For a balanced team, all three of their departments need equal strength. Along with batting and bowling, fielding is a crucial aspect in determining the outcome of an encounter. If one of the most famous sayings in the game of cricket, 'bowlers win you tournaments'. Despite that there is no denial that the cooperation of the fielders is also equally essential.
No matter how hard the bowlers try and create chances, if the fielders are patrolling with butter fingers, their efforts will be in vain. This is where the relevance of another famous saying 'Catches Win Matches' comes into play. A sloppy fielding or a dropped catch can cost the game as batters are unlikely to offer multiple favours to the opposition.
Remember when S Sreesanth held his nerve to take a simple catch of Misbah-ul-Haq at short fine leg in the India vs Pakistan final of the 2007 T20 World Cup? With that catch, won the maiden T20 World Cup title. It proves that not just gravity-defying catches or great reflexes that make the difference, but calmness under pressure is also crucial.
Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has the most catches in T20 World Cup history - 23 catches in 30 matches. Rohit Sharma is the only Indian player to feature in the list of top ten catches. The Indian skipper has taken 16 catches in 39 matches.
| Player | Team | Mat | Catches |
| AB de Villiers | SA | 30 | 23 |
| David Warner | AUS | 41 | 25 |
| Quinton de Kock | SA | 27 | 23 |
| Glenn Maxwell | AUS | 31 | 23 |
| Jos Buttler | ENG | 35 | 21 |
| MS Dhoni | IND | 33 | 21 |
| Rohit Sharma | IND | 47 | 21 |
*Last Updated on 29th June 2024