Five top ODI fielders of all time

1. Jonty Rhodes (South Africa)

You do not complete a list of top fielders without the master himself. Jonathan Neil Rhodes defined it in modern times, and refined it to such an art that many international sides began to consider it a vital necessity in their scheme of things.

He didn’t just move on the field; he glided all over it with the grace of a gymnast. There was a certain finesse in his approach to the most unglamorous aspect of the game, not in the least hampered by that terrible disease called epilepsy. Like the mamba, Jonty slithered around backward point, patrolling the area with a hawk’s eye.

His most famous fielding effort came in the 1992 World Cup game against Pakistan, when he briefly brought Superman alive while effecting the greatest run-out ever witnessed in ODI cricket.

Acrobatic, athletic, alert – all these terms do not adequately define the man who changed the landscape of the game with his electrifying efforts. He still holds the record for taking the most number of catches in a single match (other than a wicket-keeper).

Praising his superhuman abilities in the field, the late Hansie Cronje once mentioned that even if Rhodes doesn’t get the runs, he will get you three wickets in his own style. Indeed, with the man around, South Africa would save at least 15-20 extra runs, tightening the noose on the batting side.

Like the Avengers’ Hawk-eye, Jonty could fire in a direct hit with pinpoint accuracy, which made him more threatening than any other player on the field at the moment.

He may have hung up his boots over a decade ago, but the Maritzburg Mamba still remains the greatest fieldsman of all time in ODI cricket.