5 best slip catchers for South Africa

South Africa has been a powerful force in cricket yet a big underachiever in the sport, especially when it comes to the big tournaments, earning the dubious tag of 'chokers' along the way.

Time away due to apartheid did them no favours and international cricket was left to rue the loss of quite a few talented players from the African nation.

However, they have always been a force to reckon with, setting high standards in all departments of the game, especially in fielding.

The name Jonty Rhodes springs to mind right at the onset when one talks about the greatest fielders in cricket history and there have been many more players from the Proteas who have set high standards in terms of ground fielding and catching.

Fielding at slips is a specialised position which needs much expertise and the Proteas have been blessed with many good fielders in this position as well. Let's take a look at the Top 5 slip catchers to have emerged from South Africa.

#5 Gary Kirsten

Apart from being a class act with the bat for South Africa, Gary Kirsten was an assured fielder in the slip cordon for South Africa.

Despite not being the agilest of fielders, Kirsten had a safe pair of hands, exuding confidence in the South African bowlers about the prospect of a wicket if they manage to get a nick off the batsmen.

From 101 Test matches and 185 ODIs, Kirsten took 83 and 60 catches respectively, with most of them coming in the slip cordon or in the gully region, including the famous one-handed diving catch to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar in the first Test of India's tour to South Africa in 1996/97.

Since retiring from the game as a player, Kirsten has taken up coaching, famously guiding India to World Cup success in 2011 and it is no surprise that he places emphasis on fielding as a vital element to the team's success.

#4 Brian McMillan

McMillan learned his skills as a slip fielder catching golf balls during his younger days

One of the world's leading all-rounders in the 1990s, Brian McMillan was a surprisingly agile fielder for a man of his size in the slip cordon for South Africa.

McMillan attributed his safe hands to growing up as a kid catching golf balls and hard balls and he was extremely clinical in the slips earning a reputation as one of the safest hands in the game in the vital position.

Excelling with both bat and ball in equal measure, McMillan was an all-rounder in the truest sense with his fielding ability in the slips to go along with.

McMillan took 49 catches from 38 Tests as well as 42 catches from 78 ODIs.

#3 Faf du Plessis

Du Plessis is one of best fielders in the world at the moment.

One of the greatest fielders in the modern era, the only reason why Faf du Plessis doesn't feature higher up in the list is that he is too good a fielder to be confined to one particular position.

He has taken some spectacular catches all around the field, in the infield as well as deep, often turning around the match for his side.

With 38 catches from 47 Tests and 60 catches from 116 ODIs, Du Plessis is making his way up the list for most catches by a South African and he has a liking for the spectacular ones as seen with his effort against Sri Lanka.

#2 Jacques Kallis

Kallis is arguably the greatest all-rounder in the history of the game.

Arguably the greatest all-rounder in the history of the game, Jacques Kallis is a legendary figure in the sport, scoring the most runs for the Proteas in both Test and ODI cricket.

An equally important figure with the ball as well, Kallis was a very safe fielder in the slip cordon and also holds the record for the most number of catches by an outfielder for South Africa in both the ODI and Test format.

In fact, with 200 catches in Test cricket, Kallis is only one of three players in the game's history - the other being India's Rahul Dravid and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene - to take 200 or more catches in the five-day format.

In ODI's, Kallis took 131 catches from 323 matches and was a constant presence in the slip cordon and rarely missed a chance that came his way.

#1 Graeme Smith

Smith made the first slip position his own during his time as a player.

One of the greatest captains to have graced the game of cricket, Graeme Smith was a champion fielder in the slips as well, making the first slip spot his own during his career.

The bowl invariably used to flow into Smith's hands and a tally of 166 catches from 116 Test matches and 105 catches from 196 ODIs proves that he caught most of what came his way.

Fielding in the slip region helped Smith get a good understanding of the way the game was heading as skipper of the side but he never let the pressure affect his concentration while fielding.