In international cricket, fielding is seen as being as crucial to batting and bowling. To be effective, a team needs to have strong fielders, especially in shorter formats. In closely contested games, good fielders can add between 15 and 20 runs to the total, which is highly significant. While there are still bad fielders in Test cricket, most one-day and T20 sides have strong fielders. Nonetheless, there have been some talented athletes with poor fielding, including bowlers and batsmen. Let us look at the worst fielders in cricket.
1. Muttiah Muralitharan
When he was observed imploring the fielders not to throw the ball at his end, he frequently amused the audience with absurd circumstances. Murali was reportedly asked to field at short fine leg by captains because there wasn't much work to be done there. But, after batters began using sweeps and scoops with their paddles, even that position was not the most comfortable for him. Yet he made an effort to make up for his poor fielding with his bowling tricks. One can accept his fielding errors when he has 800 Test wickets.
2. Inzamam-Ul-Haq
Inzamam ul Haq, a former captain of Pakistan, has two significant flaws. He was a sluggish fielder as well as a slow runner between the wickets. Although he compensated for his sluggish speed with huge blasts, his fielding errors undoubtedly had an effect. As the captain, he was also required to field inside the 30-yard circle, just like Ganguly. His situation made life more challenging.
3. Sunil Narine
The third slot on our list goes to the Trinidadian who has dazzled the world with his spin. Sunil Narine is an expert at bowling and can contribute with a few lusty strikes in the dying overs, but he is completely inept at the third aspect of the game—fielding. Sunil Narine is an exception to the rule that Caribbean athletes are normally excellent athletes.
4. Daniel Vettori
Daniel Vettori, the top spinner for New Zealand, is another former captain who has made it onto this list. Vettori was a sluggish fielder who frequently abandoned pursuits. The fact that the Kiwis are renowned for their excellent fielding made his play stand out more. His fielding was visibly impacted by his back issues.
5. Shoaib Akhter
Shoaib Akhter, one of the world's fastest bowlers, was never totally healthy for international cricket. He was so prone to injury because of this. He was distressed, and it did not help that he used to bowl quite quickly. This was evident in his fielding, as he frequently let up a lot of runs.
6. Munaf Patel
Munaf Patel was one of those bowlers who, even as a youngster, had poor fielding skills. He was lacking in fielding abilities. Sadly, Munaf never tried to increase his level of fitness. Despite being a capable bowler, this contributed to his exclusion from the Indian team.
7. Murali Karthik
Murali Karthik, a left-arm spinner, was one of the few capable left-handed bowlers India had, although he never appeared in many games. Because he was a bad fielder and gave up too many runs on the field, his performance suffered. Karthik did not fit in the squad because good fielders are crucial in the modern format of cricket.
8. Chris Martin
Martin, one of the four New Zealand bowlers with more than 200 wickets, is better known for his batting and fielding than for his bowling. One of the few bowlers with more wickets than runs scored is this one. His weaknesses were exacerbated by his poor fielding. Again, people expected him to be a strong fielder like his colleagues because he was a Kiwi, but his shortcomings were obvious.
9. Lonwabo Tsotsobe
South Africa has produced players who have altered the idea of what constitutes good fielding over the years. Proteas are famed for saving at least 25–30 runs in the field, from Hershelle Gibbs and Jonty Rhodes in the past to players like AB De Villiers and JP Duminy today. The South African fielders have advanced the art of catching in addition to preserving runs. Lonwabo Tsotsobe is one of their guys who has truly stunned the world. The fielding of the left-handed fast bowler requires a lot of work.
10. Damien Martyn
Martyn, Damien "butter fingers." In 2003, when there were no matches in which he did not drop a catch, he began to be referred to as that. His dropped catches caused quite a stir, even though he is not a bad fielder. His colleagues, which featured players like Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, and others, were superb fielders, therefore his shortcomings were once again heavily debated. Although his outstanding batting secured his spot in the team, his fielding was still in doubt.
