The most popular saying of the game ‘Catches win matches’ is true most of the time. There have been instances in cricket where the entire game changed after a batter was caught. The opposite is true also. Players whose catches were dropped went on to score centuries, redirecting the game in their team’s favour.
Catching is also a skill. It requires confidence, precision and a pair of steady hands. The cricket world is full of names whose hands would never drop the ball no matter how difficult the catch would be, and then there are those notorious for dropping even the most simple of catches. Discussed here are some names in the world of cricket who have the most stable hands when it comes to taking a catch.
Top Five Players with most Catches in ODIs
5. Mahela Jayawardene
Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketer of all time, Mahela Jayawardene was a batter with the hitting power of a beast. He accumulated more than 12000 runs in the One Day Internationals ODIs which are enough to show what a talented batter he has been for his country.
In Jayawardene’s career as a batsman, which lasted for 17 years, he has played 443 ODIs and in these matches, he provided safe hands to 218 balls that went up in the air after getting hit by the opposition’s bat. The maximum amount he has taken in a single game is four, which makes his catch/inning ratio 0.492. He was not only a stellar batsman but a brilliant fielder too.
4. Ricky Ponting
It wouldn’t be wrong to call Ricky Ponting, the run machine of Australia. He joined the cricket circuit as a young 17-year-old playing for Tasmania. In his time as a cricketer he has collected records upon records and they stopped coming only after his retirement. A brilliant hitter of the ball, Ponting’s skills knew no boundaries. In just 365 ODI innings, the Australian has scored more than 13000 runs.
Along with being a phenomenal bowler, Ponting proved to be an excellent fielder for his team. In 372 innings, Ricky caught 160 catches, the highest by any Australian in ODI cricket. He retired in 2012 and as a fielder carries the catch per inning ratio of 0.430.
3. Muhammad Azharuddin
Perhaps the oldest cricketer, not in terms of age, to make the list of players with the most catches. Azharuddin’s cricketing career spans from 1985 to 2000, during which his contributions from the bat for India have been nothing short of remarkable. The way he batted, it was speculated he was holding a wand rather than a bat. But his career was plagued by a match-fixing case which landed him a lifetime ban from the game.
As a fielder, the former cricketer has great contributions as well. In 332 innings, the batter managed to safely catch 156 catches that went up in the air. The highest number he has taken in a single match is four and he bags a ratio of 0.469 catches per inning. The best figures by any Indian.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
Also known as ‘Little Master’ India’s Sachin Tendulkar’s name needs no introduction. With 18000 runs, this run machine has gathered so many records for India including most fifties in a career which sits at 145. Whether it was front-foot or back, the legend would score all around the ground. Some of his astounding performances have come against Australia which was a force to be reckoned with in those days.
He is the second player in Indian cricket to be listed among the players with the most catches in ODIs. he has aided in 140 dismissals through his brilliance in the field. This shows what a remarkable cricketer Sachin has been in his time. He played his last ODI against Pakistan in Mirpur in 2012.
1. Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor stepped up for New Zealand cricket when the team needed him the most. He filled the void of a missing top-order batsman and he delivered up to the expectations. In only his third ODI, the then young Taylor registered 128 against Sri Lanka in Napier in 2006. He played fearless cricket and his sturdy innings especially in Tests has what provided the much-needed stability in New Zealand cricket.
He sits at position five on the list of cricketers who have taken the most catches in their ODI career. He is the first Kiwi player on the list and also has the highest ratio of catches per inning. With 139 catches taken in 229 matches, Taylor possesses a ratio of 0.606. Truly a stellar player.
Top Five Players with most Catches in T20Is
5. David Miller
David Miller is currently one of the top batsmen in the South African cricket circuit. He began his career playing First-class matches at the age of 18. He then moved to the South Africa A team and battled it out with Bangladesh A to earn the second-highest scorer title. He was called in with the guys after that. But his T20I performances did not see glory till 2016. He became a regular in franchise cricket which helped in his career. He was an important part of the African side in the recent ICC T20I World Cup.
Miller might be still making a name for himself as a batter, but he is already on top of the fielding game. With 69 catches in 94 innings, he tops the list of players with the most catches in a career in T20I. his ratio is 0.734. He is the only South African player to have taken four catches in a single match.
4. Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill might not be having a very great cricket patch right now, but he is one of the best products of New Zealand. The right-hand opener rose to the circle of cricket and gained entrance to his side in 2007-08. In 2018 he became the fourth player from the Kiwis to score 6000 ODI runs.
There are zero doubts about his fielding skills though. In the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, Guptill ran MS Dhoni out all thanks to an amazing last-second bull’s eye throw. Apart from this, he has very steady hands and his 64 catches in 111 innings are proof of that. He has a catch/inning ratio of 0.576 with three catches a maximum he took in a single match.
3. Shoaib Malik
If there is any player who is getting younger by age, it has to be Shoaib Malik. A stellar ODI player and a brilliant T20I specialist, Malik have some serious achievements under his name and he isn’t stopping yet. Players retire way before the age he is right now and there is no sight of him taking a break with the phenomenal form he is in.
At the age of 40, many players would refrain from running, dangerous dives and fielding but not this young man. He has always been a fantastic fielder and his 50 catches in 124 innings speak volumes. But these figures may change since the player is not going anywhere any soon.
2. Rohit Sharma
Named as ‘Hit man’ by his team, Rohit Sharma took his time to rise to fame. He became an eye-catching sensation and turned into a run machine in 2012 when he was provided with a golden opportunity to open the batting for India. In the 2019 ICC World Cup, Rohit Sharma went for 5 hundreds in the tournament and is currently leading the Indian team in all three formats.
Not only with the bat, but Sharma is also a splendid fielder. His side can always rely upon him when he is in the field and especially when the ball is in the air. He has taken 49 catches in 123 T20 Internationals, the highest by any Indian.
1. Muhammad Nabi
Muhammad Nabi is one of the best all-rounders Afghanistan has seen so far. Afghanistan cricket may not be very new but in the short duration of time that it has existed, the game has seen some stellar players emerge out of it and Muhammad Nabi is one of them. With 1523 runs he is the second-highest T20I scorer for Afghanistan, second only to Muhammad Shehzad.
In just 80 T20I innings, Nabi has amassed 47 matches just two short of Rohit Sharma who achieved this feat in 123 innings, which tells of how skillful the all-rounder is in the field. For his performances, the 37-year-old Nabi is often picked by franchises across the world.
Also, Read: 10 Players with most Golden Ducks in Cricket
