10 best England fielders of all time

The English national team is one of the two oldest international cricket teams in the world and throughout a history that spans more than 100 years, the country has produced some of the finest cricketers to have played the game. Among them, many have been fielders and plenty of them have been pioneers in their own right in certain positions.

Right from the time when Test cricket was the only form of the game to the modern era of one-day internationals and T20s, England have produced fielders from time to time who could be clubbed with the world's best. Needless to say, there have been periods of lull as far as production of fielding talent is concerned but the country has produced its fair share of fielders.

Here are 10 of England's best.

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#10 Andrew Strauss

Andrew Strauss

The former England captain might not always be counted among the best fielders to have ever played the game but among those that have been produced by his country, he was certainly one of the best. Strauss was what one would call an 'honest fielder'. He chased everything, tried to catch everything and made a genuine effort to stop runs, whenever he could.

Strauss succeeded most of the time as well and during his career, he made a name for himself as a pretty consistent slip catcher, who hardly every dropped anything. He was an equally good close-in fielder as well but he did not field there much in the latter stages of his career.

#9 Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook standing at 1st slip

He is already the highest run scorer for his nation in Test cricket with 11629 runs and will probably end up at the top of the tree when his career ends, but what is often ignored is that Alastair Cook also holds the record for the highest number of catches among English cricketers.

Cook might not be a fielder who is known for flying around but when it comes to a safe pair of hands in the slips, then there are very few in the world who can be as good. Of course, in a career spanning 147 games, he has dropped the odd catch but more often than not he is a very reliable fielder against both spin and pace. Cook often fields in the close-in position too and should certainly figure among England's best fielders.

#8 Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan

The Irishman who opted to play for England and eventually became its limited over captain is also, without a doubt, one of the best fielders that the country's cricket team has ever had. Morgan has been on the international scene since 2007 and throughout his career, he has been an asset in the field for England.

In addition to his amazing reflexes, Morgan is also an excellent runner who can dive on both sides in order to stop well-hit shots and over the years, he has become a very important part of the England's inner ring fielding unit. Even though he is 31 years old, he is an extremely fit athlete and one can be assured that there will be plenty of fresh exploits from Morgan in the years to come.

#7 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan

All-rounder Chris Jordan might not have quite cemented his place in the England team in any formats as yet but if fielding was a primary criterion then he would never get dropped. In addition to his absolute god given talent of catching almost anything that comes his way, Jordan is a natural athlete and can cover large tracts of the ground when he fields.

Lastly, he has an immensely strong arm and there are very few grounds in which batsmen can risk an extra run against him. As far as fielding talent is concerned, he is unique and can field anywhere, including at slip and over the years, he has taken some absolute blinders at that position.

He is, without a doubt, one of the best fielders, that has ever been produced by England.

#6 Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain

Former England captain Nasser Hussain is better known for his clever captaincy and dogged batting but in his prime, he was one of the best fielders in the world in the 1990s. As a matter of fact, he was perhaps the first 'modern' fielder that England produced. He usually fielded at cover point in limited overs cricket, the position made famous by Jonty Rhodes and pulled off plenty of stunning catches in his career.

In addition to that, Hussain had the innate ability to anticipate the direction of the ball and that is a quality that separated him from many of his peers. He might not have had a particularly long career but when he played for England, he was almost always the best fielder on show.

#5 Wally Hammond

Wally Hammond

When England batting great Wally Hammond was awarded the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award in 1928 for his batting exploits, the esteemed publication touched upon his immense prowess as a slip fielder as well. Wisden stated, “A beautiful fielder he is particularly brilliant in the slips or anywhere on the off-side.” Hammon has in fact been often regarded as perhaps the greatest slip fielder ever and caught almost everything that came his way.

It is important to remember that in those days, pitches used to be uncovered and bounce used to be unpredictable at many venues. In addition to that, he was a quick runner, chased everything to the boundary and if he was able to retrieve the ball then he sent in thunderbolts.

#4 Derek Randall

Derek Randall

Former England batsman Derek Randall might not have had the most stellar of careers as a batsman but when it came to fielding he was regarded as one of the world's best during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a fielder, he was ahead of his time and had the ability to fly around in order to take catches or save runs in the covers. In fact, it has been said by those who watched him play that Randall used to be ready to spring in any direction as the bowler approached the crease.

Randall's fielding was worth its weight in gold for England since he could save runs for his side by stopping certain boundaries, reducing a certain single to a dot ball or by coming up with a spectacular catch to dismiss a dangerous batsman.

#3 Brian Close

Brian Close standing at short leg

The legendary English cricketer, who was famous for being one of the most courageous batsmen was perhaps the most courageous fielders in cricket history as well and remains one of his nation's greatest ever fielders. Close's position of choice was short leg and even when he used to be hit, he did not flinch one bit.

In addition to that, he stood very close to the batsmen and his ability to keep his eye on the ball until the last moment, without any fear allowed him to take some remarkable catches. Close never dived when a batsman raised his bat and that was a key factor in his prowess as a short leg fielder. He did it all without wearing any helmet either. As former English cricket Mike Selvey recounted in an article in The Guardian a few years ago, Close, as captain once devised a strategy to get Garry Sobers out in the most ingenious way possible. He told his fast bowler John Snow, “You bounce him, Snowy, and I’ll catch him.” And he did.

#2 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes

Since breaking into the England side a few years ago, Ben Stokes has quickly established himself as one of the world's top all-rounders. In addition to that, he is arguably the world's best fielder at the moment as well and that too at a time when global fielding standards are at a very high standard.

Stokes's reflexes, athletic abilities, and catching skills make him a complete fielder but more importantly, he can field anywhere his captain asks him to. He can run very quickly and when he fields in the deep, he can cover great distances in order to retrieve balls that look headed for boundaries.

Last but not the least, Stokes can send in rocket-like accurate throws from the deep without much of an effort and that does not allow batsmen to take any liberties when the ball goes to him.

#1 Paul Collingwood

Paul Collingwood

Former England all-rounder Paul Collingwood became a lynchpin of the Test and limited overs sides during the course of his distinguished career. He was the best fielder in the English side and one of the best fielders in the world in his time. Collingwood was not only an outstanding catcher but had all the other attributes that go into the making of a once in a generation fielder and regularly proved himself to be an asset for England in the field.

In addition to his reflexes and athleticism that could match up to the best fielders of the modern era, Collingwood was also acutely aware of the batsman's motives. He could often anticipate which way the ball was going to go and make a move just a fraction of a second in advance. As far as fielding prowess is concerned, England have not had a better fielder.