Items15The creator’s order
  1. 1Colin BlandColin BlandBorn 5 Apr 1938Bland was the first player famous mainly for his fielding. Patrolling the covers for South Africa in the 1960s, he ran out Ken Barrington and Jim Parks at Lord's in 1965 with pick-up-and-throw direct hits, and crowds gathered to watch him practise. He trained by throwing at a single stump, a habit…0i
  2. 2Eknath SolkarEknath SolkarBorn 18 Mar 1948Solkar fielded at forward short leg, a few yards from the bat, without the protective gear modern fielders wear, and caught sharp chances off India's spin quartet in the 1970s. He took 53 catches in 27 Tests, an exceptional rate. Close catching is fielding at its most dangerous and least visible on…0i
  3. 3Viv RichardsViv RichardsBefore he became the most feared batter of his era, Richards won the 1975 World Cup final with his fielding: three Australian run-outs, two of them direct hits from mid-wicket. He remained an outstanding fielder close to the wicket and in the ring. That final is a reminder that a single fielder can…0i
  4. 4Derek RandallDerek RandallBorn 24 Feb 1951Randall's cover fielding for Nottinghamshire and England in the 1970s and 1980s was restless and acrobatic, full of dives, rolls and quick underarm flicks at the stumps that delighted crowds and unsettled batters looking for a single. English cricket had rarely seen a fielder so athletic, and he…0i
  5. 5Jonty RhodesJonty RhodesBorn 27 Jul 1969Rhodes's full-length dive to run out Inzamam-ul-Haq at the 1992 World Cup, flying horizontally into the stumps, is the image that changed fielding. At backward point he was so quick that batters stopped attempting singles into his area, and teams began picking specialist fielders and hiring…0i
  6. 6Mark WaughMark WaughBorn 2 Jun 1965Mark Waugh held 181 Test catches, a record for a non-wicketkeeper when he retired, most of them at second slip or in the gully off Warne, McGrath and Gillespie. His catching looked lazy because it was so relaxed, with soft hands that let the ball settle. Slip catching is the least flashy fielding…0i
  7. 7Herschelle GibbsHerschelle GibbsBorn 23 Feb 1974Gibbs patrolled the inner ring alongside Jonty Rhodes and was almost as quick, with direct hits from square positions that ran out batters attempting tight singles. He is also remembered for dropping Steve Waugh while celebrating too early at the 1999 World Cup, a lesson every fielder is told…0i
  8. 8Ricky PontingRicky PontingBorn 19 Dec 1974Ponting was a complete fielder: a fast, accurate thrower at cover and mid-wicket with an exceptional record of direct-hit run-outs, and a reliable slip and close catcher in Tests. His underarm throws from short range were a speciality. Australia's dominant sides of the 2000s were built on intense…0i
  9. 9Andrew SymondsAndrew SymondsBorn 9 Jun 1975Symonds was a big man who moved like a smaller one, covering huge ground at backward point and in the deep and throwing flat and hard. His direct hits and diving stops were a staple of Australia's World Cup wins in 2003 and 2007. He showed that power athletes could also be elite fielders, which…0i
  10. 10Paul CollingwoodPaul CollingwoodBorn 26 May 1976Collingwood was England's best fielder for a decade, superb at backward point and in the gully, where his diving one-handed catches became a fixture of England's one-day highlights. He was a modest batter whose fielding and work rate extended his career and earned him the captaincy of the 2010…0i