The Batsman - Cricket Slip Catcher

The Batsman - Slip Catcher

"Simply the best slip catching device we have ever used" - Eddie Holder (Magdalen CC)

The Ethos of Slip Catching

In my opinion, there are four primary considerations for all slip catchers (slippers):

TIME – Good slip catchers need only a fraction of a second to see and catch the ball. This is one reason why batsmen, not bowlers, make up the majority of top slippers; batsmen already have very quick reactions and superb hand to eye co-ordination. There are of course exceptions to the rule.

UNEXPECTANCY – If you know the ball is coming your way there is little excuse for a drop. Of course in a game the ball arrives unexpectedly, and it is under these particular circumstances that the best slippers evolve.

WATCH – The age-old debate: During delivery, do you watch the bat or the ball? I have been told by a reliable source that some of the best slippers of all time watch the bat’s edge; Botham, Waugh and Flintoff are fine examples. Who am I to argue with them? But consider this: How can you concentrate on the bat’s edge when the batman’s bat is lifted quickly up and down, for example in his back-swing? Another issue to contemplate: when the batsman leans back to cut the ball square (from the slip’s vantage point the bat is now parallel to the ground), which edge are you looking at now? The inside or outside edge? At the top or bottom of the bat? You can see the difficulty in adjustment - all required at the speed of light. Surely it is easier to watch the ball, from its delivery all the way down. After all, it’s the ball that is coming towards you - not the bat (unless you have been sledging the batsman and he throws his bat at you!)

CONCENTRATION – Without this faculty slip catching becomes rather difficult, relying wholly on instinct. When fielding I can chat between balls quite happily, without realising that I might be ruining the concentration of the remaining slip cordon. Often I spend hours/weeks in the slips without even a sniff of a catch, then bingo! But of course bowlers expect you to oblige, come hell or high water! Such is the fate of a self-proclaimed slip catcher.