Cricket is a game of skill, strategy, and teamwork. While batting and bowling often steal the limelight, fielding is an essential aspect that can make or break a team’s performance.

Unfortunately, over the years, Pakistani cricketers have gained a reputation for their sloppy fielding. One of the primary reasons for Pakistan’s poor fielding is the lack of emphasis and focus on this crucial aspect of the game. Historically, Pakistani cricket has been dominated by exceptional batting and bowling talents, leading to a disproportionate amount of attention given to these areas. Consequently, fielding has often taken a backseat, resulting in a subpar performance in this department.

Fielding requires exceptional fitness level and agility. Unfortunately, Pakistani cricketers have often struggled with these aspects. Inadequate fitness regimes and a lack of dedicated training programmes have hindered their ability to excel on the field. Compared to their international counterparts, Pakistani cricketers often fall short in terms of speed, agility, and endurance, leading to missed opportunities and sloppy fielding.

Fielding is not just about athleticism; it also requires a strong foundation in the basic techniques. Pakistani cricketers have been known to struggle with the fundamentals of fielding, such as catching, throwing, and ground fielding. Erratic catching and poor throwing have plagued the team for years. These inconsistencies can be attributed to a lack of structured training and coaching in these areas.

Fielding requires intense concentration and focus. Mental lapses during crucial moments can be detrimental to a team’s performance. Pakistani cricketers have been prone to such lapses, resulting in missed catches, misfields, and costly errors. These mistakes not only affect the team’s morale but also provide the opposition with opportunities to score runs and change the outcome of the game.

Cricket is deeply ingrained in the culture of Pakistan, and the pressure to perform can be overwhelming. The weight of expectations from fans, media, and the cricketing fraternity often takes a toll on the players.

This added pressure can lead to nervousness and anxiety, affecting their fielding performance. It is crucial for the cricketing authorities to create an environment that fosters confidence and enables players to give their best on the field.

Improving fielding standards requires a holistic approach. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should prioritise fielding skills and techniques by incorporating specialised training programmes into the players’ schedules. This could include regular fitness sessions, fielding drills, and dedicated coaching for catching, throwing, and ground fielding.

Pakistan once again proved in Australia and New Zealand that their fielding is the worst in world cricket.

In the first T20 against New Zealand, Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed gave lives to Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell, respectively, in the beginning of their innings that actually cost Pakistan the game. Both Kiwi batsmen shared 78 runs partnership in just under eight overs that turned the game in the hosts’ favour.

After the fourth T20I loss to New Zealand, skipper Shaheen Afridi said that dropped catches were one of the causes of Pakistan’s defeats.

Earlier, during the tour of Australia, dropped catches and a missed stumping and run-out opportunity proved to be costly for Pakistan.

In the second Test at the MCG, Pakistan could have been in a far better position, but in the second session Marsh, on 20, was dropped by Abdullah Shafique at first slip off Aamer Jamal when Australia were 46 for 4. He dropped three crucial catches in the slip position during the series. You can’t do this in Australia

Anyone who expects that a team can win a match after giving chances to the opponent team is living in a fool’s paradise. Some of the players in this team are so unfit that calling them athletes is a travesty. If you are a professional cricketer playing for Pakistan, you should put utmost effort in the gym.

This is primarily because of Pakistan’s cricketing structure and domestic coaching. National cricketers aren’t good enough at catching.

To form good technique and a culture of fitness a coach must start with a player early on in his teens. Ideally in school cricket or under 19s.

Many of Pakistan’s cricketers never went through this training phase and were just discovered playing a university match or a domestic tournament that does not require you to be a professional trained cricketer.

Former greats Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib, Qadir, Afridi and Ajmal never came through Pakistan’s training and vetting system so were never thoroughly coached for fielding or fitness. This essentially means they developed bad habits which are difficult to reform at a later stage.

A change of ethic at domestic level is also needed - from what I’ve seen and read, fielding skills don’t get taken as seriously as they should in the domestic game compared to other counties. That has to change and be ingrained at every level. “Catches win matches” is a very true axiom no matter where and what level you play at.

During the ODI World Cup 2023 former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir said that Pakistan is the weakest fielding team.

Our World Cup game against Australia was another example of sloppy fielding. Opener Warner received two lifelines, when he had scored 10 and 105.

Usama Mir dropped a dolly when Warner was just on 10. The batter skied Shaheen Afridi’s delivery in the fifth over with a top-edge, presenting a straightforward catch opportunity for the fielder stationed at mid-on. However, Mir dropped the easy catch and Warner made Pakistan pay dearly.

Steve Smith was also dropped by captain Babar Azam at slip after Mir got the ball to turn sharply away from the right-hander. However, this drop wasn’t too costly as the Aussie star batter was dismissed on 7.

It is vital for the cricketing authorities, coaching staff, and players to collectively work towards improving fielding skills, thereby enhancing the team’s overall performance.

Only then can Pakistan shed its reputation for sloppy fielding and establish itself as a dominant force in international cricket.

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