty Rhodes, Paul Collingwood, Herschelle Gibbs, Ricky Ponting and so on. However, we take a look at 5 such fielders who have slipped under the radar but yet are worth their weight in gold on the field.
Trent Boult:
The left-arm seamer from New Zealand is a brilliant bowler and when conditions favour seam and seeing he can win the match all by himself. But what is then unnoticed is his agility on the field and brilliance as a fielder.
In Test Matches, he generally stands in the gully or even in the slips and has pulled out some of the most sensational catches one can see on the field.
His catch to dismiss Denesh Ramdin in the fourth innings of the second Test v West Indies at the Basin Reserve in December 2013 will always spring to memory.
Mitchell Starc:
Another left-arm quick, this time from across the Tasman Sea, Mitchell Starc is arguably the best white ball bowler going around.
But then his fielding in itself is a joy to watch. Unlike Boult, Southee generally patrols the boundary ropes. A tall bloke, Starc is extremely quick across the turf and is a very safe catcher too and uses his long levers to great effect. With a rocket arm, Starc has pulled off spectacular catches and also many run outs.
Tillakaratne Dilshan:
The 39-year-old Sri Lankan is arguably the best fielder from Sri Lanka. However, the veteran has never got his due.
Even at the age of 39, Dilshan controls the backward point region and is just brilliant. Defying his age, Dilshan dives around like a young man and has pulled off some stunners at that region.
During the death overs, he drops down the long off and long on and is equally effective there. Probably the player will get his due.
James Anderson:
Another fast bowler makes the cut. Anderson has always been a fine fielder irrespective of the position he fields in.
Quick across the turf, an agile mover and a very safe catcher, Anderson is without a doubt one of the best English fielders and yet has not quite got his due.
His credentials a safe-catching option can be deciphered from the fact that after the retirement of Paul Collingwood, Anderson stood in the vital first slip position for the spinners and seldom did he shell any chance.
He is brilliant anywhere in the outfield too as he is a natural athlete and a very light mover across the turf. Well, he is the highest wicket-taker for England, but he is more than effective in the field too.
Here's to Jimmy the fielder.
Dale Steyn:
Dale Steyn is arguably the best fast bowler of this generation and there can be few who can debate this statement.
However, his agile fielding and athletic abilities have slipped under the radar. But ask any cricket fan anywhere they can vouch for Dale Steyn the fielder with absolute conviction.
Unlike Anderson or Trent Boult, Dale Steyn does not field in the slips or gully, but controls the outfield and does it with remarkable ease and athleticism.
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