Simon Hughes
Boundary fielders are usually the bowlers – less-agile movers dispatched to deeper pastures. It may be to allow them to recuperate after
delivering a fiery over, or to let off steam if they've been collared.
Or it may be to hide them, because their fielding really is a bit ropey.
Here, further from the bat, you've got a bit more time to see the ball before having to crank yourself into action, and you can have a quick swig from the water bottle the 12th man has left for you the other side of the rope. You're also close enough to the spectators to have a quick chat with one but this does have a downside. If your over has just been carted around the park (or you've misfielded) you will be confronted by chants
of 'eeyore, eeyore' or other
uncomplimentary observations.
Objective view
Fielding on the boundary does give you a more detached view of the game, from where you might notice a useful flaw in a batsman's technique. Or it can be a reflective place where you dwell on the success of your last over and lap up the applause.
Bowlers have pretty good throwing arms as a rule, and even the tallest ones will put in a dive these days to stop the four, rather than the age-old tactic of sticking out a boot. It pays to be alert on the boundary too, since the odd dynamic bit of work can lift the team. Darren Gough's stunning full-length catch at third man to catch Sherwin Campbell at Lord's in 2000 turned the match and the series.
 Long leg
Courtney Walsh is made for this position and not just because he is 6ft 6in. Like many bowlers, he is an error-prone fielder, best kept a good distance from the bat.
Copyright material reproduced under license from Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London, England
Copyright © Simon Hughes 2001
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