Fielding is one of the most important attributes when we talk about cricket. Over the long period, great catches have turned the tides. Therefore, when we talk about most catches for the World Cup, there are some brilliant fielders in it.
Players who have been a good fielder are always preferred at the hotspots. Having said that, it is critical to understand that good fielding comes from agility and match awareness.
Ricky Ponting (28 catches)
The first name who appears in the list of most catches for the World Cup is Ricky Ponting. The winner of 2 World Cups as captain, Ponting has done a brilliant job in the field over his World Cup career.
In total Ponting played in 5 World Cups and took 28 catches. He has been part of 46 matches and took the highest number of catches. Often fielding in the hotspots, Ponting had a maximum of 3 catches in a match.
SUGGESTED READ: Best Spinner in the World: Top Leg & Off-Spinners
Joe Root (25 catches)
A modern-day great catching up with most catches, Joe Root also keeps his name way up there. For his sheer talent with the bat, fans tend to underestimate his ability with fielding and bowling.
In 26 World Cup matches, Joe Root has 25 catches to his name. This shows the fact that Root took almost 1 catch every match. His best catching has been 4 catches in a single innings.
Virat Kohli (20 catches)
The value of fitness in being a good fielder is evident through the efforts of Virat Kohli. Kohli has been one of the fittest cricketers in the world with catches, runs, and match fitness.
Meanwhile, Kohli has also been part of 37 World Cup matches taking up 20 catches to his name. Even though the catch per innings record is 0.54, it is easy to say that Virat has saved quite a lot of runs in the field.
Sanath Jayasuriya (18 catches)
Just imagine being one of the best all-rounders in the world, and underrated most of the time. Sanath Jayasuriya has more than 20000 international runs to go with around 450 wickets.
Still, his name appears in the list of most catches for the World Cup. Jayasuriya played in 5 World Cups and scored plenty of runs. More than that, it was the 18 catches from 38 matches that put his name right up there.
David Warner (17 catches)
The pocket dynamo, David Warner, is one of the finest fielders in world cricket. With an ability to make dominant runs at the top to work hard in the field, Warner is no less than a superstar.
Although Warner has retired from cricket, his 17 catches from 29 World Cups will always remain on the top. With a maximum of 2 catches in the innings, Warner has saved plenty of runs which fans hardly address.
Chris Gayle (17 catches)
The Universe Boss is hardly termed to be the best fielders, but he hasn’t dropped many catches when it comes to a global event. Gayle, being part of 5 World Cups, blasted runs for fun, but his fielding was also never questioned.
In a total of 35 matches, Gayle has taken 17 catches. This does show that his catch-per-innings efficiency is less than 0.5. During the later years of his career, Gayle did slow down when we talked about fielding, taking acrobatic catches, and stopping the boundaries.
Faf Du Plessis (16 catches)
Even at the age of 40, Faf Du Plessis is flying like a beast. Just imagine Faf in his youngest years. Well, he did feature in 5 World Cups, picking up 16 catches in the field.
Other than that, Faf also played in 23 World Cup matches with the maximum catching number being 3. Looking at his age one might hardly guess how good a fielder, Du Plessis still is.
Chris Cairns (16 catches)
Ball, bat, or field, you will find the class of Chris Cairns everywhere. Often underrated as a great cricketer, Chris Cairns was brilliant in the field as they say. He was part of 28 World Cup matches, picking up 16 catches to his name.
A talented all-rounder, Cairns had a maximum of 3 catches to his name with a catch per innings efficiency of 0.571. A true talent of the game, Cairns always remained underrated.
Eoin Morgan (16 catches)
The World Cup winning captain of England, Eoin Morgan was a brilliant fielder. Mostly fielding in the cover or close in regions, Morgan could hardly drop a cricket ball. As a result of that Eoin had 16 catches from 29 matches.
Being part of 2 different teams and 4 different World Cups, he was an excellent utility cricketer. Morgan had the catch per innings ratio of 0.551, which is quite considerate.
Inzamam Ul Haq (16 catches)
A lot of cricket fans question and mock the running between the wickets of Inzamam Ul Haq. However, you can’t deny the fact that he was one of the big match players.
Mainly in the World Cup, Inzi has 16 catches to his name from 35 matches. Playing in 5 World Cups, Inzamam was the backbone of Pakistan batting in ICC events.
YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED: Heaviest Bats Used by Greatest Cricket Players
