Slip fielder shows stunning anticipation; dives from first slip to take a classy catch at leg slip

Fielding in slip or any other position which is close to the batsman is all about reacting as quickly as possible. It takes the ball a fraction of a second to fly past the fielders and thus one needs not only to react quickly but also anticipate the movement of the ball. Over the years, the game of cricket has seen some absolutely marvelous catches in the slip cordons.

The likes of Rahul Dravid, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene are some of the few players who regularly took stunners in the slip cordon during their illustrious careers. In present times, the likes of Ben Stokes, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Joe Root are considered as some of the best in business.

And while the aforementioned players have taken some absolute stunning catches so far, one can say that none of them taken a catch that was recently taken by a South African fielder. During South Africa’s 50-over provincial match, the slip fielder came up with a mind-boggling effort to take the catch at leg slip’s position while initially standing at first slip.

It was all about anticipation and making the right move as the fielder had realised what the batsman was going to do. As soon as the batsman decided to go for a paddle sweep shot, the fielder moved towards his left. The ball was still quite far from him but before it could land safely, the fielder made a full-length dive to catch it with both hands in spectacular fashion. South Africa are famous for producing some world-class fielders like Jonty Rhodes and du Plessis and this slip fielder could very well emulate his illustrious compatriots.

Here is the video of the catch from South Africa provincial 50-over cricket

This is one of the great all-time slips catches from South Africa's provincial 50-over competition! pic.twitter.com/5Gpfv9V9Jg

— 🏏FlashScore Cricket Commentators (@FlashCric) March 1, 2021

A similar catch in the past:

This is not the first time such a catch is seen in South Africa’s domestic circuit. Way back in 2009,  Martin van Jaarsveld had taken a similar catch. He had run behind the wicketkeeper to the leg-side and caught the ball with just one hand.

Here is a clip of the catch from Martin van Jaarsveld: