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Who is the best allround fielder ever?

Who is the best all-round fielder ever?


  • Total voters
    67

robelinda

International Vice-Captain
Jonty is a great stopper of the ball, but Ponting is miles ahead in hitting the stumps, which wins you more matches.
 

Ikki

Hall of Fame Member
In my viewing time it's between Symonds and Ponting, but I give it to the latter for sheer volume of work.

How about Sobers?
 

smash84

The Tiger King
As I posted earlier, Mark Waugh was probbaly the best catch I've ever seen, doesn't make him the best allround fielder though.
Yeah but his catching was so damn good and his ground fielding was pretty decent as well. He was almost always inside the circle though so his role was limited but he was so good in whatever he did inside the circle that he edges out everybody IMO. I am pretty sure that he would have decently on the boundary had he been posted there. He was just that good.
 

Uppercut

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Mmm Ponting hasn't been a great fielder for a long, long time. Mark Waugh needs to be in the poll imo.
 

benchmark00

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Yeah but his catching was so damn good and his ground fielding was pretty decent as well. He was almost always inside the circle though so his role was limited but he was so good in whatever he did inside the circle that he edges out everybody IMO. I am pretty sure that he would have decently on the boundary had he been posted there. He was just that good.
Mark Waugh didn't have a very strong arm. He didn't need to obviously, but it would stop him from being a great outfielder. He also wasn't the quickest over the ground either.

Mmm Ponting hasn't been a great fielder for a long, long time. Mark Waugh needs to be in the poll imo.
Not true at all, and I can only assume you're basing that opinion after seeing him from the Ashes onwards. After her broke his finger he struggled a bit because his finger was obviously playing on his mind. But up to 18 months ago he was still awesome both on the ground and in the air.
 

Migara

Cricketer Of The Year
Shocking to see no Roshan Mahanama there. Fielded from slip to deep fine leg, and was breathtaking in all those positions. It's hilarious when Collingwood makes the list but not Mahanama.
 

Cevno

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah Mahanama was very good too.

Him and Bland are obvious misses for me. Not sure about Mark Waugh as he was a excellent catcher but not among the best in other positions and areas.

Almong the options that are there, AB De Villiers should have a strong case too as he is a excellent stopper, has a accurate and strong throw, is a solid catcher(can field in slips/gully too) and added to that can Keep too.
 
Last edited:

Uppercut

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Not true at all, and I can only assume you're basing that opinion after seeing him from the Ashes onwards. After her broke his finger he struggled a bit because his finger was obviously playing on his mind. But up to 18 months ago he was still awesome both on the ground and in the air.
Nah it's been for about five years. He's been very good, but nowhere near the standard of someone like De Villiers in the same period.
 

benchmark00

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Nah it's been for about five years. He's been very good, but nowhere near the standard of someone like De Villiers in the same period.
I violently disagree, to the point where if you said that to my face I'd punch you in the mouth.
 

robelinda

International Vice-Captain
His fielding on the 2009 Ashes tour was incredible, you better watch my video, some simply stunning run outs in that series, 5 years my ass dude!!!
 

Uppercut

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He's allowed to make a few awesome run outs while still not being as good as he used to be.
 

benchmark00

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He's allowed to make a few awesome run outs while still not being as good as he used to be.
So what aspect of his fielding has dropped (take out the last 12 months due to finger) so much to take him out of the great category?
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Mark Waugh didn't have a very strong arm. He didn't need to obviously, but it would stop him from being a great outfielder. He also wasn't the quickest over the ground either.

.
He wasn't the quickest on the ground but as I said earlier more than decent (re 1999 WC semi-final run out) and I also suspect that he was never tested too much in the outfield because he was just too good behind the batsman.

Shocking to see no Roshan Mahanama there. Fielded from slip to deep fine leg, and was breathtaking in all those positions. It's hilarious when Collingwood makes the list but not Mahanama.
Yup Mahaname very good too. On the topic of SL fielders Chandana was pretty awesome as a fielder too. Took some real blinders and despite being one of the slimmest cricketers I have ever seen had a throw like a bullet
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
No Derek Randall?

I accept he didn't have the strongest throw, although he was so damned quick he often used to get run outs without having to throw, by just running in and whipping off the bails

So Clive Lloyd shades it
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Chris Harris

As good as Jonty at stopping the ball.

As good as Ponting at hitting the stumps.

The best by a mile at fielding off his own bowling.
 

PhoenixFire

International Coach
From what I've seen in my time watching cricket it's almost certainly Andrew Symonds, as much as it hurts me to say.

An awesome ground fielder, athletic, great catch, deadly accurate throw and rocket arm. There was not one aspect of fielding he wasn't elite at.
This.

When it comes to taking superhuman catches or Rhodes-esque run-outs, there were probably those who were better, but when everything else is taken into account, I've never seen anyone better. Always seemed like the sort of bloke who you could belt the ball at as hard as you wanted and he'd always manage to stop/'catch it.
 

flibbertyjibber

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Jonty Rhodes is the best i have seen but Harper, Collingwood, Ponting (in his younger days), Symonds and Gibbs are all brilliant but just below his level.

Too young to remember Bland and Randall sadly.

As for Mark Waugh, best slip fielder i have ever seen but not being a massive one day fan he spent most of his career standing at slip while i was watching him in tests so gets ruled out on the basis i have no idea what he was like in the outfield.
 

Agent Nationaux

International Coach
My greatest memory of Jonty was when he leapt into the air, stopped the ball going to the boundary and then caught the ball when it dropped down. That was an amazing catch.

Can't remember who RSA were playing though.
 

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