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FIELDING
 High Catch
: There is hardly a more exciting sight at a cricket
ground than when a ball is high in the sky and a fielder
is getting under it. Brings the crowd alive. Can be
quite unnerving for a fielder though for it is quite a
while that he stays under the ball, ample time for all
kinds of thoughts to run through the mind. The
temperament of a cricketer is convincingly tested when
he is taking a skier. A coach often puts a new student
through this test.
The position shown above
is ideal in taking the catch. Watch how the fielder has
brought one leg slightly in front to balance the body.
Again do not stay on the heels. It also helps to react
quickly if there is fumble. Eyes on the ball at all
times irrespective of the bumps you might feel off the
ground .
Cup of the hand at around
the chest height is ideal. If you are taking a running
skier very vital that you run on your toes. Instead of
sprinting hard a balanced , gliding run is preferable,
only because it keeps your head steady which mean your
eyes are steady and that means a steady vision of the
ball .If your head is shaking while running to take a
catch you can kiss your chances of taking the catch good
bye !
 The Cup
: There are 2 popular techniques used to catch a ball.
The 2 "cups" of hands. One cup is where the 2 little
fingers are overlapping . This is to ensure that there
is no "give or break through" when the ball hits the
area. The other cup has no overlapping fingers. see pic.
You could use either
method but the important thing here is to make a big
cup. This is for obvious reasons. One should let the
ball hit the base of the fingers on the palm ,which
means on reflex the fingers close on the ball. Ensure
that the palms are soft as the ball arrives near you and
yes, look to receive the ball. Let the ball melt in your
hands, so to say. Do not snatch !
And yes, practice,
practice and practice as Mohd.Azharuddin has advised .
He always recommended atleast 100 catches a day. Taking
catches is directly related to practice. 100 catches a
day ensured a 100% result for Azharuddin.
 Defensive
Fielding : The old technique
of going down on the knees to stop the ball is slowly
becoming unpopular because of the time required to get
into the throwing position.. It is however advisable to
use the technique on bad outfields.
The technique shown in
the pic. here is ideal for a quick sequence of fielding.
The important thing here is to, watch the ball closely
at all times right till it is in your hands.
Allow the
ball again to come to you and don't in a haste, as is
commonly done, be eager to go for the ball which results
in grabbing.
 Throwing
: Once you have stopped the ball in
the position shown above you are in an excellent
position to throw. You have saved time and the body is
also nicely balanced for an accurate throw.
Throw over
the shoulder with a vertical arm if the distance is long
and go for the sideways throw when distance is short and
time crucial. In cases of run out.
Very important to
keep that wrist firm behind the ball. You will be
surprised how much load it takes of your shoulder.
The misconception going
around is the lesser you throw, longer the arm stays
good. Kapil Dev has proved this theory to be completely
false. Kapil threw frequently, even in net sessions,
forget matches. He believed, by keeping that arm active
you make it stronger plus, you also do not surprise your
arm by suddenly throwing in a match.
This in fact
assures you of an injured throwing arm. Correct that
throwing technique and keep throwing frequently. That's
the idea.
 Underarm Flick
: The underarm throw these days is called the underarm
flick. Underarm throwing technique has changed over the
years. With one day cricket increasing this area of
fielding is of paramount importance now.
A common sight
in a one-day match is a fielder inside the 30 yards
circle flicking underarm to get a crucial run out and
changing the complexion of the game.
Time is of the
essence here so it is advisable to collect the ball in
front of you ( as shown in pic) than besides you and
with a flick of the wrist( instead of the unwinding of
the arm, the old method) get rid of the ball quickly.
Important tip here is not to look up at the target
before the ball is in your hand. This will create the
fumble. A common mistake made by many.
 Close Catching:
The best test team in the world in the 70s and 80s was
West Indies.. In the 90s its the Australians. One huge
reason for their dominance has been their close
catching. Absolutely consistent. Especially the slip
cordon. With both teams the batsmen would never feel the
need to look back after they had edged the ball . They
would start walking !.
The position shown here
is ideal for close catching . Do not stay on the heels.
The idea is to be well balanced and alert to react in
any direction. On pitches where the bounce is low, like
in India, it is a good idea to stay lower in stance and
vice versa.
A small point that can help a great deal is do not get
up in the knees before the ball comes to you . This will
restrict your range of movement. React only when you
know exactly where the ball is. One reason for many
dropped catches is fielders reacting before the ball
comes to them and making things more difficult for
themselves.
You also need to concentrate harder in the close in
position. Watching the outer edge of the bat while in
slips and the generally the bat from the other
positions.
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