Best 10 Fielders In Cricket History

Onto the fielders.

In no particular order.

Roger Harper
Colin Bland
Bobby Simpson
Jonty Rhodes
Gus Logie
Ricky Ponting
Derek Randall
Viv Richards
Herchelle Gibbs
Andrew Symonds

Although it's difficult to judge players you haven't seen, a few players who might be worth considering include:

Gilbert Jessop
Learie Constantine
Neil Harvey
Richie Benaud
Alan Davidson
Gary Sobers

Don't forget Trevor Penney, he was an electric fielder.

Fists of Fury wrote:Don't forget Trevor Penney, he was an electric fielder.

He was but he didn't play tests.

Maybe I should change the title.

I seem to remember him coming on as a sub for England once haha

Paul Collingwood
Tillkartne Dilshan
Viv Richards
James Anderson
Derek Randall
Jonty Rhodes
Andrew Symonds
Herschelle Gibbs
Mahela Jawyardene
learie Constantine

You've got to include Gary Pratt if only to wind up the Aussies!

Absolutely.

guildfordbat wrote:You've got to include Gary Pratt if only to wind up the Aussies!

He could replace Ponting in my list

Right well fielding wise you have to settle for those you've actually seen, which makes my life a lot easier.

Gibbs
Ponting
Collingwood
Rhodes
Mark Waugh
Mark Taylor
Harper
Symonds
Bell (best short leg fielder I've ever seen)
Anderson

Can undestand Anderson being put in if it was a "best fielding fast bowlers" thread but he surely can't make it into a top 10 fielders of all time thread.

best I've seen wadey, which only goes back to about 96. Anderson IMO is currently in the top 3 fielders in the world, and given fielding standards have as a rule improved since I started watching he qualifies for me. Obviously had I been old enough to see Bland, Richards, Randall and the others he probably wouldn't be in there...

Fair enough, but I think Anderson is overated as a fielder and gets praised a lot more because it's unusual for a fast bowler to be a good fielder.

My ten would be:

Jonty Rhodes
Herchelle Gibbs
Viv Richards
Ricky Ponting
Colin Bland
Derek Randall
A.B Devilliers
Andrew Symonds
Mohammad Kaif
Roger Harper

MFC
I'm not old enough to have seen Bland, but my understanding was he was considered a freak because he actually practiced fielding, and in particular throwing at the stumps.

Richards and Arkle were both extremely athletic fielders and would still be considered amongst the better fielders in a side, but perhaps wouldn't be viewed as outstanding (although of course their younger clones would be better for the organised practice and coaching that now goes on).

Also, there is the question of what criteria you use to judge a fielder - catching (slip and in the outfield), ability to get to the ball and gather quickly, power of their arm, accuracy.
Kevin Pieterson (for example) is very good ground fielder because he gets to the ball quickly, throws himself around and can throw accurately on the move, but he isn't always the most reliable catcher, so how do you rank him against say Botham or Bobby Simpson, who were outsanding slip catchers but rarely fielded in the deep?

Have to say though the best single bit of fielding I've ever seen was the run-out Roger Harper pulled off on Gooch in the Centenary test - GG used his feet and hit a firm straight drive that would have gone just to the on side of the stumps. Harper fields on his follow through (helped because he had some wingspan), and throws down the stumps behind Gooch which necessitated slightly spinning the ball round Gooch, who was still well out of his ground. Great fielding, and probably the only time in his entire Test career Harper got some turn

The best I have seen
off the top of my head(not in any order)

Jonty
ABD
Gibbs
Colly
Pollard
Punter
Symmo
Warner
Bell
Pup

steve smith instead of clarke in the above list

I think we need to be a bit more precise: are we talking relative (to era and team) or absolute standards here? Because honestly if we're talking absolute standards I think the improvement of fielding standards in most countries make Jonty Rhodes a borderline pick, and anyone before him shouldn't be considered. Good as someone like Randall was (based on footage) he wasn't in the same class as Clarke, Ponting, Symonds, Gibbs, AB, Collingwood, Anderson, Smith (Steve), Pollard, Warner, Bell, Morgan, Raina, Imran Nazir, Guptill, I could go on...

amla is the best close in fielder i have ever seen, his catch to get strauss for a duck last england went to south africa was freakishly good.

Bell is another brilliant close fielder Issac, not much to split them.

No-one has a highlight reel like Collingwoods, the guy was the master of the spectacular catch.

There may have been some great slip catchers and keepers in the past but the athleticism of outfielding today blows anyone from before the 90's out of the equation for me.
Fielding is the one discipline that has genuinly improved beyond recognition in modern cricket. Gone are the days were a player stands out because they can get the ball to the keeper without relaying it.
Remeber when direct hits were rare? Now fielders regularly aim for the stumps side on from outside the circle after a pick up on the run in one smooth action. 20 years ago people wouldnt have even though of trying some of the stuff people pull off routinely now.

Some extremely good fielders mentioned and points made in the posts above.

I agree with Mike and Peter that fielding standards have improved enormously over the last twenty years and appreciate the case they make about the superiority of the modern fielder. I do though believe there were certain fielders pre 1990 who had such natural talent and self dedication that at their peak they would not be far behind those of today. If those particular players from earlier eras had been able to experience the coaching, practice sessions, diet and fitness regimes of today, who knows how far they might have excelled?

As well as the nominations already made, I would give a shout to a few others from yesteryear and around the world. In particular: Paul Sheehan, Ross Edwards (both Australia), Eknath Solkar (India), Graham Roope (England) and in his prime Clive Lloyd (West Indies).

Dummy's comment as to where these guys are to field is also particularly relevant. If your life depended on a slip catch, Botham would be a good choice. However, if the same depended on a thirty yard sprint round the boundary edge and a diving stop to prevent a four .... well, you might as well start kissing your nearest and dearest goodbye rather than expecting Beefy to save the day and you!

It also needs to be appreciated that a great fielder will not necessarily be a test class batsman or bowler and thus might remain pretty unknown to the cricketing public. I would flag a couple from past years in the English county game:

* Alan Ealham of Kent - Mark's father, who played from the mid sixties until the end of the seventies. Despite looking like he ate three full meals every day in a transport cafe, he was a fine catcher and surprisingly athletic fielder in almost all positions. Had a particularly strong and accurate arm.

* Jim Foat of Gloucs - a lorry driver during the winter months but a jobbing cricketer throughout the seventies who was often selected for his county side more on account of his excellent fielding than his ordinary batting.

The person I've watched the last two seasons - and regular Surrey readers know where this is going - who I'm convinced will play for England is also already an exceptional fielder. I'm of course referring to Jason Roy. His run out of Dimi Mascarenhas in a t20 game at the Oval this summer was even better than Harper's wonderful dismissal of Gooch as rightly praised by Dummy.

The dismissals of Mascarenhas and Gooch are respectively the first and second best I've ever seen by fielders. The third is by the relatively unknown (well to most of you, I guess) Jackie Bond of Lancs. I posted a clip of that earlier today on Fists' 'Great Game Changing Moments' thread.

Rhodes
ABV
Pollard
Angelo Mathews
Dwayne Bravo
Gibbs
Colly
Ian Bell
Dilshan
Mark Waugh
Steve Waugh

rather shamefully forgot about AB deVilliers in my previous post

Many excellent suggestions made. In some ways I agree it's easier to pick out some of the older names, simply because they stood out so much, especially Bland and Randall.

Roope was an outstanding slip fielder - I saw more of his catches live than all the others mentioned in posts above, put together. It's a shame that so many of his full length horizontal takes at second slip were only seen by couple of hundred people at the Oval...

Guildford - well remembered Ealham and Jim "Foats like a butterfly, stings like a bee"!

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:
Guildford - well remembered Ealham and Jim "Foats like a butterfly, stings like a bee"!

Thanks, Corporal. That made me remember another old comment that might cause both a frown and a smile for a Hammer like you. Brian Clough said of Trevor Brooking: ''He floats like a butterfly and stings like one too.''

Stella, I am eagerly waiting for you create a thread about top 10 baldies vs full-haired.

I have no doubt whatsoever that if the previous great fielders had had the same coaching as modern players they would be as good as anything we've ever seen.

Anyway, time for me to get off the fence:
In relative terms:
Jonty
Randall
Bland
M. Waugh (best slipper ever IMO)
Ponting
Collingwood
AbdV
Bell (short leg and gully)
Bevan (can't believe no one has mentioned him, in the outfield he was sensational)
Viv Richards (how many run-outs?)

Absolute terms:
Jonty (just)
AbdV
Collingwood
Ponting
M. Waugh (for slips)
Bell
Warner (probably a better outfielder than Bevan but not comparitively)
Pollard
Bravo
Symonds

How did I forget BEVAN!

ouch! forgot Bevan too...

guildfordbat wrote:That made me remember another old comment that might cause both a frown and a smile for a Hammer like you. Brian Clough said of Trevor Brooking: ''He floats like a butterfly and stings like one too.''

Guildford - I would love to have seen Trevor Brooking playing in more modern times when opponents who went in for the kind of scything tackles to which he was often subject would presumably have been sent off with great regularity.

Back on topic I meant to put in a word for Bobby Simpson at slip - I only ever "saw" him catching on the radio - but he never seemed to miss anything.....

I was also puzzled by a reference to KP's fielding prowess. He may have improved of recent times but my recollection was that when he first played test cricket he dropped about six chances in a row before he finally managed to hold on to one....

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:
I was also puzzled by a reference to KP's fielding prowess.

Corporal - I would guess this positive reference to KP was not made by Sir Winston ....

Re: Jackie Bond as mentioned above and on another thread by me. Do you remember him? If not, I fear I'm the only one!

guildfordbat wrote: Re: Jackie Bond as mentioned above and on another thread by me. Do you remember him? If not, I fear I'm the only one!

Guildford - I certainly do remember Jack Bond - a fairly modest performer as a batsman but who excelled as captain of Lancs. There were quite a lot of memorable Lancs players of around that vintage - including Simmonds, Hughes, Shuttleworth, Lever, Engineer, Clive Lloyd, Hayes (the next great hope for English batting!)

Corporal - thought and certainly hoped you would remember Jackie Bond! Good roll call of Lancs players by the way. You can also add David ''Bumble'' Lloyd and ''Little'' Harry Pilling to your list ....

The best I have seen

Rhodes
Gibbs
Mark Waugh (could field anywhere)
Harper
Collingwood
Anderson
Ponting
Richards
De Villiers
Boon (as a close in fielder)

cricketfan12 wrote:The best I have seen

Rhodes
Gibbs
Mark Waugh (could field anywhere)
Harper
Collingwood
Anderson
Ponting
Richards
De Villiers
Boon (as a close in fielder)

Nice list.

Logie was brilliant close in as well.

Rhodes
Gibbs
de Villiers
Duminy
FAF du Plessis

biltongbek wrote:
FAF du Plessis

Ah thats why they pick him

biltongbek wrote:Rhodes
Gibbs
de Villiers
Duminy
FAF du Plessis

poor old Gibbs. Fantastic fielder but unfortunately his fielding will always be remembered for "that" drop.

It wasn't a "drop" it was a premature ejacu.... er sorry premature celebration.

Best I've seen would include:

Bobby Simpson (brilliant first slip)
Clive Lloyd (simply electric in the covers in his younger days)
Colin Bland
Derek Randall
Roger Harper
Peter Parfitt
Graham Roope
Nick Knight (wonderful all-round fielder)
Paul Collingwood (ditto)
Tony Lock (terrific close catcher)
Phil Sharpe (one of the great slips)

I see little mention of Trevor Penney - surely one of the finest fielders?

I never thought of Knight as being a great fielder. Penney was excellent in the covers/point from what I recall.

I think that, if you look at the top 10 fielders realative to their contemporaries and exclude those whose reputation is based on their work in the slips (unfair I know), you'd probably come up with a list something like:

Gilbert Jessop
Learie Constantine
Neil Harvey
Gary Sobers
Colin Bland
Derek Randall
Roger Harper
Jonty Rhodes
Ricky Ponting
AB De Villiers

If you were factoring in slip-fielders you'd have to consider the likes of:
Hammond
Miller
Simpson
Botham
Waugh M.
Flintoff

If it's just slips then very very very old geezers like John Tunnicliffe (19th century Yorkshireman) might get in. What about Jayawardene and all those slip catches off Murali? Colin Cowdrey was a very good slip, as was Graeme Hick (another good all-round fielder).

Hick was good in the slips or on the boundary

Dravid was a good slipper as well. Although he dropped a few in his last year or so.

No Monty Panesar?

Mention Monty and it's worth considering the WORST fielders of all time. Reckon room must be found for Devon Malcolm in this category. Anyone else spring to mind ?

Tufnell?

Ah, yes. Good old Tuffers.

sirfredperry wrote:Best I've seen would include:
Graham Roope