Top 10 Test match wicket-keepers of all-time

The job of a wicket-keeper is extremely demanding in cricket as he tends to attract more attention when he commits a mistake or two rather than when he is going about his job well. There has been a gradual shift in the role of a glovesman in Test cricket over the years. There was a time when keepers were in the team solely for their glovework, batting at No.8 or below and averaging in the low to mid-20s. But, in the last 15-20 years, the expectations from a wicket-keeper have changed altogether: apart from, obviously, having to be good with the gloves, they are now expected to be able to bat in the top seven and contribute to the team by making runs consistently. Here are the top 10 wicket-keepers of all-time:

#10 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni’s ability with the gloves, in my opinion, often goes unnoticed. After all, he is 5th in the list of most dismissals in Test cricket, with 275 dismissals from 86 Tests, ahead of greats like Jeffrey Dujon and Alan Knott. While stats are not the be-all and end-all, one cannot argue with the numbers that Dhoni has accumulated over the last decade.

He has also played many crucial innings with the bat: 224 against Australia in Chennai last year and 76* against England in a match-saving effort at Lord’s in 2007 come to mind. When you consider the fact that he has also had the burden of being captain for the last 6-7 years, you realize how invaluable he has been for India and will be a huge miss once he calls time on his international career.

#9 Alec Stewart

Alec Stewart, in his heyday, was an elegant batsman to watch especially against quick bowlers in addition to being a very tide glovesman. In an era of turmoil for English cricket, he was one of the few players who could hold his head high and be proud of his long and distinguished career.

He has 241 dismissals, 227 catches and 14 stumpings, in his 82 Test matches as wicket-keeper. He also scored 4500 runs at an average of approximately 35 from those 82 Tests.

#8 Les Ames

Les Ames played Test cricket for England from 1929 to 1939 and, in that time, established himself as one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen to have ever played the game. Apart from having 97 dismissals from 47 Tests as a gloveman, he also scored close to 2500 runs at an average of 40.56 with 7 half-centuries and 6 centuries.

#7 Rod Marsh

Rod Marsh, having been dubbed as “Iron Gloves” at the start of his Test career, improved tremendously with time and finished up with 355 dismissals to his name in Test cricket: a tribute to his intense work ethic and will to improve. He was also an astute thinker of the game of cricket, often giving tactical advice to Ian Chappell, the captain of the Australian team during the 1970s.

Interestingly, he was awarded his debut in Test match cricket ahead of Brian Taber on the basis of his batting being superior to that of the latter. With that being the case, the Western Australia player would be pretty disappointed that he finished his career with a paltry Test batting average of 26.51.

#6 Ian Healy

Australian spin bowling legend Shane Warne has publicly stated on several occasions that the best wicket-keeper to have ever kept to his bowling was Ian Healy, and that is high praise when Gilchrist is also one of those to have kept to Warne’s bowling. While Gilchrist was a much better batsman than Healy, many consider Healy to be the superior wicket-keeper. The Queenslander was equally comfortable while keeping to both pace and spin and played a significant part in a lot of Warne’s and Glenn McGrath’s wickets in their early years.

#5 Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara gave up the wicket-keeping gloves in Test cricket back in 2008 as he found the job in addition to his responsibility as a top-order batsman impossible to handle. Nevertheless, he was brilliant while he was there: he kept in 48 Tests and took 131 catches and had 20 stumpings during that time. He averaged 40.48 as a batsman and made 7 centuries, with a high score of 230 coming against Pakistan.

#4 Alan Knott

Alan Knott was arguably the first ever great wicket-keeper batsman in Test cricket. In a career lasting close to 15 years with England, he effected 269 dismissals and had a batting average of 32.75, outstanding for a glovesman back in those days. While he was flawless standing back to quick bowlers, seeing him stand up to the stumps to the left-arm spin of Derek Underwood, his Kent and England colleague, was a true delight. His footwork was exceptional while standing up to the wicket, and he also had remarkable fitness, enabling him to get up and down all day with ease.

#3 Mark Boucher

At No.3 in the list of the greatest wicket-keepers ever is Mark Boucher, the man who finished his Test career with 555 dismissals from 147 Tests, the most ever in the history of Test cricket. Yet he, perhaps, never got the public acclaim he deserved. However, what he would, I’m sure, cherish is the fact that he was held in extremely high regard by his peers, who knew the value of a consummate team man. While his batting average of 30.30 is moderate at best, he did come up with important runs whenever the team needed him to.

#2 Andy Flower

While Andy Flower kept in just 55 matches, relatively lesser as compared to counterparts, his Test record is undisputable. He took 142 catches and effected 9 stumpings in his Test career and averaged an impressive 53.70 with the bat, that too while batting at No.5 for the majority of his career. Just to give a bit of perspective, a player of the stature of Kumar Sangakkara eventually had to give up the gloves as the job of wicket-keeping for long hours was proving to be a hindrance to his batting.

#1 Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist, without an iota of doubt, stands at the top of the tree when it comes to the best wicket-keepers that the game has ever seen. In 96 Test matches for Australia, he scored 5570 runs at an average of 47.60 and ended up with a staggering 416 dismissals to his name.

He was the principal reason for teams around the world to change their criteria while selecting wicket-keepers. Batting at No.7 for Australia, he made runs at a rapid pace on a consistent basis; as a result, he gave Australia a massive edge over other teams, thereby compelling them to look for men who could play a similar role. However, so far, teams have hardly found anyone for the role who could justice to it the way Gilchrist did.