The great fielding mystery of the 2005 Ashes... is dropping the ball catching?

England risk throwing away the chance to make history but both sides betray the tension in the field, says Paul Newman

Geraint Jones' errors (including three dropped catches) have reignited the debate over whether his batting ability is sufficient compensation for his less than perfect wicketkeeping, while Kevin Pietersen, described earlier this summer as a "world-class fielder" by John Buchanan, the Australia coach, has fumbled all five catches that have come his way.

Australia have also started to make mistakes. Four of their dropped catches came on the first day of the last Test at Old Trafford as Ricky Ponting's team seemed to be unnerved by England's bold approach.

The irony is that Australia have long been regarded as the game's best fielding side, while England's out cricket has improved greatly in recent years with Duncan Fletcher endeavouring to reproduce the intensity of match situations in practice fielding sessions. Before the Manchester Test England's coach made a point of practising rebounds and was rewarded when Geraint Jones held a brilliant catch to dismiss Shane Warne after the ball had bounced off Andrew Strauss.

So why have so many other catches gone down? Buchanan said that his team's mistakes at Old Trafford were the result of anxiety. Dr Sandy Gordon, a sports psychologist at the University of Western Australia who has worked with Australia, India and Sri Lanka, agrees.

"Under pressure players can focus too hard," Dr Gordon said. "They think about the process of catching rather than just letting it happen.

"Everyone is really pumped up in this series. Kevin Pietersen looks as though he's about to explode. He's a fantastic player, but players who are dropping catches can just get too analytical about it."

Paul Johnson, Pietersen's coach at Nottinghamshire until his move to Hampshire this season, said: "There were times with us when Kevin would spill easy catches and catch the hard ones. It comes down to concentration and awareness.

"Kevin wants the ball all the time and he can get too eager. Sometimes he doesn't think he's fielding in the right position and he drops catches because he doesn't think the batsman is going to hit the ball at him. If you put him in the top fielding positions and he feels he's in the game all the time then he very rarely drops them.

"If you look at the positions where he's dropped the ball - midwicket and extra cover - they're positions where in Test matches you tend to be diving around saving runs rather than catching the ball."

He added: "You have to remain alert for yourself. KP will be whipping everyone else up, but at times you have to be quiet and concentrate on your own game."

Vaughan, asked yesterday how he could explain Pietersen's dropped catches, said it was "just one of those things" and added: "I don't have a huge amount of worries about it. I just look at the massive amount of positive things he has brought to the team."

Gary Palmer, who runs his own coaching academy in Oxfordshire and has worked with Australia and other international sides, believes the key for catchers is to be "mentally alert and physically relaxed".

Palmer said: "You have to be confident that you're going to catch it. That comes from good preparation, knowing that you can take all kinds of catches. You have to be expecting the ball to come to you every time, but you also need to be able to switch off.

"The top batsmen learn to focus on each delivery and then switch off in between, which is a way of maintaining your concentration through the day and conserving your mental energy. Test matches require huge concentration, in a highly pressurised situation, for up to five days."

Fielding has been a key part of Australia's success, dating back to Bobby Simpson's reign as coach. This summer, however, there has been criticism of the management for not practising catching enough. England, meanwhile, have worked hard on their fielding, but have not used a specialist coach since Trevor Penney worked with the squad for the one-day internationals.

Australia are touring with only two coaches, Buchanan and Jamie Siddons. Mike Young, a baseball coach who has worked with the team in the past, believes they are paying the price for not bringing a specialist fielding coach. Craig Savage, another baseball coach, has been working with Sussex for the last three years and believes cricket can learn much from his sport. "Fielding is a huge part of cricket but teams don't spend enough time on it," he said.

"Technique is hugely important. If you get your hands to the ball there's no reason why you shouldn't catch it, but you need to learn to read how the ball comes off the bat, how to catch the ball on the run, how to run into position before making a catch. Above all, you need to have soft hands. If you hands are hard and tensed up, there's every chance you'll spill the ball."

Nasser Hussain says that under his captaincy England fielded well against other countries but became ragged against Australia. Vaughan knows the feeling: one of his most embarrassing moments was dropping a sitter at mid-off from Matthew Hayden (who went on to make 197) on the first day of the 2002-03 series in Brisbane. Australia won the match by 384 runs and the series 4-1.

In 1995, in Perth, England dropped Michael Slater three times before he made 124, while at Lord's four years ago Adam Gilchrist was put down four times on his way to 90. With the margins so tight this time around, they are mistakes that England cannot afford to repeat.

The unsafe hands of Kevin Pietersen: How KP's five fumbles drove England nuts

Catch One

Ricky Ponting (First Test, first innings): Pietersen drops a sharp chance at gully after Ponting, on 0, edges the ball while attempting to drive Hoggard. Ponting was dismissed for nine. (1*)

Catch Two

Brett Lee (First Test, first innings): Simple chance put down at gully after Lee edges ball from Harmison. Lee scored three. (3)

Catch Three

Michael Clarke (First Test, second innings): Easy chance dropped after Clarke, on 21, drives Simon Jones to cover. Clarke scored 91. (3)

Catch Four

Adam Gilchrist (Third Test, first innings): Pietersen, at cover, dives to his right but drops Gilchrist's firm drive off Flintoff. Gilchrist was on 13, and scored 30. (2)

Catch Five

Shane Warne (Third Test, second innings): Pietersen dives but drops straightforward catch after Warne, on 30, hits low full toss from Simon Jones towards square leg. Warne was dismissed for 34. (2)

*Degree of difficulty mark, with (3) being the easiest and (1) the most difficult.