5 current wicket-keepers who are in the traditional mould

The role of a wicket-keeper is of utmost importance in the game of cricket as he guards perhaps the most critical area on the field of play – behind the stumps. Over the years, though, the demand for wicket-keepers with greater batting skills has grown and it has reached a stage where most teams want impactful batsmen who can also keep wickets.

This trend was popularised by the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Brendon McCullum and MS Dhoni and is being carried forward by players such as Jos Buttler, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Quinton de Kock. The logic that is generally provided for picking up keepers with superior batting skills is that it lends more balance to the team.

However, there are still quite a few wicket-keepers in the current cricketing scene who are more ‘old school’ in comparison. This does not imply that these players are not good with the bat but it is just that their batting does not steal the limelight away from their highly effective work behind the stumps.

Here are 5 present-day wicket-keepers who are in the traditional mould:

#1 Peter Nevill

Unlike some of his predecessors, Australia’s Peter Nevill is more of a conventional wicket-keeper who contributes useful runs in the lower middle-order. Although Nevill’s batting record in first-class cricket is very decent with an average of close to 39, he has not exactly set the international stage on fire and averages just under 21.

Moreover, he is a quiet accumulator with the bat, as his Test strike rate of 41.59 would suggest, compared to flashy stroke players like Adam Gilchrist and to an extent, Brad Haddin. The 30-year old, though, has been impressive with his job behind the stumps and is currently his country’s No. 1 keeper.

Peter Nevill has already picked up some outstanding catches in his 15-Test long career, none better than his flying left-handed take to hold on to an inside edge off Kane Williamson’s bat in a Test at Wellington in New Zealand earlier this year.

#2 BJ Watling

Watling has been tidy with his work behind the stumps

Another present-day wicket-keeper who fits the bill in terms of being in the traditional mould is New Zealand’s BJ Watling. The 31-year old stepped into the Test keeper’s shoes in 2013 once Brendon McCullum decided to carry out the role only in ODI cricket.

Watling is a gritty customer with the bat and has a pretty good record for a player occupying the No. 7 position in the batting order. In 45 Tests so far, the diminutive keeper-batsman has scored 2433 runs at an average of more than 38 with 6 centuries to his name.

However, BJ Watling’s impressive wicketkeeping skills are certainly not overshadowed by his batting prowess. Since donning the big gloves in Test cricket, Watling has pulled off some stunning catches to establish himself as the first-choice wicket-keeper in New Zealand.

#3 Denesh Ramdin

Denesh Ramdin has kept wickets for West Indies in all three formats

Even though he has not been part of the West Indies Test team in recent months, Denesh Ramdin is yet another wicket-keeper from the present generation who is in the traditional mould. While he is adept with his work behind the stumps, Ramdin also adds value as a lower order batsman.

The Trinidadian cricketer has played 74 Tests for a tally of nearly 3000 runs at a decent average of 25.87 with 4 centuries. He generally comes in to bat at numbers 6 or 7 in the order and possesses the ability to stick it around in the middle thereby proving to be an ideal foil to the top order batsmen.

Denesh Ramdin has easily been one of his country’s best wicket-keepers and has more than 200 Test dismissals in his kitty so far. It may not be long before he finds his way back into the West Indian Test side as a specialist wicket-keeper.

#4 Mushfiqur Rahim

Rahim has been in international cricket for more than a decade

The very fact that Mushfiqur Rahim has been Bangladesh’s first-choice wicket-keeper for the past several years is a testimony to his skills, both behind the stumps and with the bat. Having made his international debut as an 18-year old in 2005, Rahim took over wicketkeeping responsibilities after Khaled Mashud hung his boots.

There is hardly anything flashy about the way Mushfiqur Rahim goes about his business while batting, yet he has proved to be mighty effective. He has made the No. 6 spot in the Bangladeshi Test batting line-up his own and is one of the team’s better batsmen in the longest format.

In ODI cricket, too, Rahim plays the role of an anchor and holds up one end while the big-hitters go for their shots. None of this, though, takes the sheen off the 29-year old’s credentials as a wicket-keeper as he has had some memorable moments behind the stumps for Bangladesh.

#5 Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha’s performance has improved with every match

It is not easy for a wicket-keeper to just come in and start producing the goods when he has shoes as big as MS Dhoni’s to fill. Wriddhiman Saha is the man who was chosen to do this job when Dhoni retired from Tests in 2014 and from what we have seen so far, he has done pretty well.

Saha is the quintessential wicket-keeper in every sense as he possesses a compact technique behind the stumps and is also a competent lower-order batsman. His batting, though, is far better than his Test average of 31.09 would suggest as he has been quite brilliant in domestic cricket and also in the IPL.

In the 15 Tests that he has played so far, Wriddhiman Saha has impressed one and all with his sharp wicketkeeping skills. At such an early stage in his career, Saha has already effected some spectacular dismissals and it looks like he will only get better from here.