The phrase ‘catches win matches’ holds true in every format, at different levels of the game, be it international or domestic and one surely can’t escape the consequences of a missed opportunity. As it is, the game provides very few chances for a team to pounce on and if it goes begging, there is no way back for the side. In cricket, it is always a do or die situation and the side which holds onto it’s catches better is bound to come on top. While all this said is true, we witnessed plenty of dropped catches in ongoing India’s tour of Australia. Both the sides let their butterfingers take over and shelled a few at crucial junctures in a game. With this parity ensured in dropping catches, none of them completely suffered the drawbacks of it and were on par in this tour as the hosts won the ODI series and India took the T20Is.
This is one side of the coin but there are several players who performed brilliantly in the field, grabbing all their chances throughout the course of a series or a tournament. Their consistent show sees them feature in the list specifically meant for the safe as houses fielders. Just like every other cricketer, they too let off a few chances but certainly made up for it by pouching the difficult ones. The cricketing fraternity pays them huge respect and salutes their magnificent effort in the field, inspite of all the tension and pressure that surrounds an international contest. In the below piece, we look at 5 such cricketers, who took the most number of catches in an ODI series:
1. Joe Root
An integral member of the England line-up which won the World Cup in 2019, Root attains the top spot in this illustrious list. The man pulled off 13 catches from 11 games and massively contributed to the winning fate of the team.
Apart from his fielding, he was a prominent figure with the bat in hand, accumulating 556 runs from 11 games at an average of 61.77 and strike rate of 89.53. The right-hander had struck 2 centuries and 3 fifties during the course of the tournament with a best score of 107.
2. VVS Laxman
A significant figure for India at the Test arena, Laxman did enjoy a few happy moments at the ODI circuit as well. During the VB series of 2003-04, Laxman pouched 12 catches from 10 games to help India reach the finals of the tri-series and provide them with a unique edge.
Unfortunately, India couldn’t go the distance as hosts Australia lifted the cup but Laxman showcased his prowess with the bat, conjuring 443 runs from 10 games at an average of 63.28 and strike rate of 82.95.
3. Allan Border
The skipper of the Australian team who led them in the Benson and Hedges World Series, Border grabbed 12 catches in 11 games, putting his impeccable self on the front throughout the series.
Hapless, he couldn’t contribute much with the bat, scoring just 106 runs from 7 innings at an average of 26.50 and strike rate of 55.78.
The Windies were the deserving winner of the series while Geoff Marsh and Peter Taylor from Australia ended as the highest run-getter and wicket-taker in the series respectively.
4. Carl Hooper
The talented Windies all-rounder took 11 catches from 7 games in the Total International series of 1992-93.
He couldn’t garner enough runs with the bat as one expected but his stellar performance in the field in a way played a huge part towards Windies winning the series with aplomb.
The Tri-series also included the likes of Pakistan and South Africa with the latter being the host nation and organizing the event beautifully.
5. JV Coney
This New Zealand cricketer took 11 catches from 11 games in the Benson and Hedges World series of 1980-81.
Coney also smacked 191 runs with the bat from the same number of games at an average of 27.28 and strike rate of 70.74.
Hosts Australia came on top in the series, winning the finals 3-1 against the Kiwis and extending their dominance in world cricket.
