5 wicketkeepers who are also great outfielders 

Wicketkeeping is a discipline that requires extreme discipline, concentration, game reading, ability to anticipate and great athleticism.

Many of those attributes go into the making of an excellent fielder as well and hence it is not much of a stretch to suggest that good wicketkeepers should be expected to be great fielders. However, it doesn't often work that way.

Outfielding requires an idea about positioning, the ability to field a hard shit shot when it is spinning and most importantly, the big wicketkeeping gloves are no longer there to help a fielder complete catches even if they have not been well judged.

It is because of these reasons that wicketkeepers often find it difficult to truly shine as outfielders, yet there are plenty of exceptions and here is a list of five of those wicketkeepers, who are excellent fielders as well.

5 Peter Handscomb

Australian cricketer Peter Handscomb might have made his name as a middle-order batsman in the country's test team and in fact distinguished himself as one of the best players in the side during the side's Test tour to India earlier this year.

However, what is often forgotten is that he is actually a trained wicketkeeper and in fact, kept wickets during Australia's recent ODI and T20 series tour to India in September.

Handscomb is an extremely agile and safe fielder in his own right, with the ability to field within the circle or in the deeper positions in limited overs cricket with aplomb.

In Test cricket, he is better known for his high-quality fielding in the close in positions and his reflexes allow him to be one of Australia's best close in fielders.

4 Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson

The highly talented wicketkeeper-batsman from Kerala has been touted as a potential future Indian star for quite some time, however, he has only been able to feature in one T20 international so far.

That said, he has been a regular in the IPL for several seasons now and nowadays, he often plays as a regular batsman for the Delhi Daredevils. In the recent IPL seasons, Samson has shown that he is as much as an asset in the outfield as he is on the outfield.

Samson brings his extreme athleticism to his fielding that is his strength as a wicketkeeper and in addition to that, his fielding the deeper areas in the field has been quite extraordinary on some occasions.

Samson is a quick runner and can cover a lot of ground and his throws from the deep are often deceptively quick. He is one of the few wicketkeepers in the world, at the moment, who has shown such excellence in the field.

3 Andre Fletcher

Andre Fletcher

The West Indian opening batsman Andre Fletcher is not particularly known for keeping wickets in international cricket since he primarily played as a batsman. However, he is an accomplished wicketkeeper and has done so in domestic cricket as well as in different T20 leagues plenty of times.

His abilities as a wicketkeeper have, however, ensured that Fletcher is a dynamic fielder for his side even when he is played as a batsman and in his international career, he has shown that he is one of the better fielders in a West Indian side which already boasts of plenty of world-class fielders.

Fletcher is a safe catcher, a natural athlete, can run quickly and put in the dive whenever necessary, without any trouble at all. Last but certainly not the least, he can send in a rocket throw from the boundary as well, which often stops batsmen from going for the extra run.

2 Sam Billings

Sam Billings

England's wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings is the archetypal modern-day cricketer and although he has not yet been able to cement his place in the national team, he is a regular in most of the T20 franchises that he represents all over the world.

For many of them, he plays as a wicketkeeper, while for others he plays purely as a batsman and that is when it is possible to notice the sheer talent that Billings possesses as a fielder. Billings is a natural athlete with incredible reflexes and in addition to that, he has the ability to run in any direction at great speed, which makes him an ideal modern day fielder.

Over the years, he has taken some spectacular catches at various positions in the field and he is perfectly comfortable either within the circle or in the deeper positions.

When he finally gets the chance to feature regularly for England, he will definitely be counted among the top fielders in world cricket, if he isn't played as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

1 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers

One of South Africa's greatest ever batsmen is also one of the most natural athletes to have graced the game in the last decade or so. AB de Villiers started off his life as a professional cricketer as a wicketkeeper-batsman and in fact, used to keep wickets intermittently for South Africa some years ago.

However, his prowess as an outfielder remains unparalleled in modern cricket and it can be argued that he still remains the best fielder in the world, despite being 33 years old.

De Villiers usually fields in the backward point region in limited overs cricket and it is regarded as the toughest position for a fielder in the two shorter formats of the game.

The South African cricketing icon has made the position his own and has taken spectacular catches in the position over the years.

He can throw himself either way as well and stop certain boundaries. Last but not the least, in the slog overs, he is an asset in the deeper areas since he is a very quick runner and has the ability to not only cut off boundaries but also stop batsmen from attempting an extra run.