ICC World Cup 2019: Consistency in fielding will set teams apart

Standards being what they are across the world, we expect the best at all times. We are inured to brilliant catches, diving stops and supreme athleticism, all things associated with one day internationals and the IPL. When what looks like a regulation chance goes down nowadays, it seems to come as a much bigger shock than it ever did previously.

The World Cup is up and running and proving yet again that all you can expect is the unexpected, especially when watching Pakistan.

England's Ben Stokes catches South Africa's JP Duminy for eight during the 2019 Cricket World Cup group stage match between England and South Africa at The Oval in London on May 30, 2019.(AFP)

India had to wait longer than most to get into the action, and then they and South Africa found themselves battling it out on a pitch that was (unexpectedly) lively and responsive, compared to the sort of pitches we have seen at the Ageas Bowl over the last few years. For both seam bowlers and spinners to find they had something to work with must have been a real bonus for them, and (unexpectedly again) despite the dry weather recently, the pitches have not been just the flat tracks that render bowlers mere cannon fodder, boost batsmen’s averages and produce massive run fests. (Full Coverage of ICC World Cup 2019)

It makes it more interesting when sides have to think more. When captains and players are not sure half way through the first innings of a game what a good score is, then captaincy itself becomes so much more relevant with all the gambles one has to take to take the wickets that might win you a game, as opposed to merely dividing 50 overs between your available bowlers.

Such was the case in India’s match. Virat Kohli’s early, speedy decision to recognise the conditions and add himself in at third slip brought him the wicket of one of the key men, Quinton de Kock. Jasprit Bumrah, as mentioned here last week for his death bowling, did the damage at the start, bowling beautifully and very sharply, proving what batsmen around the world already knew—that he is one of the very best new ball bowlers too. Spinners introduced shrewdly brought more wickets.

For his opposite number, the only way to get South Africa’s first points on the board was or would have been to bowl India out. The way Rohit Sharma controlled the chase was just excellent.

For England to have two men make hundreds in a much longer, tougher chase and still lose against Pakistan was in marked contrast. A couple of weeks earlier they would have been feted for taking England to victory, but on this day England’s sub-standard fielding had left them too much to do.

Standards being what they are across the world, we expect the best at all times. We are inured to brilliant catches, diving stops and supreme athleticism, all things associated with one day internationals and the IPL. When what looks like a regulation chance goes down nowadays, it seems to come as a much bigger shock than it ever did previously.

The biggest failing was Roy’s drop off Hafeez, who made the most of the reprieve. There was, maybe, a slight issue with the sun, but even in England we have seen the sun before. There are ways of making sure it does not stop one completing the catch, and Jason Roy is normally closer to infallible rather than incapable in the field. It’s what a World Cup can do to you!

Technically Roy left his hands just a fraction low, maybe a very small but ultimately significant error. From that position there is no chance of even snaffling the rebound. Out it goes and that is that. A couple of days later, and David Miller drops an absolute sitter off Rohit using what we normally call the ‘Australian method’—with hands reversed above the head and in front of the eyes. One can only put it down to the pressure of the situation and his only consolation is that at that stage, it was not going to change the game one way or the other. It was the same sort of catch but a different result for Morris ten minutes later.

Going back to England, the fact that they had set such high standards in the field in their opening match against South Africa further emphasised the failings in the Pakistan match. The Stokes catch at The Oval was out of this world but the analysts claimed that throughout the 50 overs against South Africa, England had saved about 35 runs. Like an economic forecast or a voters poll, that number had been revised down from an even more impressive 50 plus, and on the day the margin of victory was way beyond even that. Against Pakistan, the drops and misfields made the difference between winning and losing, not catastrophic at the start of a tournament, but potentially much more crucial later on.

Whereas batting and bowling can throw up outstanding individual accomplishments and man of the match awards normally reflect one or the other, the one thing that the best teams will normally control with estimable consistency is the fielding. When that fails in an era when runs seem to come so easily to so many, it is enough to change games.