Cricketweb decides the best fielder ever

[Ikki]

Honestly think this is a case of a player like Rhodes getting a bit more credit for his fielding because he's considered a specialist fielder foremost, whereas if Ponting was nothing more than an average fielder he would already be an all-time great batsman.

I always lean a bit more to wicket-taking ability rather than run saving ability when it comes to fielding for how important wickets are. Anything loose in the infield and Ponting made you pay, again and again and again.

 

[honestbharani]

And Rhodes didn't?

 

[Ikki]

I'm sure he did. IMO Ponting made high-degree difficulty things seem easy and straightforward and he was just special in that regard. It wasn't just about how hard he hustled but that he had a different sense for things in the field. Australia's been blessed with great fielders but even amongst them all Ponting always stood out as a class above IMO.

 

[honestbharani]

I dunno. I would agree he is perhaps the best Australia has had but I Have also seen him make mistakes more than someone like a Mark WAugh or even an Andrew Symonds. In any case, him being the best from Australia does not make him better than Jonty IMO.

 

[cnerd123]

I don't like equating a fielder's quality directly to amount of catches taken/runouts effected.

It's like that scenario where you compare two batsmen, Batsman A who averages 25 and Batsman B who averages 30. If the value of a Batsman was all about runs, Batsman B wins, but if you factor in that Batsman A opens the batting and reliably sees off the new ball, while Batsman B scores his runs from down the order, then it isn't so straightforward. Seeing off the new ball gives the rest of the batsmen to come a better chance of scoring runs, and can compensate for the lack of runs from Batsman A himsels.

Likewise, Jonty's simple presence in the field in that point region had several knock-on effects that benefited the side. Batsmen were less willing to cut the ball in the air, for example. If they cut it along the ground, they would have to hit it fairly wide of Jonty in order to beat him. This often meant finding the sweepers in the deep. This made the cut shot -a productive shot for many batsmen- suddenly a no-go. This allowed the SA quick bowlers escape with a few short and wide balls during their spells, thus easing the pressure on them and enabling them to bowl better. It also added pressure to the batsmen, since a scoring area is now cut off. This forces them to find runs elsewhere, creating more mistakes.

Point is also a great reigion for lots of batsmen to find singles against quick, hit-the-deck bowlers. It's also where the ball often flies to if you miscue driving a wide outswinger. SA's quick bowlers were mostly either hit the deck bowlers, or bowled quick outswingers. Jonty made them all more potent.

So yea...Ponting had more catches and runouts per game. But that doesn't mean Jonty's influence on the game is any less. Ponting fielded in attacking areas, places where catch and runout opportunities presented themselves, and capitalised on the batsmen's mistakes. Jonty fielded primarily in a run saving position, which in ODIs made him incredibly valuable, and in Tests meant that the batsmen found it harder to find a release against his side's bowlers. It's not easy to pick who was better for the team's cause.

 

[Debris]

He was better than everyone else and he fielded in more positions than you have any idea, I guess.. He was THE best outfielder in my time of watching cricket. Check out any game that RSA played when he was around and the slog was on and watch him at long on, or long off, or deep midwicket, anticipate better than anyone else, run faster than anyone else and dive and get up faster than anyone else and save loads and loads of runs. The only aspect Ponting was better than Jonty was in hitting the stumps but Rhodes was so far ahead in anticipation, diving and getting up fast and basically just getting to the ball so that the batsman do not even think of a run, and he did it all standing a good 10 to 15 yards closer to the batsman than Ponting.

Don't know why you would bring up Ponting. The best Australian fielder I have seen was Symonds and I honestly think he is a match for Rhodes in the covers. He also had one of the best throwing arms you will see. If you thought Rhodes was good, you should go back and watch some video of Symonds. There might not be any aspect of fielding where Rhodes was better than Symonds.

 

[honestbharani]

Don't know why you would bring up Ponting. The best Australian fielder I have seen was Symonds and I honestly think he is a match for Rhodes in the covers. He also had one of the best throwing arms you will see. If you thought Rhodes was good, you should go back and watch some video of Symonds. There might not be any aspect of fielding where Rhodes was better than Symonds.

I have seen entirety of Symonds career and sorry, he was not as good as Rhodes in most aspects. And the reason I brought up Ponting is because the finals here is Ponting Vs Rhodes.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I vote Rhodes btw. It's very close and they're genuinely #q and 2 for me. Ponting was better at more aspects of fielding than Jonty (catching, hitting the stumps) but Jonty's ground fielding was far ahead of literally everyone else imo.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Poll closes in 24 hours.

 

[honestbharani]

People keep forgetting that Jonty was head and shoulders above any fielder of his generation in one area which is the most important aspect of fielding - anticipation. Symonds, AB, Gibbs, Ponting all much lower on that skill than Jonty. And I keep repeating he was practially a deepish gully than a cover-point, every other one of those fielders stood a good 10 yards behind where Jonty would in those run-saving positions. There is a reason why the drop and run almost never worked when Jonty was around.

 

[Red]

How often did Ponting field in slips? I have memories of him throwing down stumps and fielding in the circle. Less of him slips fielding. Was it something he did later in his career, or did he do it when the new ball was on (and more slips in place) and then move to the field?

I can remember Hayden fielding at 1st but also Warne fielding at 1st. Guessing that Hayden went into 1st after Warne retired and spent 2 years there. From memory though, Hayden was in the gully before he moved to 1st.

Mark Waugh was second slip (1st to Warne) up until 2002. Thinking that Ponting went between cover/point and sometimes 3rd prior to MWaugh retiring.

In 1999 our cordon was Warne///MWaugh///Ponting

In some photos from 2000 Ponting is at 1st with MWaugh at 2nd (maybe this was when Warne was injured/banned?)

 

[honestbharani]

Think Ponting became the second slip when Hayden went to first slip, that is after Warne retired.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Jonty Rhodes Ricky Ponting

11 9

Jonty Rhodes wins the thing.

 

[honestbharani]

Right decision, CW.

 

[ankitj]

Glad Jonty won. Ponting is superb, but in the zone of Symmonds or Gibbs. Jonty in a class of his own.

 

[Gob]

Nah Gibbs was overrated. AB is better imo

 

[Victor Ian]

Just as a side show - who is better? Ponting or Symonds? I'd personally go for Symonds. He may not have thrown down the stumps as often, but I seem to remember him effecting a few run outs with out field throws directly over the stumps for the keeper.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I know it is very early in his career but I'm putting a speculative future nomination in for Mitchell Santner. He looks to be an absolute genius in the field - has been in the NZ team for 5 minutes and is the real deal. Also amongst quicks Adam Milne looks to be a fielding gun, if he doesn't get injured.

 

[Gob]

Kane Williamson is pretty amazing as well

 

[vcs]

Guptill is exceptional.