Bengaluru: With the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) sealing their berth within the playoffs of Indian Premier League 2025, RCB fielding trainer Richard Halsall believes fielding, whilst regularly overpassed, is the adaptation between profitable and dropping in fashionable cricket.
Halsall, referred to as ‘Stick’ inside the RCB camp mentioned, “Fielding is the area of the game that probably gets talked about the least. But in T20 cricket now, there are very few hiding places. You are trying to shorten that moment of fear or panic when the ball’s coming at you and be able to execute your skill. That ability comes only through focused training.”
Speaking on how fielding has advanced through the years, he mentioned, “The biggest impact has been the rise in physicality. You do not get outstanding fielders without it. Players now take pride in wanting to affect games. They copy phenomenal athletes from other sports and they want to make an impact.”
That mindset is what he has attempted to construct right through his occupation, each thru ingenious strategies and with intent. He mentioned, “I’m not sure if I was the first one to use a bowling machine for fielding drills, but I saw it in hockey, where they used it to replicate the power needed for goalkeepers. In cricket, we had people throwing at 80 miles an hour and nicking balls at slip. That was great, but how many people have that skill? The machine could do it consistently. That gave me the freedom to demonstrate more effectively and more realistically.”
It is that this consideration to element and creativity that has earned him the consider of avid gamers and coaches alike. Mo Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket, mentioned Halsall brings each reliability and problem to the set-up. He mentioned, “He’s quite an important ally for Andy (Flower). They’ve worked together across the globe. One of Andy’s strengths is that he wants people around him who will add to his thinking, not just say yes. Richard does that really well.”
More than the drills or the machines, Halsall’s actual energy lies in how a lot he cares in regards to the other folks he coaches. Bobat mentioned, “He really cares, like a good teacher cares about their students. And players pick up on that. He’s creative, unconventional, and prepared to challenge convention.”
His personal adventure into training has been anything else however standard. Born in Zimbabwe, Halsall was once a tight cricketer and later become a trainer, ahead of an be offering to review at Cambridge modified his path. A shuttle house for his brother’s wedding ceremony resulted in an opportunity assembly with Andy Flower and a call for participation to sign up for a Zimbabwe coaching consultation.
Among the most efficient fielders he has labored with, Halsall names Andrew Flintoff and Paul Colingwood, and from India, avid gamers like Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey and Mayank Agarwal. He mentioned, “They all have different strengths, but there’s a joy to their fielding. That’s what I look for.”
When requested to call the only fielder who modified the best way he noticed the sport, Halsall opined, “Viv Richards. Just his presence on a cricket field, that was something else. Watching him in a World Cup final, running Australians out, that was sensational.”
His training philosophy is constructed on adaptability and give a boost to. He added, “If you need someone to throw, I can throw. If you need someone to help with bowling or analysis, I can do that. Maybe not as well as ‘Malo’, DK or Andy but I can empathise and help them improve. That’s my strength.”