Point is next in importance, he is always expected to have safe hands, for when a fast ball is cut to point, a run is sure to result if he is not alert; in ancient cricket he stood much nearer the batsmen than at this period. His place is now so far from the striker that his position upon the field seems to have given way to silly point, a position so dangerous that a fielder possessing great courage generally volunteers for it. Few captains would order a man to the position of silly point, yet there are still fewer who do not delight in the man who fills it advantageously, for “chances” abound near the wicket.
The slips, short leg and mid wickets follow in importance, while the outfielders and covers should not be deficient as stoppers, while as throwers they frequently have grand opportunities for the display of great activity. The Australian and English teams who came to this country were most effective fielders, and our native cricketers learned much from their prowess. They seemed ubiquitous. The ball did not seem ever to bore its way through them, their anticipation of its direction seemed instinctive. But if a hard hit one passed through the phalanx and did get by the fielder and was rapidly wending its way to the boundarys, the foreigner chased it with a speed and determination which gradually overtook it before it reached the ropes, thus reducing the score to a minimum. Let the cricket fielder constantly bear in mind that the time allotted to him to pick up and return the ball to the wicket is less than that required for a fast runner to traverse 18 yards at speed. If he is just as fast as the runner his exertions are lost to his side, for the batsman has reached his crease. The fielder must therefore be mentally and physically active while the ball is in play. It is not enough for him to take the ball and return it to the wicket keeper. Thousands of wickets have been held by a failure on the part of the fielder to return to the right wicket. Which one that is can only be determined by instant thought followed by immediate action. If the fielder waits for notification to receive and return the ball he will in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred belong to the bump on the log variety.