5 of the most athletic fielding efforts from unlikely players

There have been innumerable instances where players who have been written off as terrible fielders surprised their critics and come up with impossible fielding efforts. Damien Martyn who had become the butt of jokes and was called “butter fingers”, came out with a stupendous catch to dismiss Wavell Hinds. Similarly, players like Sunil Narine and Daniel Vettori have been consistently been criticised for poor fielding but have made vital fielding contributions for their teams.

Here are 5 players whom nobody expected to pull of fielding miracles but who against the odds of their own reputation and history put in that extra effort that defined their passion for the game culminating in some unlikely and greatly entertaining ‘magic catches’.

1) Muttiah Muralitharan’s great catch against the West Indies

Muttiah Muralitharan was as entertaining a cricketer as you could come across. As famous as he is for his great bowling, he is equally infamous for his bad fielding often treated the spectators with hilarious situations when numerous times he asked the fielders not to throw the ball at his end.

His fielding was so unreliable that it was always amusing to see captains placing short fine legs to ease the pressure off Murali. However, the spin-wizard did get his name into a compilation of greatest catches when he took the match-clinching catch of West Indies batsman Daren Powell during the fifth and last day of the first Test match between the West Indies and Sri Lanka in Georgetown, March 26, 2008.

The ball from Chaminda Vaas hit high on the bat and Murali jumped up in the air and backwards as he raised his right arm and the ball seemed to get stuck in there. Murali’s celebration as he rolls over off-balance and slides around on his back with glee is worth it for any cricket-lover.

2) Inzamam-ul-Haq's best catch of his career against India

Inzamam-ul-Haq often faced criticism for being a slow runner between the wickets and a slow fielder. Though his slow running dd not obstruct his quest for batting glory, his bulk and inferior quality of fielding did have its fair share of detractors - more so as being Captain, he had to stay within the 30-yard circle resulting in important fielding lapses.

However, the Pakistani batting great did redeem himself with a couple of spectacular fielding instances. One of his best efforts came against India when he backpedalled to take a fantastic catch off Waqar Younis that dismissed Ajay Jadeja who could not believe he was out.

The commentator states his incredulity at the catch as he believed it would go over Inzamam’s head but the Pakistani legend almost nonchalantly leaped backwards and raised his right arm to take a stupendous catch.

3) Dwayne Leverock’s stunner against India

One of the most stunning catches that sent the cricket world into a tizzy was when a policeman from Bermuda with a prominent paunch, Dwayne “Sluggo” Leverock, defied gravity to dive to his right and clutch on to a one-handed catch that sent Robin Uthappa back to the pavilion and made a cult sensation out of Leverock for quite some days after his miracle catch. Leverock, weighing 20 stone, is the first Bermudian bowler to pick up an ODI 5-wicket haul but his size has often overshadowed his bowling prowess. The portly man’s catch of Uthappa became an iconic image and his dive and joy at the catch became a highlight of WC 2007.

The Bermuda players celebrated as if they had won the World Cup and a beaming David Lloyd on commentary summed up the events in his inimitable style as he stated “The Earth shook” as Leverock used his bulk to cushion his dive and Lloyd had to issue a reminder that they needed another 9 wickets!

4) Jesse Ryder’s flying catch against Sri Lanka

When we talk about the ‘flying Kiwi’ people normally don’t associate the tag with big and bulky Jesse Ryder but he made it his own when he took a screamer at backward point in the ICC World Cup 2011 semi-final against Sri Lanka. There have not been many instances when Ryder has shown exceptional acrobatics but this rare gem is testament to Ryder’s commitment to his team.

Often credited as the best catch of the tournament, he came under the spotlight amidst a very talented NZ fielding side when he dived through the air to his left at point to send back Upul Tharanga. It was a magnificent effort and even after the hefty kiwi landed heavily on his elbow, it could not detract him from a glorious celebration.

5) Sourav Ganguly sends back Sanath Jayasuriya

Sourav Ganguly has often been stated to have earned his place in the team solely on his batting and leadership skills and not because of his fielding prowess, with the former manager of the Indian team, Rajsingh Dungarpur, going so far as to describe him as the "laziest and possibly the worst fielder" of the side.

However, like the numerous times the former Indian captain has successfully answered his critics, there have been a few magnificent fielding efforts from Ganguly over the years that contradict Dungarpur’s claim and have proved invaluable to the team – none better than the acrobatic catch he took to get rid off Sanath Jayasuriya in 2007.

Ganguly had to maintain his balance as he ran backwards, kept his eyes on the ball and dived with perfect poise to successfully send the dangerous Sri Lankan opener back to the pavilion. As he throws the ball up in the air and clenches his fists in celebration, you will have no doubt about the aggression that has always defined Sourav Ganguly.