Indian power-players Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja made headlines, securing spots in the top 10 fielding impact during the second phase of the 2023 World Cup.
Jadeja, missed out early on, clinched No.5 after the first three games. Kohli, initially holding the top spot, now comfortably sits in the No.6 slot.
The ranking is based on more than just catches and physical dismissals. It also takes into consideration other factors like as runs saved, excellent throws, and attempted run outs.
Mitchell Santner of New Zealand, who made probably the catch of the tournament to remove Hasmatullah Shahidi, topped the standings.
Australian star David Warner, who has the most catches with six, is in third place. South African David Miller entered the top ten at No. 2.
Glenn Maxwell alongside Shadab Khan are also part of the best 10 for their impact in fielding at both parts of the game. Notably, only India and Australia have two players among these top 10.
Nonetheless, South Africa leads the competition in fielding impact, with 44 catches and as many runs saved in the field. On the fielding impact rankings for the World Cup, they are followed by the Netherlands and England, who are ranked second and third.
India’s Dominance: How They Ruled the Second Leg of the 2023 World Cup
After all ten teams played six games apiece in the second leg of the 2023 World Cup, Team India is still leading the points standings. The Men in Blue have dominated the standings thus far, winning each of their six games handily to put themselves in position to qualify for the semi-finals.
Rohit Sharma’s team trails South Africa closely. South Africa missed only the Netherlands match, placing them securely in second place. Meanwhile, New Zealand has seen a slide. After starting the World Cup with four victories, they’ve faced back-to-back losses, dropping them to third place.
In contrast, the Aussie team, a rival of New Zealand, has made a strong comeback. After losing the first two matches, they’ve chalked up four wins and are now among the top four.
Pakistan’s performance in the final stage of the tournament got off to a great start with a major win over Bangladesh. Yet, they still linger outside the top four, ranking fifth.
Afghanistan and the Netherlands, two teams who have performed far above their weight, have a slim chance of making it to the semifinals. With Sri Lanka positioned in between them, they are ranked sixth and ninth.
With the biggest shock of the World Cup, Bangladesh, the first team to be officially eliminated following their loss to Pakistan, are ranked ninth. With only one victory in six games, England is wallowing in the bottom spot.
A top-eight performance in the current World Cup will earn a player qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy, which is the most recent curve ball tossed to some of the bottom feeders. As a result, until the round-robin round is over, even the teams who are eliminated early from the semi-final race will have a lot of competition.