‘Lucky to get a hand to it’: Mark Waugh’s diving effort in suit in brilliant catching masterclass

Legendary Australian slips fielder Mark Waugh missed a tough chance from Michael Vaughan in an equal parts brilliant and hilarious catching masterclass at the MCG.

In light of Pakistan’s catching woes, Waugh aimed to teach Abdullah Shafique the errors in his approach on the Fox Cricket coverage ahead of Day 4, but when it came time for him to put his words into practice Vaughan made it quite tough on the former gun slipper.

“You know I can’t see?” Waugh said.

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“I’ve got dodgy meat pies. Where would you like me to go?”

“You decide,” Vaughan replied.

“Who is bowling?”

“You can’t throw it this far,” Waugh chirped.

“You just stay there Junior,” Vaughan replied.

“Take your jacket off in case you have to dive.”

“I am not diving,” Waugh shot back.

Waugh explained the key to getting the right balance in the approach to a catch.

“I’m focusing on feet shoulder width apart,” Waugh said.

“Weight moving forward not back. You don’t want to be up and you don’t want to be too low. Nice and comfortable with hands together.

“Bang into the hands. I can’t see that, but I’ll take it.

“You’re moving with the ball. You go with the ball.”

Mark Howard then requested a dive to mimic the brilliant grab from Salman Ali Agha to dismiss Mitch Marsh on 96.

“I’d like to see a dive now,” Howard said.

“I’m not diving,” Waugh shot back.

“Mitchell Marsh was out to a classic,” Vaughan said.

“Salman down low to his right. Let’s recreate that.”

Vaughan’s first throw went well wide of Waugh’s right hand.

“Mate, another one give me a chance, come on,” Waugh said.

The next ball just bounced out of Waugh’s hand as he went tumbling to the ground.

“It just got me there (wrist) I went too soon,” Waugh said.

“I have got a couple of bruises already.”

Kerry O’Keeffe couldn’t resist a dig at Waugh when the replays were showed during the first session of day four.

“Bradman was judged on his last innings and you were judged on your last catch,” O’Keeffe said.

“Look at this sucker. Lucky to get a hand to it.”

Waugh admitted he was disappointed to miss the catch, but challenged his fellow commentators to get in the ring.

“I got it very high on the mitt,” Waugh said.

“Yeah not good. Disappointed not to take that. Anyway I want you to have a go tomorrow Smithy and you in the gully Kerry.”

Smith and O’Keeffe didn’t let Waugh off lightly as they persisted with the banter.

“Oh no,” Waugh said as O’Keeffe and Smith began discussing the dropped catch.

“I thought I moved alright. I was good when it was close to me.

“The one I dropped it actually hit me high in the hand. I pre-meditated it actually.”

“I was expecting Shafique to come over and speak to you about it actually,” Smith said.

O’Keeffe’s replies left Smith in stitches.

“That would have been gold if Abdullah Shafique had come over and said, ‘Excuse me Mark, I noticed the way you moved a little slow there’,” O’Keeffe giggled.

Despite the tough missed chance, Pakistan could do a lot worse than listen to Waugh’s advice on slip fielding after taking 289 catches for his country in Test and One Day Internationals.

Waugh explained the errors Pakistan were making which hindered their catching so far in the series.

“The first thing is the depth they are standing back and that comes from the wicketkeeper Rizwan,” Waugh said.

“He has taken so many balls from the knee below, so to me they are standing a metre too deep.

“We saw with the edge of Steve Smith off Hasan Ali where it went to the half volley to Shafique.

“Rizwan probably could have had a crack at it, but if Shafique was in the right spot. If he was a metre closer to the stumps which he should have been, it actually would have carried.

“Whether he would have caught it or not we don’t know, but it should have carried, so they are just too deep.

“Rizwan had a good look at it and he thought, I won’t go for it, but if Shafique was a metre closer it carries on the full.

“The second and third slip they move up as well, so it starts with Rizwan. He has got to get the depth right.”

Waugh challenged Shafique to follow the flight of the ball and receive it into the hands rather than grab at it.

“Then you are talking about technique and catching,” Waugh said.

“Shafique has had a tough time of it, so it is more of a mental game with him, but his hands come apart and then they come together right at the last minute.

“There is no soft hands. No give with the ball as well.

“Shafique’s hands start too wide and then they close. You have got to time it exactly right for the ball to go in the middle of the hands.

“And you have got to give with the ball. You need some tension there because the ball is coming quite quickly, but you have got to let the ball cup into the hands rather than go at it.

“I noticed with Shafique’s head position he doesn’t really follow the ball with the eyeline. He seems to look where the ball is coming from rather than really watching it into the hands.

“You watch the good slippers. Their head and their eyeline with the catch. There is a force meeting a force there.

“You have got to be as soft as you can with a little bit of tension. It is a fine line.”