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Emulate Nicholas Pooran | Boundary Line Catching Drills

By Chinmoy Roy & Cricket World

In 1992 world cup when Jonty Rhodes ran out Inzamamul-Haque, it turned into a bill board commercial. Till then one could dare to imagine that a cricketer can cover such a distance being air borne.

Since 2016 or so fielders in IPL cricket has the TV video editors go mad in making a fielding highlight package of the tournament. There are so many incredible moments in the field that why one, two-three packages can be compiled. ‘Assists’ in sports is a word associated with soccer and basketball. Even Neville Cardous, the immortal writer who fantasised cricket wouldn’t have visualized that the word ‘Assist’ could be attributed to the game of cricket.

The bar on ‘Assist’ at the rope is raised with the passing of every match. Off balance and barely inches away from the rope a Chris Lyn will pluck the ball out of thin air and while falling, toss it to Trent Bolt to complete an ‘Assist’. Apart from ‘Assist’ completing a sequence of catch-toss-cross and back- catch individually by AB Devilliers, Manish Pandey and Kieron Pollard has turned just into an art. These catches are produced so frequently that now we consider it a regulation catch.

It appears that during the Covid break guys like Nicholas Purran must have his fielding laboratory working overtime to stun the world. Purran couldn’t complete a catch but perhaps made the greatest save in the history of cricket in the match against Rajasthan Royals. Even the magical Jonty Rhodes couldn’t believe his eyes from the dugout. The way the bar is raised it is a matter of time before the likes of Ravinder Jadeja may redefine the limits again.
I was a bit hesitant in devising a training drill simulating the boundary line catches. Whether this fitness training would help or the catches are acts of natural instinct is a matter of debate.

Drill set up

  • Take a wooden step box.
  • Height can be between 1 or 2 feet.
  • Take 6-8 cricket balls
  • Take a partner to assist you

Technical Cue

  • Jump on box and land softly without any thudding noise. This absorbs the shock.
  • Land on the heels and transfer the weight to the whole feet.
  • Drop down and immediately take off from your toes.
  • Partner lobs catches to simulate to boundary line catching

Reps/sets

  • 6-8 catches in one set
  • Do 4-6 sets