Where are my slippers?

The popular saying goes, “Bowlers win matches.” In the longest form of the game they can’t without help. First-class and Test matches are also won by guys who are usually the least athletic members of the team. They are the fieldsmen who don’t run much and stand with their hands on their knees; sticking out their backsides at the spectators. For these are the “slippers”, the unsung heroes of Test cricket.

And they have been the true litmus test as to what constitutes a great team. Without the support of “slippers” many bowling legends of the game might be forgotten. Fifty-over cricket diminished the importance of the “slipper” while Twenty20 makes the spot almost redundant. How many know that Cameron White is a fine snaffler of edges? Will a time come when it won’t matter if he’s any good in the cordon or not? One of the main reasons why the Indian team were able to push their hosts in the 2007-08 series Down Under was the reliability of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid in the cordon in making the most of the opportunities provided.

In his final summers Richie Benaud’s television commentary role has been reduced to intermittent observer, but he was spot-on when he lamented the absence of slip-catching specialists. Their type played a large part in Australia’s dominance in times gone by. Benaud himself was superb in the gully and in his era Neil Harvey took some beauties.

It was Bob Simpson who really turned slips catching into an art form. In the classic coaching manual, Cricket; The Australian Way, Simpson’s whole chapter is devoted to “soft hands in the cordon”. “When I played Neil Harvey was in the cordon with me and he was in the top bracket,” he said. “Clive Lloyd was an excellent slips fieldsman in the great West Indian sides of the 1980s. I always admired the work of Colin Cowdrey during my day and I thought Greg Chappell was brilliant as well.”

The West Indies also had Viv Richards, Richie Richardson and at times Roger “Inspector Gadget Arms” Harper taking the fliers frequently on offer. In the mid 70s in Australia both Ian and Greg Chappell made sure the explosive efforts of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson were not wasted. And their support staff was also excellent. Ian Redpath was great close in, and Doug Walters was capable of horizontal acrobatics. Offspinner Ashley Mallett had two great summers in the gully between 1974 and 1976. Legendary Australian cricket writer, Ray Robinson labelled the zone, “Octopus Alley”. Ian Redpath said everyone was at a constant fever pitch of anticipation with Lillee and Thomson bowling. Their expectation and skill resulted in even the toughest chances being taken.

As a quality pairing though Australia were never in better shape than when Mark Taylor stood at first and Mark Waugh at second slip. They were equally brilliant catching spin or pace and added pressure to opposing batsmen who must have believed any mistake would be their last. Taylor like Colin Cowdrey and Greg Chappell at one time topped the tree for Test catches. In one of the greatest fielding feats of all time he won the Man-of-the-Match award in a one-day international against West Indies at the SCG in 1992 for taking four slips catches.

Mark Waugh, who has now be pushed to second spot in the Test catches list by Rahul Dravid, has said, “Slip is a position where you have to be a natural at it. Really, you’ve either got it or you haven’t. You have to have reflexes and the ability to concentrate every ball. You might be in there all day and the ball comes to you once and you have to be ready for it. It’s a tough spot.” Waugh’s spectacular ability was best demonstrated with the low right-handed horizontal dive when he caught Alec Stewart at Leeds in 1993. It is available on recorded vision and one of Waugh’s own personal favourites. The anticipation, speed and flexibility will leave any viewer gob smacked.