Top 5 ODI wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world currently

There was a time when a good glove-man danced his way through into the playing XI. But, this is not the era of specialists, definitely not in the shorter formats of the game. The best glove-man doesn’t have a shoo-in anymore. In the modern ODI teams, it is the best wicketkeeper-batsman who gets the game. MS Dhoni, arguably the best of the lot is a classic example of the same. The wicketkeeper-batsman is an all-rounder no team can afford to ignore. West Indies and New Zealand (after McCullum refused to don the gloves) have struggled in that department. Here, we take a look at the top 5 wicketkeeper-batsmen (in no particular order) going around.

#5 Umar Akmal

If ever there was an example of unrealised potential, it is that of Umar Akmal’s. An average of 37 with a strike-rate of 87 is decent for a keeper-batsman. However, Umar Akmal made it to the side as a pure batsman who had to take up the gloves in the absence of his brother Kamran Akmal. He still is the side’s most explosively talented batsman who can turn the game around in a matter of few overs. However, his penchant for flamboyance and occasional brain-fade due to the love for heroics means he contributes substantially only once every 4 innings, something that leaves something to be desired from a top order batsman.

#4 Jos Buttler

In an English ODI side that disappoints more than it enthrals, Jos is a beacon of hope, a hard-hitting batsman whose average of 30 in 34 matches doesn’t reflect as much of his capabilities as the strike rate of 126. He is one of the most exciting wicketkeeper-batsmen going around because he is unconventional and excels at scoops and reverse-sweeps.

With a good Test debut as well, Buttler is here to stay in an English side that is overdue for an ODI upgrade. Buttler is yet another example of the wicketkeeper drafted into the team more for his batting than for his wicket-keeping.

#3 Quinton de Kock

Just 24 matches and 21 years old, Quinton de Kock offered a wonderful, almost delectable solution to the AB de Villiers problem South Africa faced. AB, a genius of sorts, had back problems, which virtually made him way too reluctant to keep. Quinton de Kock ensured that South Africa could relieve their best batsman off the gloves, without compromising on batting strength. 5 centuries and 3 half-centuries already, the young keeper is exciting to watch with a strike rate of 90+ to go along with his impressive average of 49. He is also a live-wire behind the stumps with 42 catches already.

#2 Kumar Sangakkara

The great man is back as a wicket-keeper for Sri Lanka in ODIs, a luxury they have greatly benefited from over the years. His average and strike-rate are a touch too low for a man of his talent, considering he has an astounding Test average in the modern era (58.76).

378 catches and 89 stumpings apart, Sanga was also a smart skipper nearing 13000 runs in ODI cricket. With at least a half-century in 105 matches, Sanga is a classical batsman capable of holding an innings on all sorts of pitches, the only wicketkeeper batsman in the contemporary setup who could challenge Dhoni’s dominance.

#1 MS Dhoni

Probably ODI cricket’s greatest wicket-keeper batsman after Adam Gilchrist, at least in terms of numbers (beats Sangakkara in average and strike-rate), MS Dhoni is the complete package and would probably make it to most all-time ODI teams. He dons the gloves, is one of the greatest finishers in the game and has captained his team to almost every trophy there is to be won from the ODI World Cup to Champions Trophy, Asia Cup and CB Series.

With an average and a strike rate of 53 and 89 respectively, he owns a superhuman average in winning chases, boasting of at least a dozen unbelievable heist wins apart from the normal heroics that are just another day’s work for the Indian skipper. Not the best behind the wickets, Dhoni nevertheless, is probably one of ODI cricket’s quickest and meanest stumpers.