Discover five slow fielders in cricket history who are often discussed by fans for their lack of speed and agility. Fitness became a key part of cricket in 2020. Cricket boards now focus more on fitness than a player’s form. No matter how talented a player is, failing the fitness test means they cannot join the national team. For example, Ambati Rayudu was in great form in 2018, but he couldn’t pass the Yo-Yo test and lost his spot in the Indian team.
Fitness rules have become stricter over time, but in the past, such rules didn’t exist. Even now, some countries don’t have proper fitness tests for their players. Fans believe that some players are still slow fielders.
5. Mohammad Shahzad
Afghanistan’s powerful wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Shahzad, was loved by fans for his big hitting. He looked up to MS Dhoni as his idol. Like Dhoni, he kept wickets for his team and smashed bowlers with his batting. Sadly, when his performances dropped, the team management removed him, claiming in the media that he was injured.
4. Chris Gayle
Cricket fans may have noticed that West Indian opener Chris Gayle rarely stands at the boundary. He prefers hitting fours and sixes instead of running singles or doubles. Instead of becoming a medium-fast bowler, he added to the bowling attack with some off-spin. These points show that the Jamaican star keeps just enough fitness to stay on the team and is often seen as lazy.
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3. Sarfaraz Ahmed
Former Pakistani captain Sarfaraz Ahmed went viral online after yawning during his team’s 2019 World Cup match against India. Even though he passed fitness tests, he couldn’t run quickly between the wickets. Some cricket experts criticized his fitness. As a result, Ahmed lost his role as captain and is no longer part of the Pakistani team.
2. Inzamam Ul Haq
Another former Pakistan captain on this list is the right-handed batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq. Many cricket fans made fun of his looks, but he proved them wrong with his amazing performances for Pakistan. Haq is one of Pakistan’s most successful international batsmen.
1. Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav is a fielder that captains often try to hide while setting the field. The Indian cricketer has faced many injuries but still managed to become one of India’s top spin-bowling all-rounders in limited-overs cricket for some time. Jadhav worked hard to improve his fielding, but there were times when his performance disappointed fans. He also found it hard to keep up with other batsmen’s speed while running between the wickets.
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