For those who are new to the club and cricket in general, you may have a preconception that
fielding is the boring part of cricket that everyone has to do to allow some people to do cool
stuff. Well, maybe I’m in a minority, but the time spent in the field is usually the most enjoyable
time for me in a cricket match. The banter within a team and with the opposition is always
amusing and you may have the chance to turn a match with the next ball. When you have taken a
big catch or a diving save a couple of times, fielding becomes extremely rewarding and, of
course, enjoyable.
 
I’m a big fan of indoor cricket too. The main reason is because fielding becomes that much more
important. In fact,  you can get selected in a higher grade if  your fielding makes up for a
weakness with bat or ball.
 
If you have been coming to training regularly you will already have (or soon will have) all the
skills you need. What sets a great fielder apart from a good one is a LACK OF ERRORS. Errors
in fielding mostly come about due to a lack of preparation or concentration. It doesn’t matter
whether you are in slips or the outfield; these are the two requirements for the great fielder
(assuming he has been practising his skills).
 
Preparation
When placed in a new fielding position, I like to visualise what type of shots the batsmen is
going to hit that will require me to move either left or right, forward or back. I then like to
visualise how a mishit may come to me as a catch. I don’t do this every ball, only when I first
move to a new fielding position. It is also a good idea to check which way the wind is blowing in
case the ball is skied to your position (especially in the outfield).
 
Concentration
There are a lot of techniques to use to help your concentration levels and I don’t really want to
go into them here. What I do want to say about concentration is that it is a discipline. One aspect
of this discipline is watching the ball. Whether it is ground fielding or a skied catch the most
important thing is to watch the ball all the way from the bat into your hands. When we get tired
and find concentration hard work (including when we’re batting) we become lazy and just watch
the ball some of the way. I think one of the great examples of “ball-watching” is a super-slow
replay of Roger Federer hitting a tennis ball. He doesn’t just work out where it is going and then
swing (which I’m sure he’s good enough to do); he watches the ball right onto the racquet. We
need to do the same in the field – especially late in the day as we get tired and the concentration
isn’t as good.
 
If you have any questions about fielding and how you can improve, please see either your coach.
Good luck in the field and change some games!
 
 
“Big O”

Former Monash CC Captain