China caught drone (4)
I believe the answer is:
chum
'china' is the definition.
(china plate is Cockney rhyming slang for mate)
'caught drone' is the wordplay.
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'drone' becomes 'hum' (drone can mean to make a humming sound).
'c'+'hum'='CHUM'
(Other definitions for chum that I've seen before include "Informally, a close friend" , "Good friend" , "Salmon" , "Pal, mate" , "Close friend (colloq.)" .)