Top 5 instances where wicket-keepers bowled and took crucial wickets

"There is so much uncertainty in cricket. One day you can get a hundred, the next day you can be dismissed for a zero. It makes you become practical about things. I think I have learnt a lot about life from cricket" - Mahela Jayawardene

Cricket has a unique tendency to modify itself over the course of time, getting better and more competitive in the process.

The Gentleman's game has stood the test of time for over 140 years on an international scale. These 14 decades have brought out a ton of changes on the plate, which in turn have presented a lot of challenges and rolled out unique situations garnished with a pinch of uncertainty.

This uncertainty has brought out a whole new edge to the game and has resulted in certain rare situations. The sight of a wicket-keeper running towards the pitch by the umpire's side while gripping the ball and scalping a wicket is one such rare happening.

The role of a wicket-keeper has incurred several changes with time. Unlike in the past, a wicket-keeper's job is not only limited to keeping wickets but also to deliver the bat.

Legendary wicket-keepers like Mark Boucher, Andy Flower, Kumar Sangakkara, and Adam Gilchrist performed the dual responsibilities for their respective sides to perfection.

For any Marvel movies fans out there, uncertainty is an infinity stone in the realm of cricket. This is best reflected in certain instances where a wicket-keeper tripled up with his contribution by rotating his arm and providing a crucial break-through.

In this little web-piece, we will take a look at top five instances across all formats in international cricket where a wicket-keeper came to the rescue with the ball.

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#1 Mark Boucher

The legendary South African wicket-keeper served his nation for over a decade and is well respected in the world of cricket.

In 2005, South Africa was playing a test match against West Indies in Antigua where both registered massive scores of 588 and 747 respectively on the board. The match was headed for a slow draw when Mark Boucher was given the ball.

A particular delivery that Boucher bowled at an accurate length and slow pace, rewarded him with an important wicket of Dwayne Bravo.

He was batting on 107 and was well-set on the crease but a good delivery by Boucher carried the ball to Ashwell Prince who caught it easily. His bowling figures were 1.2-0-6-1.

It was his only test wicket and incidentally, it came on the last delivery bowled by him in his glorious 147-match Test cricket career. Goodness Gracious!

#2 Tatenda Taibu

Taibu has 114 catches and 33 stumpings to his name in 150 ODI matches

The talented wicket-keeper batsman, who also served as the captain of Zimbabwe team in his cricketing career, made the headlines when he decided to remove the wicket-keeping gloves to bowl against Sri Lanka at Bulawayo in the first ODI match of the series.

He bowled a good spell of 4-0-19-0 but couldn't pick a wicket. In the fifth ODI match, he bowled again and this time, scalped two wickets for his side.

Taibu bowling figures in the 5th ODI match were 10-1-42-2. He has two wickets to his name in ODI cricket, both of which came in this match. SHT Kadamby and Upul Chandana were his victims.

#3 Devon Thomas

Thomas has played 21 ODIs for West Indies

If you talk about things no one thought would happen in an international cricket match, this is one such incident.

Even the West Indies wicket-keeper Devon Thomas was not expecting this when he made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2009.

He didn't get a chance to bat in the match and didn't register a single catch behind the stumps but he delivered a significant contribution with the ball.

Bangladesh was gaining momentum when Thomas was called up to bowl. On the second ball of his first over, he picked the crucial wicket of Mahmadullah before he could set on the crease.

Then, he dismissed the set batsman Mushfiqur Rahim who was batting on 31. His bowling figures were 1.1-0-11-2.

#4 Tatenda Taibu (again)

Taibu (in red) is one of the finest Zimbabwean cricketers

Taibu made this list twice, this time for dismissing the explosive Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya in the first test match of the series against Sri Lanka at Harare in 2004.

Zimbabwe lost the match by an innings and 240 runs but the dismissal of Jayasuriya, the first and only test wicket of Taibu's career, must be a happy memory for him.

Jayasuriya, the dangerous batsman that he was, was looking strong at 157 in the 1st inning of Sri Lanks and giving a tough time to the Zimbabwean bowlers.

Taibu decided to take the matter into his own hands. He provided his side with a vital break-through after 53 overs of bowling when Jayasuriya was caught by DT Hondo. His bowling figures in the match were 8-1-27-1.

#5 MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni has a phenomenal cricketing IQ

There isn't anything on a cricket ground that MS Dhoni can't pull off. Even when it comes to trading the wicketkeeping gloves for an over or two.

Over the years, we have seen Dhoni pull off some unique tricks and unconventional moves on a cricket field.

One such unconventional cricketing sight was witnessed in South Africa where India locked horns with the West Indies in the 12 match of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy tournament.

On a pitch well-suited for pacers, West Indies team was struggling at 49/4 in 16 overs with DE Barnard and TM Dowlin at the crease.

Dhoni decided to bowl the 17th over and asked Dinesh Karthik to keep wickets, much to the amazement of fans and commentators. He bowled at a decent pace and managed to swing the ball.

His first two deliveries were sent to the boundary line by Dowlin but the fourth delivery took the cake.

Dhoni pitched a full-length ball that met with a thin inside edge off Dowlin's bat and rattled the off-stump. His bowling figures in the match were 2-0-16-1.

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Which of these spells was the most memorable? Sound off in the comments section below!