Most unathletic fielders ever?

By this I don't really mean fatties like Gatt or Boon who were good fielders or inept clumsy fielders like Devon Malcolm, but those who looked like they just strolled onto the park representing the dog & duck XI and were born not to be athletes...

Derek Pringle comes to mind for England (though he was a half decent slipper)

I don't remember Gower pre-shoulder op, but once he was a throw-less wonder, all I seem to recall him doing was swanning around the outfield without a care in the world, on a Sunday afternoon jolly in the New Forest, occasionally picking the ball up and casually under-arming it to the nearest fielder as though he had something better to do.

Gower did take one of the best catches I have ever seen - fielding at point in some Jamodi in Aus

Probably thought the ball was a truffle or something.

I think it was simply a case of him thinking "If I dive for this I won't have to chase it". The ball sticking was purely incidental

Mohammad Yousuf isn't the most athletic in the Field. Munaf Patel also.


Trescothick was average, despite being a great slipper.

Have we forgotten Monty so soon?

Though in truth he is now merely a little bit below par.

Vaughan was never great even pre-dodgy knees, he dropped his fair share of sitters at mid-on. Cook's nothing special as a fielder either as far as I can tell, don't think he gets stuck at short leg because he's particularly great at that job really...

DJ_Smerk wrote:
Trescothick was average, despite being a great slipper.

Difficult to judge slippers' overall fielding ability as they rarely step out from their position to do some real work.

But, yes, Trescothick isn't a natural athlete. And he's got a fat man's waddle for a run.

Brad Haddin playing in ODIs when Gilly was keeping was a laugh . . . he really looked like he had no farkin idea . . .

Shaun Tait.

But I don't understand JKL's premiss.

Aren't you "not a natural athlete" if you are unusually"inept/clumsy"??

DJ_Smerk wrote:

Trescothick was average, despite being a great slipper.

There's been plenty of them. Tubby, Beefy, Warne etc. Largish blokes with great hands - far more comfortable bludging at first slip than running around the outfield

tac wrote:Brad Haddin playing in ODIs when Gilly was keeping was a laugh . . . he really looked like he had no farkin idea . . .

how is that different to when he is keeping?

G.Wood wrote:

tac wrote:Brad Haddin playing in ODIs when Gilly was keeping was a laugh . . . he really looked like he had no farkin idea . . .

how is that different to when he is keeping?

*snorfle*

A lot of Windian fielders in the Past 4-5 years have contributed to some howlers in the field.


Tino Best and Sulieman Benn but to name a few.


Ali Cook also struggles. Close your legs Chef FFS.

Phil Tufnell, natch.

Was Peter Such as afraid of the ball out in the field as he was with a bat in his hand?

Who could forget Tufnell's snuff of a run-out against Steve Waugh?

Dello wrote:Phil Tufnell, natch.

Was Peter Such as afraid of the ball out in the field as he was with a bat in his hand?

Ah, yes we have a contender. Used to mincily shot-put the ball back to the keeper if I recall?

"Probably thought the ball was a truffle or something."

A chocolate truffle, or a fungus that pigs root for?

I don't know what he was like for the rest of his career but I remember Mark Alleyne having a particularly ugly bit of fielding in a JAMODI in Oz ...

He chased down the ball and attempted a slide stop ....only problem was he tried to slide head first and basically took a divot out of the outfield ...he stopped inches short of the still rolling ball ....and then began crawling on all fours after the ball at exactly the same speed as the ball was travelling ...

I think it was funny to everyone except Alleyne and whoever was Pom captain at the time (Nass I think)

OP Tipping wrote:"Probably thought the ball was a truffle or something."

A chocolate truffle, or a fungus that pigs root for?

The expensive fungus that I assume all poshos think is "like, so scrummy".

PCS mentioned Monty before. He truly does have a pudding for an arm.

"Stuck in the sand""comes to mind when I think of Ashley Giles chasing down a ball.

There was a story that Tim May trod on his own hand whilst fielding.

To wake the bastard up?