Test Match Special - Joe Root - the World’s greatest catcher

Episode Date: July 11, 2025

Stephan Shemilt speaks to Joe Root after he becomes the record catch-taker in Test cricket, surpassing Rahul Dravid’s 710 catches. He discusses his methods in the slip cordon, what’s mentally required to stay switched on for long periods, and what the slip cordon talk about during a long day out in the field.

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you're getting a fair exchange rate with no extra markups. Be smart. Join the 15 million customers who choose Wise. Download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply. from BBC Radio 5 Live. Hello, I'm Stefan Shemult. Welcome to the Test Match Special podcast. Joe Root now holds the record for the most number of catches by a fielder in test cricket. His 211th grab here at Lords

overtakes India Great Rale Dravid. I sat down with Root to get a catching masterclass. Stokes past the stumps. Tonight, edges, and it's taken. Wow! Joe Root down to his left. That was a stunning. reflex catch an awkward one it went low to his left how did he do that jo root what a grab and that's

the test record breaking catch yeah for non-wicket keepers that was joe root 211th catch that's taking him past rachel dravid who had 210 and his great career for india so jorut now the all-time highest catcher out of a normal look at keepers. You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Joe, when you're growing up and I don't know, you're playing

club cricket or whatever, certainly the experience I had is everyone wants to feel in the slips. Were you like that when you were growing up? I just wanted to, yeah, just try and be involved in the game as much as possible. So when I started playing club cricket, I was really quite small, so quite young. It's obviously changed now.

in terms of restrictions and things, but from being eight, nine years old, I'll be playing on Saturday in the men's teams and the lower teams in particular. So I'd generally be doing fine leg to fine leg, sort of working my apprenticeship that way, and then as you play a little bit more and you get used to, being in and around it,

you start finding ways of wanting to try and get more involved. To start things off, basically, we had one of the senior players who played for years and years at the club. He used to, keep asking us, to try and stay engaged with the game, we'd keep asking us how many balls were left and if we got it right, you'd get 20p. And then by the end of the game, if you were engaged and you knew what was going on, you might be able to buy yourself a packet, a Chris and a

pop or whatever. But yeah, that's the sort of thing that, how I'd always sort of got into it. And then clearly, the more you play, the more you want to affect the game, the more you try and get in those positions where you can actually do that. And I think one of the difficult things is if you drop a couple or you make a few mistakes. It's still having that mentality and that attitude of wanting to try and want the ball to come to you once, try and get back into things and really have an impact. So I think that's the most important thing.

More than anything is your attitude towards it. And clearly putting some practicing to keep improving and your range of catching was also important too. When did you realise it was something you were actually quite good? at, because I think also when you get into the professional game, you kind of have to serve your apprenticeship, don't you? You're not straight into the slips. You generally at a short leg for a little while, especially as a batter. So, yeah, I think more than anything, the guys that have played a lot more, and they're more used to that, is you come out of club cricket,

it's very rare that you spend 90 overs with two slips in the gulley or whatever. You're there for five or six overs at the start of the game, and if you get a couple of quick wickets, you might chuck them back in there so it is slightly different you know you're growing up playing 50 over cricket and then when you get into two three four day cricket you're in there more frequently and but in terms of what you need to do to prepare that it's just if you can give yourself a nice routine give yourself a good understanding of where your strengths are you know for example some people are better going to their right going to the left making sure you cover in the areas off where you might have

some more weaknesses and trying to gradually improve them and bring them up to the same standard as the areas you're good at. Similarly with any facet of your game really, but having that self-awareness and understanding of your own game is, I think, a really important part of it. Is first slip or the cordon in general the hardest place to field, and if not where is? It depends. Short leg when you've got a good sweeper on a flat wicket. it. That can be quite a tricky place to field. I think it depends on where you are in the

world. Sometimes in England when it's overcast cloudy. Lights are on, they might be like a heading lead last week. It's not a great viewing ground. There's like shaded patches right in your eye line. It can wobble around, especially the straight behind the back you are. So first, second slip, you can still get like the ball to wobble and deviate and do things after a nick. It can make it quite tricky other places around the world where you've got good steep carry and bounce it can be a little bit easier a place like south africa can be a really good place to feel that slip you can give yourself loads of room you can really spread each other out in the cord and you've got space and time to move so some constant can be really tricky because

the carry is not there so you're always finding yourself catching things around your ankles so there are different places have different challenges and i think like all all areas of test that that's what it's about. It's being, can you be, I guess, well-rounded enough in your own game to be able to manage those different conditions? And if you're not, take the ego aside and let someone else

that is good in those conditions, fill those positions, and constantly keep trying to find ways of improving yourself to get up to standard. You alluded to it in terms of maybe having a routine or the right attitude, but overall, you know, what are the secrets to being a good catcher?

Watching the ball closely, really. Trying to stay as relaxed as possible. I've mentioned places like heading where the viewing is difficult. Sometimes you lose the ball and the easiest and most natural thing to do is to panic and almost make your hands turn like brick and that's when you're going to have trouble. So it's trying to stay relaxed for as long as possible. Try and get your head in line with the ball as soon as you can and keep your eyes as still as possible for as long as you can.

I mean there are the fundamental things also just cling on to it anyway. can. It doesn't matter what it looks like, just make sure it stays in. There are so many better, I'd say so many better catchers in and around the world. And then I am, especially with an R team, you look at some of the things that Harry Brooke can do, second step. Ben, obviously, is a phenomenal catcher anywhere on the field. Those are the guys that I think that youngsters should be watching, watch how they move. The way that they position themselves is fantastic. and you know they get themselves into positions to take catches that other players just can't there's wood again bowls and labashane's edge a brilliant catch brilliant catch

wow by joe root and whatever stewbrook did to the bales has worked and labashane's out what a catch that was to his left technique wise what you're doing with with your feet what you're doing with your hands do you watch the edge or do you watch the ball I think for me at first slip, I like to watch the ball because I think you end up, your head starts moving if you're watching the edge and you're trying to gauge where it's coming from. I think the square you are, you might want to start looking at the batter

and trying to pick up cues in the sort of shot type they're playing and see if you can read the game through that. But when you're nice and straight on, I think watching the ball, the whole way is a really nice, relaxed way of doing it, gives you continuity, gives you consistency. allows you to have a really good understanding of what's happening within the game itself as well. So yeah, that's an important part of it for me is that I think also in terms of my positioning is trying to find a position where you feel that you can move and you can move relatively quickly.

Some people that's having a nice big wide base, getting low to the floor. Some people it might be slightly more upright. I guess it's quite a personal preference but trying out all these different things, seeing what fits well for you last thing you want to do is feel stuck and end up just being it only thing you can do is throw your hands at the ball you want to be able to get in a position

where you can move, take your head close to your hands and line things up as nicely as possible I think that'd be a bit of trial and error for anyone out there that wants to improve the catching but definitely two different ways that you can work out what fits best for you. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live The following advertisement feature is presented by GoTurkia.

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But the problem with practicing is you always know that the catches are coming and in a game you don't. No. But again, that's the beauty of it. That's the beauty of it is all you're trying to do is trying to train your body over and over again that when that ball comes, you're getting in the right position, you're getting lined up nicely, you're staying nice and relaxed, so that, you know, it might be two days until you take a catch, but if it's drilled into you and time and time again, put yourself in those positions where the ball is likely to come, it makes it that little bit easier. It takes that sort of panic out of things. And there are situations within games where the conditions are very much in the bowl of favour and you feel very much in the game all the time. So you are naturally in a really good headspace to catch and you're expecting it all the time.

I think having that mentality that I spoke about earlier about saying, right, I want to affect the game here. I want to help change the momentum of things or get us in a really strong position by doing something different. If you're at first step, the only way you can do that is by being really. when that opportunity comes and sometimes it comes out of nowhere sometimes it can catch you off guard or surprise but it's it's just as as with most things in cricket it's staying nice and relaxed keeping your head as still as possible and feeling that you're in a really strong

ready position to to go and execute here is archer bowling and there's that court at mid on it is very well caught in mid on dan and jada silver goes he stands there he can't believe it That was a very good piece of fielding. Made decent contact. It's root with the catch away to his left. He plucked it out of the air in two hands. What about that concentration, though? Because, like you said, you could be there for two days.

You've been on your feet all that time. No sniff of an edge. Last over the second day. That edge comes and you've got to take it. Yeah, I've dropped plenty of them as well. So, you know, it's not, like, got the perfect formula. that but you know it's it's all you're trying to do is is understand that you know the guys have running in all day they're trying to create chances and it's your opportunity and your chance

to try and you know either continually apply pressure to the opposition by taking those wickets or change the momentum and wrestle things back in your favour and if you've got any sort of routine that you can do every ball I think it's really important to switch off you can't stand there for six hours a day six and a half hours a day and just be constantly ready in between balls I think it's good to have a chat with your mace around you and try and soak in what's happening within the ground switch off and then make sure you find a way switch back on whether that's putting your hands on your knees or shuffling your feet around might be just rubbing your hands together whatever it

is is finding a way to bring yourself back into that right here it comes here's my opportunity to affect the game how do you react to a drop I think the only I mean there are times when you just want the floor to swallow you up and for you to disappear. Ultimately, all you can do, the only way that's going to make you feel remotely better is by getting another opportunity and trying to put it right. I think you've just got to want the ball. You've just got to want that next chance to come to you and be confident in yourself that you're not going to make the same mistake twice.

It's like in other sports, whenever you're making a mistake the next time you do, it's generally the easiest opportunity you're going to get to put it right and it's no different in cricket. Have you ever not wanted it to come? Have you ever had such a bad day when you thought, oh, just put me anywhere away from the ball? Well, I wouldn't say I've not wanted it. I think one thing I've felt was we've got so many good catches in and around. You think, am I the right person to be in this position?

But ultimately, I think wherever you are, it's got a strange way of following you around if you don't want it. And as soon as you get in that mentality, it can really spiral for you. And it can also feed into the rest of your game as well. You know, you can knock your confidence and it can, whether you're a bowler or a bat or all round or whatever it is, if you've not got that, right, come on, let's try and make something happen. Let's have that ball back in hand.

Then, yeah, it can really dint your confidence when it comes to going out to bat. You might not have that same mentality or that approach of, you know, I'm ready to take the bowler on. ready to take the situation on, and you might have a slightly more backward step towards how you want to approach things rather than the opposite. Flipside, has ever been a time where you've thought

it's coming every ball here? And wherever it goes, I think I'm going to catch it. I can catch anything today. Yeah, I'd say at Trent Bridge, when Bordy got on a roll there against Australia, that was, I think I took three in that first innings. And, you just felt like the ball was coming all the time. And I was very confident as well.

I'd caught a few ahead of that game. I managed to cling on to most and within it as well so that was one of those feelings where you're like, right, come on, any opportunity I'm clinging on to it and it fills you with confidence when you see the guys around you take those catches so Stokesy's catch that game, it's incredible.

A full length dive from behind him you're all up, you're in a great spirit and you're all over them so it does make it easy when it's that kind of environment. Head on 39, wait, Wokes Bowles. takes it he's actually caught that one and head stands there going through that again and Root actually caught it and then hurled the ball to the ground in the current circumstance it's been to be careful with that oh yeah I don't think the umpires are going to have a word about

this whether it was under control or not but it seemed to be a few quick ones then um best bowler to field at first slip to um it's a tricky one in terms of what in terms of how many opportunities you're Yeah, when you think I'm banging the game here. I think when conditions, it's swinging around, Stokesy, York, he's got this incredible knack of, because of his action, of nicking people off in this first couple of over. Two occasions the last couple of years where he's bowled and no-ball, they've nicked it, and I've dropped it.

And he always says, whenever I bowl a no-ball, just make sure you're ready in a slightly different way to that. But, yeah, so we played against Zimbabwe. start this year he bowled a no ball. I shouted at first, I'm ready, and then dropped the next ball. He was absolutely human. He not played for six months, desperate to get back in the game and take a few wickets. So even if you are ready sometimes, it doesn't always work out. But he has got this incredible knack of creating opportunities, especially early on in a spell. Jimmy obviously, the peak of his powers, you start of a test match with a brand new

duke ball. You always felt there was opportunities coming as well. You got a really nice of things, similarly with Wokesy when he's on song, you know, you see it out of the hand all the way, you feel like it's always coming in your direction, and yeah, you get that sense that you're in the game and you're going to get something coming your way. Do you know you've dropped most off? Well, it'd probably be either Brody or Jimmy. It's broad. Yeah.

They made sure I was very well aware that they were the top two. But, you know, you play over 150 games together. you're going to, it's going to be one of those two, well, you hope it's in some strange way, it is one of those two. But yeah, he's let me know. He's probably got a record of how many exactly, against who, what the score ended up being

and what it should have been in his own mind. But, you know, that's part and parcel of it. Have you got three favourite catches you've taken? I wouldn't say many stick out, to be honest. I feel like I took a nice one in Chennai, at cover, actually. But at Slip I'd say there might have been one off Stephen Finn, I'd dive full length and it was a no-ball, so didn't even count. There was one actually that I really enjoyed, which Vincy made this incredible effort at Durham, James Vincent.

Full length, full stretch up above himself. He tipped up in the air and I took all the credit for it. So when things like that happen and you can work together and create a half chance and make it into a... a full chance there. They're the ones that I guess you remember because you can then join together. Just to finish off, what do you talk about in the slips? All sorts. And who's got the best chat? None of us have got particularly good chat. I mean, you've got a lot of time to fill. Zach's probably the most interesting because he always wants to argue about something. So it'll create a debate that he doesn't even believe in just to stimulate a conversation.

but yeah it goes from anything you know you start naming top five footballers in the world to favourite musicians

to what are you going to go for dinner normal stuff that must happen everywhere across the country on a Saturday so yeah

nothing really changes we might play test cricket instead of you know Premier League cricket or village cricket but we're still

the same people, we still have the same boring conversations that fill those voids in between balls and yeah it doesn't get much more interested unfortunately. Final one what's the best bit of advice you would give if there's a youngster listening to

this and they want to be a top catcher, what advice will you give to them? Watch how Stokes moves in the field watch how when he's in a catching position, positions he gets himself into. I'd stay as as relaxed as you can from your shoulders downwards.

You want to take all the tension out your arms. Just watch that ball right into your hands as long as you can. That's Joe Root, in his own words, after breaking the record for the most catches by a fielder in test cricket. That's it for this episode of the Test Match Special podcast. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode with plenty of content coming your way as England's men and women both battle India across the summer.

Thanks for listening. We'll speak to you next time. World of Secrets, The Killing Kohl, a BBC World Service investigation into the murder of Punjabi singer and rapper Sidu Musayala. The facts, they aren't out in the open. Why Sidu Musayala, you know? Uncovering a global criminal underworld that reaches far beyond India's borders. There are so many rumors. No one wants to talk. There might be repercussions.

World of Secrets, the killing call. Listen on BBC Sounds. The following advertisement feature is presented by GoTurkia. You're thinking about a holiday. What about a detour across the Turkish Riviera? After all, the best way to discover somewhere is to go off the beaten path. In Tarsus and Adana, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, kebab shops fight over their traditional recipes.

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