As the PSL 9 braces for the final four matches there are a number of factors that highlight this year’s edition. The premium most remains the unavailability of top players and the lack of crowds in Pakistan. But it seems that PSL 2024 is also a competition of “Spill a CATCH” as we have seen dolly-and-not-so-dolly catches dropped during the league. Needless to say, that after watching these matches, we must suggest that Pakistan fielders need courses in fielding, especially air fielding.
Before the play-off began no less than 40 catches had been dropped, mostly by Pakistan fielders. The main culprit is Khushdil Shah, the spinning allrounder of Multan Sultans. The experienced Shah has shocked all observers with his butter fingers. The left-hander has made sure of dropping one catch per match. Saud Shakeel, also regarded as a safe fielder, dropped two in one match and so has Shadab Khan. Naseem Shah and his brother Hunain are also proving to be butter-fingered. Mohammad Haris and Azam Khan have dropped catches behind the stumps.
The sub-standard fielding cost Pakistan dearly in last year’s World Cup in India. The costliest of them was of David Warner in the crucial game against Australia. Shaheen Shah Afridi, bowling fifth over of the match, forced a false shot off Warner but Usama Mir dropped the easiest of catches at mid-off. Warner punished Pakistan with a blistering 163 and led Australia to a comprehensive victory.
That led to the then Pakistan fielding coach Aftab Khan coming down hard on the players and the system that stymied their progress in fielding. “There are some basic rules of fielding which should have been taught at the domestic level, but sadly I am telling those to players during the World Cup,” Khan said in Kolkatta. One of the most successful domestic coaches Abdur Rehman consented. “Our system has problems because all coaches tell different things on fielding and that has halted the progress in fielding,” said Rehman.
Pakistan has never been a great fielding side but some of the fielders of yester years like Javed Miandad, Wasim Raja, Majid Khan, Ijaz Ahmed, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq to name a few, were always regarded as safe fielders.
But with the introduction of foreign coaches in Pakistan some serious attention was paid on fielding. Bob Woolmer worked hard to make Pakistan a better fielding side and the baton was passed to Dav Whatmore, Geoff Lawson and finally to Mickey Arthur. Mickey did not compromise on fitness and fielding and on Pakistan’s two tours of England in 2016 and 2018 fielding stood out. It was praised by Daily Telegraph and its conscientious writer Tim Wigmore.
“To understand the roots of Pakistan’s brilliant fielding performance at Lord’s – when they did not drop a single catch and, until a couple of pieces of poor ground fielding on the third evening, barely missed a ball either – it is necessary to understand the impact that the Pakistan Super League has had on cricket in the country.
“The PSL, which launched in 2016, changed all this. For one month a year in the UAE, Pakistan’s best young players play for leading foreign coaches and with leading international stars. As this is in the format of the game which most demands athleticism, fielding has been emphasized like never before. A measure of this shift is that a higher proportion of catches are taken in the Pakistan Super League than Australia’s Big Bash,” Wigmore praised Pakistan’s fielding in 2018.
The turning point came when Mickey roped in former Australian great Steve Rixon. Rixon cracked the whip on those who were reluctant on fielding and his extra hard work, chastening and tough words raised the standard and hence the appreciation in The Telegraph in 2018.
Since Rixon left the responsibility was shared by Abdul Majeed and Aftab — two former first class cricketers. The two have worked hard but were not backed up by hard work from players. The work at the National Cricket Academy has left a lot to be desired. So after watching PSL 9 matches the PCB must address this area and form a separate department for fielding. They must bring in foreign coaches in the academy and work on the junior players in general and seniors in particular.
“Catches win matches,” is an old catch phrase. If we don’t learn how to catch, we will not thrive at the international level and our PSL will become a laughing stock.
