Let’s look at the Top 10 Greatest Fielders of all time in international cricket

1) Jonty Rhodes

Jonty Rhodes is without a doubt the greatest fielder of all time. He was the man who made fielding cool and the fans went to see Matches to witness Jonty Rhodes. Before him, fielding was not considered important and a secondary skill. Jonty Rhodes was one of the most athletic men out there doing acrobatics. He used to field at backward point and batters used to be afraid to take a run. Jonty Rhodes and run outs is a better love story than Twilight. In the 1992 World Cup he ran out Inzamam ul haq and that visual is still played more than 30 years later. He was the man who changed fielding forever. He took 150 catches in international cricket for South Africa.

2) Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting is one of the safest fielders out there. He took 196 Catches in Test Cricket and 160 Catches in ODI Cricket. He was also a man who could easily hit the stumps via a Direct hit. The batters used to not run when he had the ball in his hand. The slip cordon is one of the most important fielding positions in cricket. Ricky Ponting was one of the best slip Catches in the world. He ran out Rahul Dravid in the final of the 2003 World Cup. Ricky Ponting was one of the best batters of all time but he was an equally good fielder.

3) Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best all round fielder in cricket and has been for a decade. He has one of the most powerful throwing arms in the world. He runs out people from any distance. Ravindra Jadeja fields at cover and at point which are two of the important positions in the 30 yard circle. He can dive to save a boundary or take a brilliant catch that will shock everyone. Ravindra Jadeja is in his late 30s but he is still fit as a fiddle. He can bat well, bowl well and field so well making him a very rare commodity in world cricket. He has taken more than 208 catches in cricket so far with many more to come.

4) Paul Collingwood

Paul Collingwood is one of the greatest Fielders that England cricket has ever seen. Paul Collingwood used to field at slip or at gully. The Gully is a fielder that is positioned just a few metres away from the slips. He used to take every catch that would come his way. Paul Collingwood has taken 218 catches in his career in international cricket. He had a work ethic that was unmatched and he was getting better with practice. Paul Collingwood set the fielding standards for England.

5) AB De Villiers

He is one of the best fielders that South Africa cricket has ever seen. He was not only a 360 degree batter but an equally special fielder. AB De Villiers was one of the most naturally gifted athletes to play on the cricket pitch. He was able to make sensational catches on the boundary line. He was someone who could keep wickets and he could field in the slips. He was a man who could field anywhere. The batters looked to convert ones into twos but he was a fielder that converted twos into one and a boundary into two runs. AB De Villiers took 268 catches both as a wicket keeper and a fielder for South Africa.

6) Andrew Symonds

Andrew Symonds is known as one of the greatest fielders of the modern era. He was a man who was built like a Hulk so that meant he had strength which allowed him to quickly give the ball to the wicket Keeper or the bowler in the case a batter leaves his crease. Andrew Symonds was known for his direct hits and he would field in the circle at backward point. He was one of the reasons Australia were so dominant. Andrew Symonds took 110 Catches as a fielder for Australia.

7) Herschelle Gibbs

He is the third fielder from South Africa in this list. This shows the quality of the fielding side they have been since the 1990s. He was an opening batter for South Africa. Herschelle Gibbs was a fielder who was present at the boundary ropes and he was an excellent judge of the line and he would take brilliant catches and save runs. Just like Jonty Rhodes, Gibbs was someone who would take catches that would stun the cricket viewer. Herschelle Gibbs would also have a rocket arm and the batters would not risk the extra one run to get out. Herschelle Gibbs took 172 catches for South Africa in international cricket.

8) Suresh Raina

The second fielder from India in this list. He was the man who made Fielding cool to the Indian audiences. There were Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh before him but it was Suresh Raina who was special. Suresh was a fielder who would field in the inner circle such as point, cover and mid wicket. He was the man who would save runs for India on the field. He was one of the safest hands in world cricket which meant that whenever a catch went to Suresh Raina 99 times out of a 100, he would take it. He and Ravindra Jadeja set the fielding standard along with Virat Kohli. Suresh Raina took 132 catches as a fielder in international cricket.

9) Mahela Jayawardene

He was not the most athletic fielder but he is the man who holds the record for taking the most number of catches in international cricket for a non wicket Keeper. He has taken 440 Catches across all 3 formats. Mahela Jayawardene was a regular fielder in the slips and he would take every catch that would come his way. Sri Lanka would win Test Matches based on his catching. He was a man who was focussed and he used to practice before the match began.

10) Brendon Mccullum

The wicket Keeper and fielder from New Zealand is number 10 in this list. He was a wicket Keeper at first and he became one of the most athletic keepers. Later on in his career, he transitioned to being a full time outfielder and he was one of the best in New Zealand cricket. He used to field at Long on or Long off and he would use his reflexes and agility to stop boundaries that the batters would hit in the last 10 overs. He would not be scared of diving and taking excellent catches or saving a single. Brendon Mccullum took 251 Catches as a wicket Keeper and fielder in his career.