Best slip fielders

[Hurricane]

coney was useful. Also used to encourage the cordon to play chicken. one guy at a time had to close his eyes for the entire delivery until it hit the keepers gloves.
RT is quite poor. compared to others in the world.
Tim Macintosh handy but unspectacular.

 

[Flametree]

Bryan Young was a very good slip fielder for a former keeper.

My dad swears Bobby Simpson was in a class of his own, but it's hard to imagine anyone better than Mark Waugh. Carl Hooper was a good call by someone earlier too.

 

[MartinB]

Of the Australians slippers I have seen, Ian/Greg Chappell and Mark Waugh where probably the best. Mark Taylor was also very good.

I only saw Bobby Simpson in 1978 (during WSC days when he was 40 odd, he was still very good then) and so do not want to rate him on one season. He was rated above the other Australlian slippers by most commentators.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Dravid's a bit underrated in this department I feel. Before 2011 or so, when he started dropping everything, he was an extremely safe pair of hands, and took some absolute blinders, especially off Kumble and Harbhajan

 

[Immenso]

Bryan Young and Stephen Fleming. For the few years they overlapped in the same cordon it was superb.

 

[GIMH]

Paul Collingwood.

I never liked Colly at slip, preferred him in the backward point region

 

[Howe_zat]

It's nice there's still an area of analysis where we can still allow confirmation bias to run free and wild.

 

[Adders]

I never liked Colly at slip, preferred him in the backward point region

Paul Collingwood Screamer - YouTube

Doesn't get any better than that but Colly was a gun wherever he was asked to field.

 

[sumantra]

Dravid's a bit underrated in this department I feel. Before 2011 or so, when he started dropping everything, he was an extremely safe pair of hands, and took some absolute blinders, especially off Kumble and Harbhajan

Absolutely so...for first few years he used to stand mostly in forward short leg, do remember some amazing ones he pulled of there as well...

 

[OverratedSanity]

Absolutely so...for first few years he used to stand mostly in forward short leg, do remember some amazing ones he pulled of there as well...

Yeah,he was a very versatile fielder. He was good at short leg, brilliant in the slips, and I remember him taking a ridiculous catch at a shortish square leg... Think the batsman was Moin khan.

 

[sumantra]

Yeah,he was a very versatile fielder. He was good at short leg, brilliant in the slips, and I remember him taking a ridiculous catch at a shortish square leg... Think the batsman was Moin khan.

Yes, it was Moin Khan during the tri series in Australia in early 2000...remember probably a bit more stunning one that he took of the inner edge of Craig Mcmillan (bowler was Javagal Srinath), standing in forward short leg during India's tour of New Zealand in 1998-99.

 

[The_CricketUmpire]

Where does Steve Smith rank?

Despite what the stats say i don't think Smith is better (or worse) than Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh. I have Smith the equal of Taylor and Waugh, in my opinion.

 

[Immenso]

First slip, and second slip (as well as those further out) are really quite different.

First slip should be a totally calm. (e.g. Taylor, Fleming etc). Doesn't need to be that athletic.

While second slip needs a bit more athleticism and decision making (when to dive in front etc,), and will need to take some more speccy catches than first slip (will take a few more higher catches then first from the flashing edge, as well as diving in front for low edges) - and will drop more than a first slip.

Mark Waugh and Brian Young are among the best I have seen of combing the qualities of the first and second slip. Steven Smith the most spectacular.

 

[kyear2]

Where does Steve Smith rank?

Despite what the stats say i don't think Smith is better (or worse) than Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh. I have Smith the equal of Taylor and Waugh, in my opinion.

I genuinely don't know.

He's genius level quality, but wayy too many drops to qualify for top 10 off all time.

But he's Soo very good at the hard stuff.

When you have someone who's your specialist at 2nd and is equally brilliant at 1st to the spinners (which he is), that's as valuable to a team as any all rounder.

 

[kyear2]

First slip, and second slip (and further out) are really quite different.

First slip should be a totally calm. (e.g. Taylor, Fleming etc). Doesn't need to be that athletic.

While second slip needs a bit more athleticism and decision making (when to diver in front etc,), and will need to take some more speccy catches than first slip (will take a few more higher catches then first from the flashing edge, as well as diving in front for low edges) - and will drop more than a first slip.

Mark Waugh and Brian Young are among the best I have seen of combing the qualities of the first and second slip. Steven Smith the most spectacular.

2nd slip is the most challenging and has evolved to be the premier position, where more of the chances now seem to go. Third is also challenging but don't get as many opportunities.

Hence the most important of the three positions is indeed 2nd slip.

 

[Burgey]

Where does Steve Smith rank?

Despite what the stats say i don't think Smith is better (or worse) than Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh. I have Smith the equal of Taylor and Waugh, in my opinion.

Nah, Smith isn't as good a slipper as Taylor or Waugh tbh. More spectaclar maybe, but nowhere near as consistent as either.

Have long thought Hooper and MWaugh the two best I've seen.

 

[Spark]

If you want a highlights reel of spectacular catches that probably no one else can pull off at quite the same rate, then Smith is probably your guy. But he's definitely not your guy if what you really want is the catches that should be taken 80% of 90% of the time actually being taken 100% of the time.

 

[kyear2]

I've seen him take those low dying half chances that no one else is getting to. That can't be dismissed.

No, overall he can't be rated with Hooper, Tubby or Waugh Jr. , but he's better an can be rated with others just below them.

In the BGT he cost them a chance at a victory, but he also helped them secure the last test with two special grabs.

And look what he did in the last SL test.