New Delhi, May 1 - Jonty Rhodes, the man who made fielding fashionable, admits his age is showing as today’s cricketers have taken boundary work to new heights.
Rhodes, 56, famed for his airborne run-out in the 1992 World Cup, now watches players routinely defy physics at the rope, tossing balls to teammates mid-flight before tumbling over the boundary.
“For a long time, I felt like the godfather of fielding. Nowadays, I definitely feel like the grandfather,” he told Reuters.
He credits West Indian Kieron Pollard for pioneering the relay catch technique, where deep fielders toss the ball before crossing the boundary rope for a teammate to take it.
“We see it as routine, but the guys put in a lot of practice. It’s the sexy part of fielding,” Rhodes said.
T20’s batter-friendly nature, he argues, has heightened fielding’s value.
“So many games come down to the last over. If each player saves one run, that’s 11 runs in the bag,” he explained.
Among current fielders, Rhodes singled out New Zealander Glenn Phillips for his spectacular acrobatic fielding, likening him to former Proteas teammate Herschelle Gibbs.