In my humble opinion, Jonty Rhodes is the greatest fielder the game of cricket has ever seen.
Rhodes plans further hardship for body at World Cup
Richard Sydenham (Bloomberg) - 7 February 2003
Jonty Rhodes has punished his body more than most in forging a reputation as cricket’s best fielder. At his fourth and final World Cup, he doesn’t plan on letting up.
“The chiropractor and I are good mates,” Rhodes said. “He spends most of his time clicking my neck back in.”
Since playing the first of 243 one-day internationals at the 1992 World Cup, the 33-year-old South African has made his name diving like a soccer goalkeeper and throwing like a baseball pitcher. He’s taken 105 catches and saved hundreds of runs.
In the one-day format of the World Cup, which starts Sunday in Cape Town, cutting off shots headed for the boundary can have as big an influence on a match as taking wickets. Choking the flow of runs, particularly on South Africa’s smaller pitches, also adds to the pressure on the batting team. Rhodes’s agility, as much as his batting, has won matches for his country.
“Jonty gave a new dimension to fielding - even greats from the past like Colin Bland didn’t throw themselves around like him,” said former South Africa captain Clive Rice. “He’s a huge crowd puller and an icon among kids.”
According to his personal Web site, an item of fan-mail was once addressed to: “Jonty Rhodes – world’s best fielder.” It still landed on his doormat at home. Many observers class him as an all-rounder even though he doesn’t bowl.
His image – he puts Christianity and family life above cricket – has attracted government attention. In October, South Africa minted a 50-cent coin bearing the image of Rhodes hurling himself toward the stumps ball in hand.
Rhodes quit the five-day form of the game in 2000 to focus on the one-dayers and the buildup to the World Cup in his home country.
As one of the older members of the squad, he starts his day two hours before his colleagues, swimming, relaxing in the sauna and doing stretching exercises. He expects to show the same enthusiasm as he did 11 years ago.
“Age won’t matter but I may be more selective about what I chase to the boundary,” he said with a smile. “My reactions haven’t lessened, but my recovery time takes longer.”
Rhodes, who appeared in two World Cup semi-finals and a quarter-final, said his fielding at cover point earned him an international debut in the 1992 tournament opener against Australia. With players such as Jimmy Cook, Peter Kirsten and Kepler Wessels in their mid-30s, South Africa welcomed Rhodes’s athleticism.
He has his critics, though. Bland, who used to practice throwing the ball at a stump for hours before matches, doubts Rhodes’s ability to run batsmen out.
“In the last two years I’ve hardly thrown at the stumps as batsmen don’t take singles in my area any more,” said Rhodes, who plays his domestic cricket for KwaZulu-Natal. “I used to have four shies a game whereas now my reputation precedes me.”
He’s also developed a reputation with the bat. In last year’s VB Series in Australia, he hit 43 off 101 balls, with no boundaries, to shepherd his team to victory. The result helped South Africa go on to win the tournament.
He has 5,933 runs in one-day internationals at an average of 35.31.
Since saying in March he would retire after the World Cup, he has signed a contract with Gloucestershire for the English summer.
As his career draws to a close, Rhodes regards the World Cup as a last chance to make up for the past. In 1992, South Africa lost a rain-affected semifinal to England and in 1996, it won all five pool games only to lose to West Indies. It’s the 1999 World Cup that haunts him most.
In the semifinal against Australia, the Proteas required two runs to win from four balls. Allan Donald was run out, the match was tied and Australia went on to win the trophy. They also lost eight of 11 one-day matches against the Australians last year.
“You don’t have to be a pushover because you’re a Christian – I’m a terrible loser,” Rhodes said.
For Sunday’s tournament opener against West Indies in Cape Town, Rhodes hopes the spirit that inspired the country’s rugby union team to home World Cup success in 1995 will be repeated. South Africa’s other opponents in the initial group stage are New Zealand, 1996 winner Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kenya and Canada.
Rhodes, who admits to getting whiplash from all his diving around, plans to add to the spectacle.
“You can’t knock me for a lack of enthusiasm,” said Rhodes. “I see myself as a grubby fielder. Fortunately we play in green in the one-dayers so the laundry bill won’t be too bad.”