Ross Taylor becomes second-fastest fielder to 100 Test catches

Ross Taylor becomes second-fastest fielder to 100 catches

Ross Taylor completed taking 100 catches in his test career in the third test against Pakistan at Sharjah, thereby becoming the second-fastest specialist fielder to the feat. Bharath Seervi lists the fastest fielders to the 100-Test-catch mark.

Ross Taylor took his 100th catch as a fielder when he caught Pakistan’s Rahat Ali off the bowling of Mark Craig at slip on November 28, 2014 at Sharjah. Taylor was appearing in his 60th Test. Grabbing 100 catches as a fielder in just 60 tests is a remarkable feat: only one other person has reached there faster.

Taylor came into the Test with 98 catches from 59 tests. He caught Azhar Ali to take reach 99 before he eventually caught Rahat Ali. He ended the innings by catching Yasir Shah as well, and his current tally reads 101. All his three catches came off Craig.

The only fielder who reached to the milestone in fewer matches than Taylor was Bob Simpson, who took his 100th catch in his 54th Test and finished with 110 catches from 62 Tests. Taylor is only the second fielder from New Zealand to take 100 or more Test catches, the only other one being is Stephen Fleming (171 catches from 111 Tests). Fleming had reached the landmark in his 68th Test.  The table below lists details of all specialist fielders with 100 or more catches.

Number of Tests to take 100 Test catches as a fielder in Test cricket (all fielders with 100 or more Test catches)

The first specialist fielder to 100 Test catches was Wally Hammond, who reached there in 1939. Taylor became the 33rd man to the landmark. Viv Richards took his 100th catch of his career in exactly 100 Tests.

Simpson took the least matches (54) while Sachin Tendulkar took the most matches (154). The difference is exactly a hundred. Taylor has 101 catches in his 60th Test. Let us see the most catches in first 60 Tests as fielder.

Taking 75 or more catches as a fielder in first 60 Tests

Tony Greig took 87 catches in from 58 Test matches, but never played again. Graeme Hick (90 catches from 65 Tests), Paul Collingwood (95 from 68) and Ian Redpath (83 from 66) are the others on the above list not to reach the 100-catch landmark.

Highest rate of catches per Test as a fielder in Tests (Min. 50 catches)

Taylor has taken 101 catches from 60 Tests at 1.68 catches per Test. This ratio puts him fourth in the list of fielders with a minimum of 50 Test catches. The table is topped by Eknath Solkar, who claimed 53 catches from only 27 Tests at almost two catches per Tests! His rate of 1.96 per match is the proverbial miles clear of the others.

Number of fielders from each team with 100 catches

(Bharath Seervi is a cricket statistician who is obsessed with digging numbers, facts and records related to the game. An active member of Society of Cricket Statisticians of India, he blogs at www.cricketseervistats.blogspot.com. He can be followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SeerviBharath and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeerviCricket)