They call it “catching swallows”, the capacity to sight from the edge of a cricket bat a five-and-a-half ounce missile, often propelled at 90 miles per hour, and then, a fraction of a second later – only a few yards away, and with bare hands – pluck it from the air.
It requires the reactions of a Formula One driver, the eyes of a hawk, the concentration of a chess grandmaster, and a perfect catching technique. From it emerges a mental picture of a supreme fielder diving from his habitual position at first slip to take yet another stunner for Australia. In the history of international cricket, there has been no more spectacularly efficient slip-fielder than Bob Simpson, who has died aged 89. In 62 Test matches for Australia between 1957 and 1978, he took 110 catches, a success rate of 0.94 per innnings, unmatched not just for his country, but anywhere before or since.
