Current best fielder from each of the top international teams

'Catches win you matches'. This statement does hold true but it is a more specific version derived from a statement that has a rather broader meaning. The parent statement here should be, 'fielders win you matches'.

Yes, you read that right. Catches are important, especially those which are plucked out of thin air and help you get that important wicket for your team. But what's equally important is when you help your side saves those crucial runs and inflict a run out with a quick release of the throw and let your team have an upper hand in the game.

These moments of brilliance have time and again helped change the course of the game and today we'll be seeing a list of active players from each country who have consistently contributed in the field without the ball or bat in hand.

Bangladesh - Soumya Sarkar

Bangladesh cricket has been on a rapid rise over the last decade. They have a very passionate set of cricketers, and all of them have really worked hard to take Bangladesh cricket to a level where they can give the best of the sides a run for their money.

The most drastic improvement that they've made out of the three departments has to be their fielding. Bangladesh were never known for their fielding, but the new age cricketers have changed this notion for good. Choosing one fielder from this team was the toughest out of all the teams but Soumya Sarkar makes the cut because of how light he is on his feet and how he is equally good while fielding in the slips and in the deep.

Fielders who missed out: Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman

#9 Afghanistan - Rashid Khan

Cricket in Afghanistan has been on the rise and in very little time they've managed to trouble big nations in major tournaments. A lot of credit for this goes to their talented bowler, Rashid Khan. He is their go-to man, to take Afghanistan out of a crisis. You need a wicket, you throw the ball to him, you need to finish off a game with the bat, you send Rashid in to play those cameos, and when you need to inspire the team on the field, look no further ahead of this young man.

Rashid is a live wire on the field and has gone on to prove this playing in different T20 leagues around the world. He has got a safe pair of hands and despite being small in size, he can crank it up when it comes to throwing from the deep.

Fielder who missed out: Samiullah Shenwari

#8 Sri Lanka - Kusal Mendis

When you think of fielders from Sri Lankan team, there's no name that suddenly pops in your head and stands out. You think of fielders and the best you can do is end up with Tillakaratne Dilshan's name. This is because, of late, you haven't gotten to see that moment of brilliance from any particular Sri Lankan fielder on the field.

However, Kusal Mendis is one fielder who's always held his own in this struggling fielding unit. He is quite athletic and has done the Sri Lankan cricket a world of good with his fielding, especially in Test matches. He has the safest pair of hands in Sri Lanka and it can be seen by his slip catching.

He also takes up the difficult role of fielding in the close in field positions and has taken some fantastic reflex catches at short leg and silly point. A few years ago, Angelo Mathews was their best fielder but due to his fitness issues, he hasn't been able to live up to his fielding standards recently.

Fielders who missed out: Wanindu Hasaranga, Thisara Perera

#7 West Indies - Carlos Brathwaite

There are extraordinary catches, and then there are catches that only Carlos Brathwaite can pull off. It's not easy being a fielder carrying that large frame, but that's exactly what makes Brathwaite special. Despite being a giant, Brathwaite doesn't shy away from throwing himself at the boundary ropes to stop those boundaries. His commitment in the field is always a hundred percent.

His ability to jump high up in the air without any momentum to grab those one-handed blinders is unmatched. His bucket hands definitely help in making sure that the ball sticks to them more often than not. Apart from international cricket, Brathwaite has also been the standout fielder for his the different franchises he's played for in the different leagues across the globe. I'll leave you to this catch of his that he took against the tridents in the CPL.

Fielders who missed out: Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell

#6 Pakistan - Shadab Khan

Pakistan have been guilty of being poor in the field and this has cost them a lot of matches. Remember the 2011 WC semi-finals? Sachin Tendulkar was repeatedly dropped until finally, Afridi grabbed one to dismiss him on 85. We all remember the outcome of that match though. But they have an electrifying fielder at present whose name might seem unusual to many out there. Shadab Khan is the best fielder Pakistan have in the current setup.

There was a time when Shoaib Mallik and Mohammed Hafeez used to lead the fielding unit but their age has slowed them down. Shadab Khan has taken some gems in the in the field and is one of the fittest cricketers going around in the world right now. He has very quick reflexes and he can be seen diving around to complete some incredible catches.

Fielders who missed out: Asad Shafiq, Yasir Shah

#5 England - Ben Stokes

What makes a great fielder? It's not just the catching ability in the deep or taking sharp catches inside the circle. It's also about the adaptability of the fielder as to what all positions can he field in. Rahul Dravid was a great slip fielder but you wouldn't have seen him taking those diving catches in the deep.

This is what makes Ben Stokes special. He is an all-rounder in the truest sense. Not only he's equally capable with the bat and the ball, he is equally good in whatever position he takes in the field. He's phenomenal in the slips and equally trustworthy in the deep. Chris Jordan is an equally exceptional fielder from England but I chose Ben Stokes over him just for the fact that he plays more international cricket than him and as I mentioned, is a fielder for all positions.

Fielders who missed out: Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan

#4 New Zealand - Trent Boult

The most underrated team in the world, New Zealand has always been a consistent fielding unit. The fact that their benchmark to pass the Yo-Yo Test is one of the highest among all the countries speaks volume about how fit their fielders are. Their players are laid back and don't generally hog the limelight and maybe that's the reason why the name of their fielders don't pop up at first while talking about the best fielders in the world.

Unlike other countries, New Zealand's bowler is leading from the front in the fielding department. Trent Boult tops the chart here for the sheer athleticism he displays on the field. He's got arguably the best reflexes in world cricket at the moment and he's another fielder who's equally good in whatever position you make him field in. And, who can forget the stunner that he took to dismiss Virat Kohli in IPL 2018.

Fielders who missed out: Kane Williamson, Tim Southee

#3 Australia - Glenn Maxwell

Australia has been a force to reckon with in cricket and the reason that they dominated the cricketing world for over a decade has also been because of the fact that they've been a brilliant fielding side throughout.

Australia's performance has been on a decline ever since their two best players, Steve Smith and David Warner were banned. But not only they lost two world-class batsmen, but they also lost two world-class fielders.

But despite Smith and Warner being great fielders, Glenn Maxwell tops the list of the best fielders of Australia. Maxwell has mastered the art of boundary rope catching and just how many times have we seen him flick the ball inside to maintain balance and complete a catch, while also saving a definite six.

He's also a specialist of running in catches and there have been numerous occasions where he came in running from the deep, diving full length to send the batsman back in the hut.

Fielders who missed out: David Warner, Steve Smith

#2 South Africa - Aiden Markram

South Africa is the land that gave birth to Jonty Rhodes, the greatest fielder the world has ever seen. And this country has always provided the cricketing world with gems in the fielding department. And there's no doubt that South Africa have been one of the best fielding units for a long time

If the question of the best South African fielder was asked about a year ago, there would have been a cloud of indecisiveness because of a certain AB de Villiers still playing for the national side. But since his retirement, the choice of picking Aiden Markram becomes easy. You can see Markram pull off the most outrageous of catches possible and his frequency of direct hits to effect run-outs puts him at the top of the heap. He is still fairly new to the side and he is just going to get better as a fielder from here on.

Fielders who missed out: Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy

#1 India - Ravindra Jadeja

The scenario of Indian fielding changed completely in 2000 by the arrival of Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh. They both set high standards for fielding in the Indian team and were rated the best in the world. Since then, India has seen a host of fantastic fielders throwing themselves around the field and taking some magnificent catches.

In the current active players, there's none that come close to the brilliance of Ravindra Jadeja. He's the most complete fielder India has ever seen. You'll never see him drop catches, be it in the circle or back in the deep during pressure situations.

Not to forget how quickly he covers the ground to get to the ball and his rocket arm throw is something that no batsmen will like to take on. The best part about Jadeja is that he makes the toughest of catches looks easy and that is an attribute of a great fielder.

Fielders who missed out: Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya