Catches Win Matches

The old saying catches win matches certainly still rings true today. Whilst we see more brilliant athletic fielding/catching in club cricket than we did 20 years ago has the overall catching efficiency dropped? Personally, from experience I think there has been a definite decline in catching skills in club cricket over the last few seasons. Looking at the teams I've been coaching and their catching efficiencies

2023           62.74%   Taken 64 Missed 38    14 matches

2023/24     60.34%    Taken 35 Missed 23    12 matches

2024          73.13%   Taken 98 Missed 36     19 matches

2024/25     49.01%   Taken 25 Missed 26      8 matches

So why have standards declined? The way we practice catching is one. How often do you see drills where the ball is hit straight at the fielder, that doesn't really replicate a game situation as more often than not the fielder has to move to complete the catch plus the fatigue factor is rarely replicated in practice.

Screen Time and Its Impact on Cricket Vision

Here is an extract from an interesting article which highlights an area that many coaches would overlook.

In today’s digital age, excessive screen time is taking a toll on cricketers, especially batters. Smartphones, tablets, and gaming systems dominate downtime, significantly impacting players' visual systems. This overexposure to screens can result in:

  1. Reduced Depth Perception: Staring at screens trains the eyes to focus at a fixed, short distance. This impacts a batter's ability to judge the length and speed of deliveries effectively + fielders to judge where the ball is going quickly enough.
  2. Eye Fatigue: Prolonged screen use causes digital eye strain, leading to slower reaction times and reduced focus during matches.
  3. Impaired Peripheral Vision: Batters rely on sharp peripheral vision to spot fielders and gaps. Constant screen use narrows this field of vision, hindering spatial awareness.
  4. Delayed Reaction Under Pressure: Under game pressure, batters need split-second decision-making. Screens diminish the brain's ability to process fast-moving stimuli, leading to hesitation and poor shot selection.

The consequences of screen-induced vision challenges are evident in declining batting performances, especially in high-pressure situations. Players struggle to adapt their eye movements and reactions from a static, screen-based environment to a dynamic cricket field where every moment counts.

I would certainly agree with the above as many of the catches I see being dropped are due to poor movement/reaction time from the outfielder who ends up not getting to the ball quickly enough to ensure they are balanced. Have a look at the images below from my District U14 squad which highlights where the fielder is trying to catch the ball - often well below eye level due to poor movement.

Can you pick out who our best fielder is?

The million-dollar question is what is an acceptable percentage in club cricket?  This is the catching efficiency of test sides in 2024 up to mid-December.


I'd imagine that they are aiming for an 80%+ catching efficiency so depending on the standard of the team involved I set a target of between 70-80%.


In conclusion 

Ensure your practice drills replicate the game scenario, have your fielders moving 360 deg to complete catches rather than hitting them straight at the fielder.

Have a drill that introduces fatigue (that's when more mistakes occur) into the fielding. I have a great one that is a go to drill of one of the IPL fielding coaches. He calls it his naughty boy drill and uses it when the team have had a bad day in the field. Drop me a line if you want details of it.

Like a cricket bat every fielders hands have a sweet spot. When catching two handed you'll still slightly favour one hand over the other, find that spot and really focus in training of getting your catches to hit that spot consistently.

Ensure your fielders are watching the ball in flight from the moment it leaves the bat (be it an inner ring catch or a boundary catch). This will really help the fielder get into position sooner, get balanced and hopefully complete the catch.

Incorporate movement drills into your warms up - agility ladders, T drill, etc. focusing on the head being upright (watching the ball). Quick feet, the ability to move forwards, backwards, left and right should not only improve the catching but also the ground fielding.


INTENSITY * MATCH SIMULATION * HIGH STANDARDS





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