Test cricket is still seen as the purest form of the game, and winning a Test match is a big honor. While you can sometimes win a white-ball cricket game with just luck, winning in red-ball cricket takes skill, hard work, and patience. One key but often overlooked skill for winning a Test match is slip fielding.
A strong bowling attack can be wasted without good support from the slip fielders. There have been many instances where great bowling was let down by poor slip fielding.
Today, many players focus on the more lucrative formats of the game, but some still keep the spirit of Test cricket alive.
Here is a list of the top 10 modern-day slip fielders:
10. Tim Southee
From this list, all the players who have successfully fielded in the slips are either all-rounders or pure batters, except for Tim Southee. Southee is one of the few fast bowlers who fields in the slips and has done so for most of his career with good results.
Even though he’s a fast bowler, the New Zealand captain’s natural athleticism and quick reflexes help him catch the ball in slips. Fast bowlers are usually not known for their fielding abilities, but Southee is different. It’s impressive that as a fast bowler, he has taken over 70 catches in Test matches.
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9. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is one of the best batsmen ever in all types of cricket. He is also known for his excellent fielding skills and can be very dangerous on the field. Kohli is a good slip fielder in all formats of the game.
Even though he sometimes drops easy catches, he has also taken some amazing catches. With over 111 Test catches, he is one of the most complete cricketers of all time.
8. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes and Test cricket have a long and memorable history. The England all-rounder is considered one of the most versatile and exciting players in modern cricket, able to do almost anything on the field. While Stokes doesn’t often field in the slips, he always makes an impact when he does.
Stokes’ height gives him an advantage in fielding. He makes slip fielding look easy with his amazing agility and quick reflexes. His height allows him to reach more catches and cover more ground.
7. Dean Elgar
Elgar is a player you might not expect to see on this list because he often goes unnoticed. However, he has been very successful as a slip fielder, known for having some of the safest hands not just in South Africa, but worldwide.
Now retired from Test cricket, he played a total of 86 matches in his career, where he took 92 catches, averaging about 0.582 catches per innings.
6. Dhananjaya de Silva
Dhananjaya de Silva is one of the best slip catchers in cricket today, but he doesn’t get enough credit. He fields in the slip position for Sri Lanka in all types of cricket games.
Dhananjaya is a very reliable fielder and often stands in the slips for the Sri Lankan team. Besides his great fielding skills, he is also talented with both bat and ball, and he has taken over 64 catches in Test matches.
5. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane is considered one of the best slip fielders in Test cricket. The former vice-captain of India, who has also captained the team a few times, is very active in the slip position and rarely misses a catch.
Without doing anything fancy, he has a knack for making difficult catches look easy. His catching skills have helped bowlers like Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin succeed. In 2015, at Galle, Rahane set the record for the most catches by a non-wicket-keeper in a Test match by taking eight catches during the game.
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4. Ross Taylor
The term “underrated” is often used for Ross Taylor. People often overlook his fielding, just like his batting. He rarely misses a catch, making him one of the best slip fielders in any format of the game. Taylor has played a big role in making New Zealand a strong fielding team.
There aren’t many slip fielders with a better record than Taylor. He has an amazing overall record as a slip fielder, with a success rate of over 75%.
3. Faf du Plessis
The former Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis, is known for his athleticism and rarely has a bad game when fielding. He often saves runs for his team. Simply put, Faf is a very active player. He is reliable in any fielding position, especially in the slip cordon.
When bowlers like Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel are bowling fast, a slip fielder needs to be very alert, and Faf does this easily. He is one of the best in his position, but he fields everywhere because he is the best fielder in South Africa.
2. Joe Root
Right now, Joe Root is one of the best batters in the world. He’s not just great with the bat, but also excels as a fielder, especially when fielding close to the wicketkeeper. Watch him catch edges from the batsmen while he stands in the slip positions. It’s fun to see his quick hands, how eagerly he goes for the ball, and how he positions his feet to make the catch.
Since 2015, he has successfully taken advantage of nearly 85% of the chances he gets in the slip positions. With 183 catches to his name, he now holds the top spot among all current players and ranks fifth on the all-time list.
1. Steven Smith
Steve Smith is really good at catching difficult balls, especially in the slip fielding positions close to the batsman. He has a reputation for rarely missing easy catches. Smith has the highest average number of catches per innings (0.869), which is impressive.
Up until January 12, 2024, Smith had taken 173 catches in the slip fielding position in Test matches. He’s the first non-wicketkeeper to achieve three catches in each of his first fourteen Test innings. Alongside Joe Root, he’s one of the only current players in the top 10 list of all-time catchers in Test cricket history.
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