Editing Fielding (cricket) (section)

== Fielding skills ==
Fielding in cricket requires a range of skills.

Close catchers require the ability to be able to take quick reaction catches with a high degree of consistency. This can require considerable efforts of concentration as a catcher may only be required to take one catch in an entire game, but their success in taking that catch may have a considerable effect on the outcome of the match.

Infielders field between 20 and 40 yards away from the batter. The ball will often be hit at them extremely hard, and they require excellent athleticism as well as courage in stopping it from passing them. Infield catches range from simple, slow moving chances known as "dollies" to hard hit balls that require a spectacular diving catch. Finally, infielders are the main source of run outs in a game of cricket, and their ability to get to the ball quickly, throw it straight and hard and make a direct hit on the stumps is an important skill.

Outfielders field furthest from the bat, typically right on the boundary edge. Their main role is to prevent the ball from going over the boundary and scoring four or six runs. They need good footspeed to be able to get around the field quickly, and a strong arm to be able to make the 50–80-yard throw. Outfielders also often have to catch high hit balls that go over the infield.

===Fielding specialities===
Many cricketers are particularly adept in one fielding position and will usually be found there:
* Slips and bat pad require fast reactions, an ability to anticipate the trajectory of the ball as soon as it takes the edge, and intense concentration. Most top slip fielders tend to be top-order batters, as these are both skills that require excellent hand–eye coordination. Wicket-keepers and bat-pad tend to be amongst the shortest players of the team.
* It is common for the captain of a team to position themselves at slip or a similar close in fielding position. This enables them to remain close to the bowler, wicket-keeper and central umpire and to be able to survey the field from a central location in a similar manner to the batsman. It also reduces the energy they use during fielding as such positions are unlikely to require significant running or needing to shuttle back and forth swapping sides of the pitch when the batting partnership is one right and one left handed batter. Australian and New South Wales captain [[Mark Taylor (cricketer)|Mark Taylor]] was a specialist first slip fielder during his long career as an opening batsman. In his first match as the One-Day International captain for Australia he took four catches at first slip against the West Indies, and in Test Matches he effected 157 catches with a significant amount at first slip.
* Pace bowlers will often be found fielding in the third man, fine leg and deep backward square positions during the overs between those they are bowling. These positions mean that they are at the correct end for their bowling over. They should see relatively little fielding action with plenty of time to react, allowing them to rest between overs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=PitchVision – Live Local Matches {{!}} Tips & Techniques {{!}} Articles & Podcasts|url=https://pitchvision.com/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=PitchVision – Advance Cricket Technology {{!}} Cricket Analytics|language=en}}</ref> They also usually have an ability to throw the ball long distances accurately.
* Players noted for their agility, acceleration, ground diving and throwing accuracy will often field in the infield positions such as point, cover and mid-wicket. In short forms like T20 and One-Day internationals, the fastest players on a team will be used as "sweepers", on the sides the field at the very edge of the boundary where their pace can enable them to stop a ball from going for 6 or 4 runs.

Players are not selected purely because of their fielding skills in modern organised cricket. All players are expected to win their place in the team as a specialist batter, bowler or all-rounder. Due to the lack of restrictions on substitute fielders some teams will use a well regarded fielder from local club sides as an 'emergency fielder', who temporarily takes the place of another player and is prohibited from bowling, batting or acting as captain. An example of this was in the [[2005 Ashes]] series with England using [[Gary Pratt]], a 24 year old batter who was already past the peak of his batting career in first class cricket. Pratt fielded a quick single from Damien Martyn then threw down the stumps to dismiss Australian Captain [[Ricky Ponting]].

Wicket-keepers were the one exception to the rule, as their specialist position was viewed as being so important that fielding as a keeper was more important than their batting, although they were still generally expected to be competent enough to play at the #7 position in the batting order, before the usual four bowlers. [[Jack Russell (cricketer, born 1963)|Jack Russell]] and [[Alec Stewart]] were in a constant selection battle for England's wicket-keeper position, with Stewart's superior batting competing with Russell who was considered the best wicket-keeper in the world. The back and forth over who should keep wickets lasted for Russell's entire test career from 1989 through to his retirement in 1998. In the early 2000's the role of [[Wicket-keeper-batter]] was introduced with the success of the heavy hitting [[Adam Gilchrist]], elevating the expectations on the batting side of a wicket-keeper while retaining high level fielding ability. Wicket-keepers are allowed to bowl though this is extremely rare at higher levels, and no serious attempt has been made to use a wicket-keeper as a regular bowler in top level international cricket.

===Throwing a cricket ball===
[[File:Jonty Rhodes.jpg|thumb|[[Jonty Rhodes]], who typically fielded at backward point, has been fielding coach for [[South Africa national cricket team|South Africa]], [[Mumbai Indians]] and [[Kenya national cricket team|Kenya]].]]
There have been many competitions for throwing a cricket ball the furthest distance, particularly in the earlier years of the game. ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]]'' describes how the record was set around 1882, by one Robert Percival at Durham Sands Racecourse, at 140 yards and two feet (128.7 m). Former Essex all-rounder [[Ian Pont]] threw a ball 138 yards (126.19 m) in Cape Town in 1981.{{cn|date=September 2023}} There are unconfirmed reports that [[Jānis Lūsis]], the non-cricketer Soviet javelin thrower, who won the Olympic gold medal in 1968, once threw a ball 150 yards.<ref>''Wisden'' 2012, p. 1383.</ref>

===Specialist fielding coaches===

The use of specialist fielding coaches has become more prevalent since the turn of the 21st century, following the trend of specialist batting and bowling coaches within professional cricket. According to cricket broadcaster [[Henry Blofeld]], "Dressing rooms were once populated by the team and the twelfth man, one physiotherapist at most, perhaps a selector and the occasional visitor. That was all. Now, apart from the two main coaches, there are 'emergency fielders' galore; you can hardly see yourself for batting, bowling, fielding coaches, psychoanalysts and statistical wizards and a whole army of physiotherapists".<ref>Blofeld, Henry (2019). ''My A-Z of Cricket: A Personal Celebration of our Glorious Game''. London: Hodder & Stoughton. {{ISBN|1529378508}}, 9781529378504. See also Naresh Sharma, ''Match Fixing, Hang the Culprits, Indian Cricket: Lacklustre Performance and Lack of a Killer Instinct'' (Delhi: Minerva Press, 2001), 215. {{ISBN|8176622265}}, 9788176622264</ref> Baseball fielding coaches have been sought out for this purpose before.<ref>{{Cite web|last=jspasaro|title=Mike Young fires stern parting words at Darren Lehmann|url=https://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/young-goes-out-swinging/2615772/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=Sunshine Coast Daily|language=en}}</ref>