Pakistan lost to Afghanistan by 18 runs.
They say fielding is one of the three areas in cricket. There is a phrase – ‘catches win matches’ – that tells you everything about how fielding is crucial. Hence, fielding coaches always talk about one great save or stunning catch being enough to change the momentum towards the team. While Australia, South Africa, and India are considered to be some of the best fielding teams, Pakistan’s fielding is getting worse and worse every passing year.
On Tuesday, Pakistan suffered their first defeat in the ongoing tri-series against Afghanistan by 18 runs, also involving the UAE. Afghanistan, who stepped on the field with four spinners, who’ve a net through the middle and took six wickets between them, exposing Pakistan’s batting once again. Pakistan were put under pressure in the entire innings, though the lower order showed some resistance at the back end. With only four matches being played in the series, all the talk is happening about Pakistan’s fielding.
Pakistan dropped one catch and gave away five extra runs via overthrows, apart from some poor fielding displays against Afghanistan. If the visitors had converted those opportunities, they could have snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. However, it’s not happening for the first time and might not be the last one as well.
A look at Pakistan’s fielding stats has disclosed how far Pakistan is from teams like Australia, India, or South Africa, showcasing how much room there is for improvement.
According to the report from Hindustan Times, Pakistan have dropped 48 catches, misfielded 89 times, and missed 98 different run-out opportunities since the start of 2024. In each of these categories, Pakistan rank amongst the worst three of the 41 teams judged during the timeframe, which is unfortunately backed up by the eye test when it comes to the team as well.
In terms of misfielding, Pakistan ranks just above the West Indies, that too by just one incident. They are joint-eighth out of 12 full member ICC nations in catching efficiency, with a mediocre 81.4%. While other teams have been struggling majorly with the quality, Pakistan’s biggest opposition is turning out to be their fielding, as the fans of Pakistan cricket have long been frustrated with a lack of smartness and intensity on the field.
Earlier this week, Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf expressed his frustration over the journalist who asked about his side’s poor fielding. In an attempt to defend his team.
Rauf responded to the query, saying, “I think you might not have watched the match properly. We didn’t make such mistakes in our fielding. Maybe if you review it again, you will see that the match actually looked good.”
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As we are talking about fielding prospects in cricket, there was one such incident that potentially cost South Africa their maiden ICC title in 1999. Australia, who had found themselves in a do-or-die situation, had to win a match to keep themselves alive in the tournament. The Aussies were reeling at 48/3 while chasing 272 when Captain Steve Waugh walked in. Waugh started pretty well, smashing a fifty, and was on 56 when the drama unfolded that eventually led to creating history.
Waugh flicked a ball bowled on the pads by Lance Klusener towards short mid-wicket, straight to Herschelle Gibbs, one of the best fielders in cricket history. The ball landed in his palms, but in his eagerness to celebrate early, the ball slipped from his hands and touched the ground within a moment.
This was followed by one of the iconic sledges – “You just dropped the World Cup, mate.”
Waugh went on to smash a match-winning 120 off 110 balls, steering Australia to a famous victory. The game not only gave Australia a win but also boosted their confidence and provided the momentum going into the knockout stages.
