Wicketkeepers who are also great outfielders

Wicketkeeping is one of the toughest roles in modern cricket, and many of the same properties that make a great wicketkeeper also make a great outfielder. However, it is also hard for a wicketkeeper to make the transition to fielding. The lack of the gloves, the anticipation of the spin on the ball along the outfield are just a few reasons why. Despite all of these obstacles, there are some notable examples of wicketkeepers who became excellent fielders. They get the opportunity to shine as a fielder when they join a team purely as a batsman, which has a wicketkeeper. Here are some examples of cricketers that made the transition well:

AB de Villiers

Most people did not know that AB de Villiers started off his career as a wicketkeeper-batsman. AB is, without doubt, one of South Africa’s greatest batsmen and one of the best fielders in the team. He is a quick runner and even at his age of 33, can still throw himself to either side in close quarter fielding. De Villiers has made backward point his own and always fields there when it is needed.

Sam Billings

Sam Billings is England’s on-again-off-again wicket keeper batsmen. Although he plays more T20 games due to other issues, he is a natural athlete, and you can see how good a fielder he is when he is in the team as a batsman. Many will remember him for some of his spectacular catches in the last few years.