The Australian fielders had buttery fingers in the first session of the ongoing fifth and final Ashes 2023 Test at The Oval as the visitors dropped as many as four chances behind the stumps.
Although England did lose three wickets in the first session, captain Pat Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald wouldn’t be too pleased with the efforts shown by the fielders behind the stumps in terms of catching their chances.
David Warner dropped Ben Duckett of Cummins at first slip; Steve Smith dropped Crawley off Marsh, though a touch chance while diving at second slip; wicket-keeper Carey dropped Harry Brook off Cummins to an opportunity that should have been taken, while Khawaja failed to move forward to a half-chance of Brook.
Ex-India fielding coach answers why Australian fielders dropped catches at The Oval
There must be a reason why four different Aussie players dropped four catches in the first session of the match itself.
According to former India fielding coach R Sridhar, it has to do with the grey, cloudy English weather, and also while fielding against one of the ends at The Oval where there could be a hint of distraction for the slip fielders and the wicket-keeper from the crowd behind the bowler.
R Sridhar, who spent 7 years with Team India as a fielding coach, had caught up with the website RevSportz ahead of the India vs Australia WTC Final 2023, which was also played at The Oval.
When asked about the challenges of fielding behind the stumps at The Oval, Sridhar had told RevSportz: “Sometimes, due to the weather, if it isn’t too bright, it could be a difficult viewing ground, from one end (Vauxhall End) at least.”
Sridhar also suggested the fielders and wicket-keeper move a bit closer to the stumps – something which would have helped Carey and Khawaja take their chances.
He had further asserted: “I think at The Oval, the first two days would be very crucial. There would be lots of catches that would come to the slips, because the Oval is a wicket that would start juicy and then start flattening out. So, as it flattens out, you could see a lot of bowleds and lbws. But on day 1 and 2, you will see quite a few catches. England is always a challenge, as the ball wobbles a lot. Having said that, the better the concentration, the better the fielders would catch.
“With the new ball, it is okay to be a little closer [to each other]. But as the ball gets older, maybe you want to space out. It also depends on the fielders’ skills, how comfortable they are in terms of distance between each other. How much understanding do they have? This is a very settled slip cordon. So they will find the exact balance between depth and space.”
Barring a superb delivery from skipper Pat Cummins that got Zak Crawley, the Australian bowlers and fielders were almost all over the place; they seemed lethargic and not charged up as much as their fans would have liked them to – this brought back the memories of the 2019 Ashes Test at The Oval, where, heading into the last Test with a similar 2-1 scoreline, Australia lost the game and fluffed their opportunity to win their first Ashes series in England since 2001.
