10 best New Zealand fielders of all time

For a long time in their cricketing history, the New Zealand cricket team depended on a few gifted cricketers to win them the occasional game, but, overall it took them a long time to become a truly competitive team. However, despite the absence of many world class players, New Zealand reached the semi-final of the World Cup in 1979.

The great thing about the team ever since has been the fact that they have almost always proven to be greater than the sum of its parts. What the team could not do with the bat or ball, they made up with quality fielding and over the year, they have produced some outstanding fielders.

Here is a look at 10 of the finest fielders to ever play for New Zealand.

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#10 Jeremy Coney

Jeremy Coney

Former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney was one of his country's leading batsmen during his career and led them to many memorable victories. However, his prowess as an excellent fielder is often overlooked and in that regard, there is no doubt that he is among the finest fielders that have been produced by New Zealand in their cricketing history.

Coney was one of the finest slip fielders of his generation and pouched plenty of chances that came his way. He was an extremely agile fielder too and a quick mover across the turf in one-day games. In 52 Test matches, he took 64 catches and in one-day internationals, he took 40 of them in 88.

#9 Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson

All-rounder Corey Andreson is perhaps known more for his power hitting in limited overs cricket and the ability to bowl decently quick left-arm pace. However, in addition to tall that he is an extremely gifted fielder.

Anderson is an extremely agile fielder who can field almost anywhere but he is usually stationed in the deeper positions, due to his strong arm and his ability to cover distances quickly. Additionally, he has a very strong arm and can send down thunderbolts to either end of the wicket.

The size of the ground is often irrelevant when he sends down throws and that has made him the model modern fielder and one of New Zealand's finest.

#8 Tom Latham

Tom Latham

New Zealand's opening batsman Tom Latham perhaps goes under the radar a bit, but as far as fielding chops go, there are very few in the current team who are as good as him. A very agile fielder, Latham has all the attributes one would expect from a modern fielder and in addition to that, he is an extremely intelligent operator in the field.

In Test cricket, he often fields on close-in positions and that is where his intelligence as a fielder often shines through. The catch he took to dismiss South African batsman Faf du Plessis is a case in point.

Latham started to move even as Du Plessis was shaping up for the sweep shot and then plucked the ball out of thin air. The catch can be watched here.

#7 Bryan Young

Byan Young, Gavin Larson & Lee Germon

Having played 35 Test matches and 74 one day internationals in a career spanning around nine years in the 1990s, New Zealand opening batsman, Bryan Young's career was a rather unremarkable one and will hardly find mention when one considers a list of all time great Kiwi cricketers.

That said, his abilities as a fielder are right up there with the very best and his prowess as a slip catcher makes him one of the best fielders to have ever played for the country. In only 35 Tests, Young took a remarkable 54 catches and had he played more games, then he might have found himself in the fielding record books.

In a Test match against Pakistan back in 1994, Young took three catches in either innings of the Test match and that rare feat places him among only 12 other fielders who have been able to match that (minimum 3 catches in each innings).

#6 Lou Vincent

Lou Vincent

Ex middle-order batsman, Lou Vincent's involvement in match-fixing in English domestic cricket will forever make him a pariah in the annals of New Zealand cricket but during his time in the national team, he was one of the best fielders.

When he first came onto the international scene back 2001, the first thing that struck cricket fans were his superb abilities as a fielder and in fact, his agility, movement, and athleticism was right up there with the best fielders of the era.

Vincent could pull off spectacular catches and his superb fielding inside the ring always kept the batsmen honest. There is no doubt that he is among the best fielders ever produced by New Zealand.

#5 Mark Greatbatch

Mark Greatbatch

Former New Zealand opening batsmen will go down in history as a pioneering batsman, who showed the world how to take advantage of the 15 over fielding restrictions in the 1992 World Cup. However, in addition to that, he will also be remembered as one of New Zealand's best ever fielders.

Despite being a bit on the portly side, he was deceptively quick and agile, who could throw himself, either way, to come up with stunning catches. Even more importantly, he could chase down shots to the boundary quite regularly and more often than not sent down accurate throws to either end.

Greatbatch is definitely one of the best fielders that the Kiwis had in that era and certainly belongs among the nation's finest fielders of all time.

#4 Trent Boult

Trent Boult

It is quite rare for fast bowlers to be outstanding fielders but New Zealand's Trent Boult is a refreshing exception to the rule and ever since he first played for the national team in 2011, he has been an asset for them in the field. Boult usually fields at mid off, mid on or gully in Tests and at deeper positions in limited overs cricket.

However, his ability to sprint across the field and stop well-hit shots, sometimes even after having bowled an over, is quite remarkable. In addition to that, he is an excellent catcher, who can take the odd stunning catch as well and hardly ever drops anything.

Moreover, he is an excellent fielder off his own bowling as well. Last but not the least, being a fast bowler he has a strong arm and uses that to good effect by sending in fast, flat throws from the deep.

#3 Chris Harris

Chris Harris

Direct hits from nowhere, spectacular catches, full length dives to stop boundaries and the ability to anticipate the directions a split second early; Chris Harris could do almost everything that one would expect from a top class modern fielder. Throughout his time as one of New Zealand's most important limited overs cricketers through the 1990s and early noughties, Harris was an absolute asset on the field.

Usually, he used to field inside the 30-yard circle and the covers used to be the area that he patrolled most of the time. Batsmen did not often take risks when the ball went to him but if they did then Harris always stood a chance against them.

#2 Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor

One of the New Zealand's greatest ever batsmen, Ross Taylor will also go down in history as one of the nation's greatest ever fielders. Although he might not quite be considered an awesome athlete like Brendan McCullum (more on him later), he is a very good fielder in his own right and can sometimes make fielding look quite easy.

First and foremost, Taylor's ability as a catcher is probably one of his best attributes as a fielder. He has taken 123 catches in 81 Tests in his career so far and no other New Zealander is anywhere close to his tally. The next best is Martin Crowe with 71 and that is when one can get the idea why Taylor is regarded as one of his nation's greatest fielders.

Other than that, he is a very quick runner and has a deceptively strong arm that has flummoxed many batsmen over the years.

#1 Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum

Legendary former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was probably the most entertaining cricketer of the last decade. He was an ultra-attacking batsman, a highly innovative captain and last but not the least, a fielder who could turn a game on its head with a stunning piece of work on the field.

The fact that he was a wicketkeeper as well, was one of the key reasons behind his athleticism but at the same time, he had other attributes that could not be put down to his wicketkeeping skills.

McCullum could throw himself either way, he could sprint after a shot very quickly and remained one of the best catchers till his retirement. More importantly, he could field anywhere and in fact, he was an excellent slip fielder as well.

In addition to everything, he had the audacity to often try the unthinkable and when it did come off, it further reinforced his status as one of the best fielders in the world. There has never been a better fielder than McCullum who has represented New Zealand.