Why don't record keepers record the amount of runs saved by a fielder?

[Madplayer]

In modern day cricket, fielding standards have become sky high. The obsession with good fielding has reached a point where teams do not select poor fielders even if we are good in their other two facets. If fielding has become so important why don't the record keepers start recording the amount of runs saved by the fielders?

In my opinion the statistics explaining how many runs a fielder has saved during an innings would go a long way in determining his overall value.

Having said this, Some things need to be looked at before going forward with this idea. These are :

1) This can only be tried in LOIs because such a stat would more or less be insignificant in tests.

2) It can be a bit of a hectic process even during LOIs.

3) catches cannot/shouldn't be included no matter if they are blinders and save boundaries. Catches are a separate category and should remain so.

4) straight forward cases of fielding should not be counted as runs saved. This brings us to our next point.

5) A bit of subjectivity would come in. If a fielder dives and stops the ball, it would have to determined that how many runs he saved in that instance. Perhaps the commentators should be given this job to announce it on air while commenting on the game? But that would make it a "loose statistic". This needs to be discussed more.

What do you guys think about this idea?

 

[Ab Fan]

Doing this will also generate good competition among fielders to save runs and boundaries.

But to same extent whether a fielder saves runs and how many runs they saved will remain a subjective opinion and hence can't be analysed through any objective parameter.

 

[MenInG]

I seem to recall that Fielding coaches keep those records.

 

[Madplayer]

Doing this will also generate good competition among fielders to save runs and boundaries.

But to same extent whether a fielder saves runs and how many runs they saved will remain a subjective opinion and hence can't be analysed through any objective parameter.

Yes but it would still give an idea to us. Generally the commentators comment that so and so fielder saved a run or a boundary by his fielding effort. Why not record it? Once you start recording it and include it in the job profile of a commentator, it would become a specialized job and certain standards would be set over time. One only needs to take initiative. This would be the next level of determining player value i think.

 

[Madplayer]

I seem to recall that Fielding coaches keep those records.

That is for their personal job. It has to be made public and made public during the game itself to make it more interesting for the viewers. Would also help the owners of teams in leagues to determine the value of players in a better way. It would even motivate players to become better fielders if their fielding efforts are quantified. Poor fielders would have no where to hide.

 

[Ab Fan]

Yes but it would still give an idea to us. Generally the commentators comment that so and so fielder saved a run or a boundary by his fielding effort. Why not record it? Once you start recording it and include it in the job profile of a commentator, it would become a specialized job and certain standards would be set over time. One only needs to take initiative. This would be the next level of determining player value i think.

Actually yes.

When you look at D/L rule, then this is not an objective parameter either.

A player like AB de Villiers if set, can score at such a fast rate that target set by D/L rule for the opposition becomes irrelevant. But then this has been applied because it produces results if length of the game gets reduced.

Hence, runs saved by fielders should also be considered and although it may not be 100% appropriate but will encourage fielders to save as many runs as possible for their team.

 

[Madplayer]

Actually yes.

When you look at D/L rule, then this is not an objective parameter either.

A player like AB de Villiers if set, can score at such a fast rate that target set by D/L rule for the opposition becomes irrelevant. But then this has been applied because it produces results if length of the game gets reduced.

Hence, runs saved by fielders should also be considered and although it may not be 100% appropriate but will encourage fielders to save as many runs as possible for their team.

Yes it will be a bit of a loose statistics as i mentioned in the OP but just imagine the implications of it. The sheer fact that your dirty laundary would be out there in the open for everyone to see would motivate you to work harder on fielding.

Infact on second thought, i suggest that there should be a separate column for runs given away due to misfielding. Or the runs caused due to misfielding should be subtracted from runs saved. Would make it all the more deadly haha.

 

[Madplayer]

[mention=79064]mmhs[/mention]

 

[hadi123]

The main reason is that it is too subjective. It is unclear what counts as whether runs should have been saved in certain circumstances etc.

 

[MMHS]

[mention=79064]mmhs[/mention]

How do you count that? What's the measuring standard? Fielding is a thanks less job, you can't quantify the effort. Even Yanks (who are stat freak, quantifies every thing, even how many yards run by the players in their Football game) doesn't count the fielding saves in base ball; but what they do is count error and that actually is a major stats component. For batting average in base ball (productive hits/innings), they actually don't consider hits that are resulted from fielding error in batter's batting average.

May be, they can count the number of runs conceded by mis field or count of catch drops. But, then there is a problem as well - technically Sarfraz didn't drop Taranga, but had second slip jumped and touched the ball airborne, it will go against him. I think, the way it's running is fine; I don't need stats to tell that Mark Waugh was the best all-round fielder I have ever seen, closely followed by Ponting & JRhodes.