Slipping into Action

Few things in cricket are as compelling and graceful to watch as watching a great slip fielder in action. He may not be called into duty every ball. In fact he may be kept out of action for an entire day even, only to leap into motion when the ball heads towards him trying its best to evade its way through. Maybe that's the beauty of it all, the wait makes the catch - if taken - all the more enjoyable.

Couple of weeks ago one of cricket's little known records - most catches by an outfielder - fell to Rahul Dravid. His record breaking catch was typical of the trade too as he just got his fingers underneath the ball to complete the catch millimeters from the ground. He may not be the best slip fielder ever but his sheer persistence and longevity in the position has enabled him to capture the record. The record gives followers of the game a great excuse to celebrate the lesser known art of slip fielding.

Jonty Rhodes and One day cricket may have made the 'Point' fielding position a glamorous one what with his athletic displays but according to me the toughest place to field is the Slips. So much so that it has given rise to the cricketing aphorism that 'there is nothing called an easy slip catch'! This fact gets reinforced when one sees a test match especially on seamer friendly conditions. Here the 'Slips' are the bowler's best friend as he tries to latch onto whatever his bowler-friend might have strived to induce. In fact there is no great team in the history of the game which does not have a great slip squadron. Be it the great Australian sides of the 40s or the fierce West Indians of the 80s or for that matter the Australians of the last decade. Even the current successful Indian team has great slips fieldsmen. All great teams have great Slips.

The uniqueness of the position is due to the fact that it is a position to which the ball just flies off the bat giving the fielder very little time to react to it. Add to it the fact that the ball generally comes at very awkward heights ranging from above the head to just inches from the ground. One more reason is the fact that the position has super-specializations too, for fielding at first slip requires a different technique from the one needed for the second slip which is again different from the other slips. Add to it the fact that fielding in slips for the spinners is an entirely different proposition makes slips a very challenging position indeed. Slip catching has been mostly a preserve of the batsmen who are adept at concentrating for long periods of time and have quick reflexes which are key ingredients for a slips fielder.

There have been a lot of slip fieldsmen i have liked over the years. But clearly the best has to be Mark Waugh whose record Dravid broke. He was good with fielding for the fast bowlers and also to Warne. His concentration powers, soft hands and great anticipation made him an all time great in the slips. This catch here shows why he is rated as the best ever. I also liked Mark Taylor who was just great while fielding for Warne. Warne himself was a great slips fielder proving to be an exception in a largely batsman dominated fielding postion. India too has produced great slips fielders. Sunil Gavaskar was great at slips apart from raking up the runs. My favourite though was Azharuddin who was just inspiring in that position right through the nineties producing some remarkable catches. In the current Indian side Dravid and Laxman are fantastic and have contributed to Indian victories especially overseas.

With increasing ODI and T20 matches and also the flattening of pitches around the world has forced the slips to be confined to a mere guest role for the first few overs of the matches. Sill every now and then the slip fielders provide great viewing for the lovers of the game whenever they slip into action on the field.