The view from silly point
This week I got a fairly detailed glimpse of the view to be had fielding very close to the bat. During the game several people got similar experiences in fact. It has led me to want to assess the various ways people deal with fielding in close to the bat, in the so called ‘danger area’.
Now obviously these positions call for bravery in no small amount, you are in fact standing about 10 yards away from somewhere wearing a lot of padding who ‘more often than not’ has the ability to hit the ball at around 60-90 mph in your direction. In normal life you would be avoiding circumstances where you are putting yourself in harms way like this.
The problem on the cricket field is when the captain says ’go into a silly mid-off’ you have to either be
a) a fairly brave fellow and say ‘no’
b) a fairly stupid fellow and say ‘no’,
c) a member of the captains’ family and have a quiet word / plea / threat for him to think again, or d) shut your mouth, clench, and stride manfully to your destiny.
Most of us pick d), possibly thinking that having seen Ian Bell / Ricky Ponting produce stunning one handed salmon like diving catches close in, we can do the same. Or more probably thinking that a month full of receiving our team mates wrath at being too gutless to go in close is much worse than any potential injury we could face.
Once we are positioned, as close as we dare, then the real problems begin. There is a story told of the fearless Yorkshire opening batsmen Brian Close (think Pickles but balder and more Yorkshire). Fielding in close at the shortist of short covers in a county game, when a full bloodied cover drive was hit straight at him, the ball struck him in the forehead deflecting it up into the air, whereupon he was remarkably heard to shout ‘catch it!!’ The catch was taken in the slips and when his team mates surrounding their captain asked what would have happened had it hit him slightly lower, he replied, ‘Well, t’catch would have gone t’gully rather than t’slips’.
While I am not suggesting for a moment that we should field in such a cavalier way, here are a few other options:
The Brian: Get a lid on and get in the batsman’s face, if you have time actually start walking in towards the batsman just to get a tiny bit closer. Don’t worry about catching the ball, you will be much more distracting this way. Look very disappointed when the ball is hit past you as if in a fairer world the batsman would be walking back, then drop any chances that might come your way.
The David: Chat away inanely at the batsman, hopefully this will drive him into a mental state rivalling that of an unhinged serial killer, until he either attempts to smash the ball at you and gets caught (hopefully by someone else) or gets bowled attempting to clear the pavilion (imagining the ball is your head, visualisation is the key here)
The Clark: Stay as still as possible. Don’t move at all. If you move you may just move into the path of the ball. (This tactic works best when wearing a helmet, otherwise it looks a bit silly when you are writhing in pain after getting hit)
The Richard: Like ‘The David’ but your method of putting the batsman off is more subversive. By playing with your crotch as much as possible, you can distract to a whole new level. If at all possible try to catch the eye of the batsmen before you do this, this just puts that little bit of doubt in his mind, as to whether you will flash him a red ball just as the bowler is about to deliver another.
Another aspect of ‘The Richard’ is that self preservation is your major objective, and shame is not a concept you should think about. Don’t be afraid to throw yourself on the floor when the batsman draws his bat back aggressively. Any shame on you for being in the fetal position as the ball loops over you after it deflects off his pad up in the air, is nothing compared to being hit. Even if all other close fielders are still standing as this happens, it is because they are stupid and you are wise.
Now obviously these positions call for bravery in no small amount, you are in fact standing about 10 yards away from somewhere wearing a lot of padding who ‘more often than not’ has the ability to hit the ball at around 60-90 mph in your direction. In normal life you would be avoiding circumstances where you are putting yourself in harms way like this.
The problem on the cricket field is when the captain says ’go into a silly mid-off’ you have to either be
a) a fairly brave fellow and say ‘no’
b) a fairly stupid fellow and say ‘no’,
c) a member of the captains’ family and have a quiet word / plea / threat for him to think again, or d) shut your mouth, clench, and stride manfully to your destiny.
Most of us pick d), possibly thinking that having seen Ian Bell / Ricky Ponting produce stunning one handed salmon like diving catches close in, we can do the same. Or more probably thinking that a month full of receiving our team mates wrath at being too gutless to go in close is much worse than any potential injury we could face.
Once we are positioned, as close as we dare, then the real problems begin. There is a story told of the fearless Yorkshire opening batsmen Brian Close (think Pickles but balder and more Yorkshire). Fielding in close at the shortist of short covers in a county game, when a full bloodied cover drive was hit straight at him, the ball struck him in the forehead deflecting it up into the air, whereupon he was remarkably heard to shout ‘catch it!!’ The catch was taken in the slips and when his team mates surrounding their captain asked what would have happened had it hit him slightly lower, he replied, ‘Well, t’catch would have gone t’gully rather than t’slips’.
While I am not suggesting for a moment that we should field in such a cavalier way, here are a few other options:
The Brian: Get a lid on and get in the batsman’s face, if you have time actually start walking in towards the batsman just to get a tiny bit closer. Don’t worry about catching the ball, you will be much more distracting this way. Look very disappointed when the ball is hit past you as if in a fairer world the batsman would be walking back, then drop any chances that might come your way.
The David: Chat away inanely at the batsman, hopefully this will drive him into a mental state rivalling that of an unhinged serial killer, until he either attempts to smash the ball at you and gets caught (hopefully by someone else) or gets bowled attempting to clear the pavilion (imagining the ball is your head, visualisation is the key here)
The Clark: Stay as still as possible. Don’t move at all. If you move you may just move into the path of the ball. (This tactic works best when wearing a helmet, otherwise it looks a bit silly when you are writhing in pain after getting hit)
The Richard: Like ‘The David’ but your method of putting the batsman off is more subversive. By playing with your crotch as much as possible, you can distract to a whole new level. If at all possible try to catch the eye of the batsmen before you do this, this just puts that little bit of doubt in his mind, as to whether you will flash him a red ball just as the bowler is about to deliver another.
Another aspect of ‘The Richard’ is that self preservation is your major objective, and shame is not a concept you should think about. Don’t be afraid to throw yourself on the floor when the batsman draws his bat back aggressively. Any shame on you for being in the fetal position as the ball loops over you after it deflects off his pad up in the air, is nothing compared to being hit. Even if all other close fielders are still standing as this happens, it is because they are stupid and you are wise.
posted by Graeme Winn at 3:00 AM
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