The Involvement of Slips

Image from Jagadish

Slips are very important in any fielding team’s arsenal, for both fast bowlers and spinners. For those that don’t know what a slip is – they are the players on the fielding side who stand next to the wicket keeper. Their goal is to catch any ball that comes near them, which is usually a nick or an edge.

The number of slips on the field at any one time depends on the circumstances, but as you can see from the picture above, every player can do it if necessary. Slips must have extremely fast reflexes and outstanding catching abilities.

In the modern game of cricket the slip is of greater importance than ever before. As players become more skilled, and the game gets faster the ability to get them out off the slightest mistake is a must.

Because batsman must then take even greater care in each and every shot, they are more likely to score large amounts of runs. In my opinion the ever increasing talent of every playing position, including slips, makes for a faster, more entertaining game.