Fake-fielding rule is a bit harsh, feels Jonty Rhodes
Getty
Jonty Rhodes, who is widely regarded as the greatest fielder to grace the game, has opined that the fake fielding rule is a bit harsh on the fielders, stating that they, just like bowlers, should be allowed to deceive. He has stated that batsmen should be wise enough to know the ball's position.
In what has turned into one of the more controversial yet bizarre rules in modern-day cricket, the āfake fielding ruleā has divided opinions, with a fair few feeling that itās necessary to preserve the spirit of the game, whilst the others arguing that itās yet another rule thatās been devised to favour batsmen. The rule, which came into effect in 2017, all but states that should a fielder try to deceive the batsmen by a fake throw, then the fielding team shall be slapped with five penalty runs.
It has, however, bizarrely, not been taken too seriously, with the umpires letting fielders get away with the rule breach, with the most recent incident occurring in the second ODI between India and Australia. But South African legend Jonty Rhodes, who post his retirement has been working as a full-fledged fielding coach, feels that the rule is harsh on the fielders and opined that the blame must fall on the batsman if he gets deceived by the fielder.
āIf a batsman is so unaware that he canāt decide if the fielder has the ball in his hand or not, then he should get run out. In that case, he should not go for the second run. I think that (fake field rule) is a bit harsh and as a fielding coach, obviously Iām biased towards the fielder (chuckles),ā Rhodes answered a question posed by SportsCafe in a press conference at the Global Sports Injury Conclave in Bengaluru on Saturday.Ā
āBut I was a middle-order batsman too and running between the wickets was an important part of my game. I knew the fielders I wouldnāt take a chance to. If somebody pretends he doesnāt have the ball and I think he is a bad fielder, and heās got to slide and pick the ball, I would take him on,ā the South African legend added.
Rhodes further drew an interesting comparison, asserting that a batsman getting deceived by a fielder should be no different to him getting undone by a Lasith Malinga slower ball as in both cases, heās been out-witted by his opponent.Ā
āIf youāre a batsman and you canāt decide if a fielder has the ball, then itās a bit like facing Malinga. How many batsmen have you seen duck under that slower ball of his thinking itās a beamer and get out LBW? So yeah, I think the rule is a bit harsh.ā
When asked who his top three fielders in the modern game were, the 50-year-old, worked with Mumbai Indians as their fielding coach for 9 years, was quick to take the names of Kieron Pollard and Ben Stokes, but had an interesting choice for the third. The South African legend named Indiaās Suresh Raina as the third best fielder behind Pollard and Stokes, claiming that he was a āhardcore fanā of the CSK man.Ā
āThe standard of fielding has risen so much these days. There are not many who play all three formats of the game but I think Ben Stokes, for me, stands out. In Test cricket, your primary focus is on your slip fielders. So I think heās a great fielder because he fields in the slips in the Test matches and heās a boundary-rider and is in the hot-spots in limited-overs matches.
āIāve always loved Kieron Pollard. He saved many a match for us (Mumbai Indians) not just with the bat but in the field and even though Suresh Raina is not playing, Iām a hardcore fan of him. I always get āOh Jaddu, he is much better, he is quickerā but for me, itās Raina. But make no mistake, Jadeja is deadly too.āĀ