Cricket is a sport that brings excitement in those who play as well as those who watch it. It is one of the most played and watched sports around the world. But fielding is one role which is not that much celebrated as batting and bowling is done.
Fielding is one of the roles which is not seen as important by the watchers but is as important as other roles on the field as strong fielding by any team can change the match and bring it in one’s favour.
It is true that fielding plays an important role in all formats of cricket from T20 to ODI but these 50 over one day matches require more focus and can turn out to be tiring for the players to field for longer time periods and be attentive to the game for such a format of the game.
Thus, today we are going to talk about the top 10 players with most catches in ODI international cricket. The list contains a few active players with most centuries in their cricketing career in ODI till now and a few others who have retired from the game. The article covers all the details about the players who have been great fielders in history.
| Rank | Player Name | Team | Catches in ODI |
| 1 | Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 218 |
| 2 | Ricky Ponting | Australia | 160 |
| 3 | Mohammad Azharuddin | India | 156 |
| 4 | Virat Kohli | India | 152 |
| 5 | Ross Taylor | New Zealand | 142 |
| 6 | Sachin Tendulkar | India | 140 |
| 7 | Stephen Fleming | New Zealand | 133 |
| 8 | Jacques Kallis | South Africa | 131 |
| 9 | Younis Khan | Pakistan | 130 |
| 10 | Muttiah Muralidaran | Sri Lanka | 130 |
This list consists of some of the best batters as well as bowlers with record breaking credits in their careers. And it also shows that one can achieve milestones in fielding too as attentiveness and quick action can make them a good fielder with the most catches in their name. Thus, below we have talked about each of them in detail. Here we go.
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1. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)
Mahela Jayawardene is a former Sri Lankan player and is known for his fielding skills. He tops the list of the top 10 players with most catches in ODI international matches. Though the player retired a long time ago in 2015 he is still remembered for his skilful fielding on the ground.
Mahela Jayawardene has a record of a total 218 catches in 448 matches he has played in his active years as an ODI cricketer. He was the core member of the team from 1998 to 2015 and is also known for his high run-out ratios in the matches.
| Player Name | Mahela Jayawardene |
| Team | Sri Lanka |
| Total Catches in ODI | 218 |
| Matches Played | 448 |
| Span | 1998 – 2015 |
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2. Ricky Ponting (Australia)
Ricky Ponting is one of the fiercest cricketers known in the history of Australian cricket. Though he is widely known for his batting skills, the player is also known for his attentive fielding on the ground. He comes on number two when it comes to the top 10 players with most catches in ODI international matches in their career.
Ricky Ponting has taken a total of 160 catches in his career as an ODI international player and has played a total of 375 matches in the time span of 1995 to 2012 and then the player retired from ODI matches in the same year.
| Player Name | Ricky Ponting |
| Team | Australia |
| Total Catches in ODI | 160 |
| Matches Played | 375 |
| Span | 1995 – 2012 |
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3. Mohammad Azharuddin (India)
Mohammad Azharuddin was a former Indian cricketer known for his overall skills on the field. But the player qualifies in the chart of top 10 players with most catches in ODI international matches.
He has a total of 156 catches to his credit in 334 ODI matches played in his career as a cricketer. He played his first ODI with team India on January 20; 1985 and retired from the format in the year 2000.
| Player Name | Mohammad Azharuddin |
| Team | India |
| Total Catches in ODI | 156 |
| Matches Played | 334 |
| Span | 1985 – 2000 |
4. Virat Kohli (India)
Virat Kohli is another Indian cricketer who is mainly known for his fierce batting skills and his ability to score runs under pressure. Besides this the player is also known for his unmatched fielding skills on the ground.
Whenever the name Virat Kohli comes, the first thing that clicks in the mind is his batting skills but the player is also a good fielder when it comes to taking catches and helping the team in crucial times.
He has a record of 152 catches in 295 ODI matches he has played in his career till date. The number might increase as the player is still playing. He debuted in a match against Sri Lanka on 18th August in 2008 and is still an active player in the Indian team.
| Player Name | Virat Kohli |
| Team | India |
| Total Catches in ODI | 152 |
| Matches Played | 295 |
| Span | 2008 – Now |
5. Ross Taylor (New Zealand)
Ross Taylor is again one of the best players known in the history of New Zealand cricket. He was known for his overall skills on the field but the player is much known for his attentive fielding skills and has a total of 142 catches in the ODI international matches he has played in his career.
He is on number 5 when it comes to the top 10 players with the most catches in their ODI matches. He recently retired from ODI international matches in the year 2022 and was playing since 2006 for the team.
| Player Name | Ross Taylor |
| Team | New Zealand |
| Total Catches in ODI | 142 |
| Matches Played | 236 |
| Span | 2006 – 2022 |
6. Sachin Tendulkar (India)
Sachin Tendulkar is mainly known for his run scoring and chasing ability when it comes to his bat. But the player has also proved himself as a great fielder as he has taken a total of 140 wickets through catching the ball.
Sachin Tendulkar has proved himself to be a significant player for the Indian team in the long time he has been with the team. He has played a total of 463 matches in his long career spanning from 1989 to 2012.
| Player Name | Sachin Tendulkar |
| Team | India |
| Total Catches in ODI | 140 |
| Matches Played | 463 |
| Span | 1989 – 2012 |
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7. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand)
Stephen Fleming was a former cricketer who used to play for the New Zealand team. The player debuted in the ODI format on 25th of March in 1994 and his first match was against team India and last he was seen playing ODI in 2007 during the ICC Cricket World Cup championship.
Fleming has a total of 133 catch-outs in 280 ODI matches that he has played in his career spanning from 1994 to 2007. The player proved himself to be an asset for the New Zealand’s cricket team.
| Player Name | Stephen Fleming |
| Team | New Zealand |
| Total Catches in ODI | 133 |
| Matches Played | 280 |
| Span | 1994 – 2007 |
8. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Jacques Kallis is a former player of the South Africa’s cricket team. The player is known for his fielding skills which has helped him to prove himself as an potential player for the team.
While in the team he got a chance to play in 328 ODI international matches for South African team in which he took a total of 131 wickets by catching the ball while fielding. His career as an ODI cricketer lasted from 1996 to 2014.
| Player Name | Jacques Kallis |
| Team | South Africa |
| Total Catches in ODI | 131 |
| Matches Played | 328 |
| Span | 1996 – 2014 |
9. Younis Khan (Pakistan)
Younis Khan is a former player of Pakistan cricket team. He played his first ODI match against Sri Lanka in February 2000 and his last match as an ODI player was of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
He proved himself to be a potential asset for the team as the player was known for his attentiveness on the ground while fielding. He has played a total of 265 ODI matches in his career in which he has taken a total of 130 catches in the ODI cricket format.
| Player Name | Younis Khan |
| Team | Pakistan |
| Total Catches in ODI | 130 |
| Matches Played | 265 |
| Span | 2000 – 2015 |
10. Muttiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka)
Muttiah Muralidaran is another former player of the Sri Lankan cricket team. The player debuted in ODI cricket on 12th of August in 1993 and played his last ODI match during the ICC Cricket World Cup of the year 2011.
The player has played a total of 350 ODI matches in which he has 130 catch-outs to his credit. This shows that Muttiah Muralidaran is still a cherished name in the cricket world as the player was a great add-on for the team.
| Player Name | Muttiah Muralidaran |
| Team | Sri Lanka |
| Total Catches in ODI | 130 |
| Matches Played | 350 |
| Span | 1993 – 2011 |
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Conclusion
The list above contains some of the best fielders from the history of cricket who have proved themselves by contributing to the team’s achievement by taking potential wickets for the team’s win.
The above-mentioned players are the top 10 players with most catches in ODI international cricket. All the players come from different teams, some are known for their batting skills and some are solely bowlers but along with this they have also proved themselves to be great fielders.
