All about Test cricket wicketkeepers - Part I

We now take a look at wicketkeepers in the five-day format. The first part of this series analyses performances as a keeper-batsman.

Adam Gilchrist is the leading run-getter in Test as a wicketkeeper.

Since the very beginning of cricket, a wicketkeeper’s skill has always been applied behind the wickets. His most important skill is his ability to catch the ball, be it with one hand or both, either from a nearly stationary position standing close to the batsman or affecting a quick dive or sprint, or even a stumping. However, in modern-day cricket, a ’keeper’s job specs are not only to perform well behind the wickets in terms of taking catches, executing stumpings and limiting the number of byes, but to also perform well as a batsman. Therefore, the position is of a specialist or an all-rounder in the playing XI.

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Our previous four statistical pieces were on Test captains, so we now take a look at wicketkeepers in the five-day format. The first part of the series analyses performances as a keeper-batsman.

Highest Test scores by wicketkeepers

Score	Keeper-batsman	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
232*	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	India	Nagpur	November 29, 2000	Drawn
230	Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	Pakistan	Lahore	March 7, 2002	Won
224	M. S. Dhoni	India	Australia	Chennai	February 25, 2013	Won
219*	Mushfiqur Rahim	Bangladesh	Zimbabwe	Mirpur	November 12, 2018	Won
210*	Taslim Arif	Pakistan	Australia	Faisalabad	March 11, 1980	Drawn

 

Highest scores by wicketkeeper-batsmen for other Test sides

Score	Keeper-batsman	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
205	Bradley-John Watling	New Zealand	England	Mt Maunganui	November 24, 2019	Won
204*	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	South Africa	Johannesburg	February 23, 2002	Won
182	Dennis Lindsay	South Africa	Australia	Johannesburg	December 27, 1966	Won
173	Alec Stewart	England	New Zealand	Auckland	January 26, 1997	Drawn
168*	Clyde Walcott	West Indies	England	Lord’s	June 28, 1950	Won
48*	Afsar Zazai	Afghanistan	Bangladesh	Chittagong (DS)	September 8, 2019	Won
18	Niall O’Brien	Ireland	Pakistan	Malahide	May 14, 2018	Lost
17	Mark Boucher	World XI	Australia	Sydney	October 17, 2005	Lost

 

Progressive highest Test scores by wicketkeepers – how the record changed hands

Score	Keeper-batsman	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
66	Edmund Tylecote	England	Australia	Melbourne	January 26, 1883	Won
82	Affie Jarvis+	Australia	England	Melbourne	January 3, 1885	Lost
134*	Harry Wood	England	South Africa	Cape Town	March 21, 1892	Won
149	Leslie Ames	England	West Indies	Kingston	April 4, 1930	Drawn
152	Clyde Walcott	West Indies	India	Delhi	November 11, 1948	Drawn
168*	Clyde Walcott	West Indies	England	Lord’s	June 28, 1950	Won
209	Imtiaz Ahmed	Pakistan	New Zealand	Lahore	October 30, 1955	Won
210*	Taslim Arif	Pakistan	Australia	Faisalabad	March 11, 1980	Drawn
232*	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	India	Nagpur	November 29, 2000	Drawn

+ Jarvis was on his Test debut.

Highest Test scores by wicketkeepers at each batting position

Batting position	Score	Keeper-batsman	Country	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
1st	210*	Taslim Arif	Pakistan	Australia	Faisalabad	March 11, 1980	Drawn
2nd	201*	Brendon Kuruppu	Sri Lanka	New Zealand	Colombo (CCC)	April 19, 1987	Drawn
3rd	230	Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	Pakistan	Lahore	March 7, 2002	Won
4th	164	Alec Stewart	England	South Africa	Manchester	July 6, 1998	Drawn
5th	232*	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	India	Nagpur	November 29, 2000	Drawn
6th	224	M. S. Dhoni+	India	Australia	Chennai	February 25, 2013	Won
7th	204*	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	South Africa	Johannesburg	February 23, 2002	Won
8th	209	Imtiaz Ahmed	Pakistan	New Zealand	Lahore	October 30, 1955	Won
9th	173	Ian Smith	New Zealand	India	Auckland	February 23, 1990	Drawn
10th	74	Jack Blackman+	Australia	England	Sydney	December 15, 1894	Lost
11th	60*	Wasim Bari	Pakistan	West Indies	Bridgetown	February 22, 1977	Drawn

+ Was also captain.

Leading run-getters in Tests as wicketkeeper

Runs	Keeper-batsman	Country	Tests	Innings	Average	Period
5,570	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	96	137	47.60	November 5, 1999-January 28, 2008
5,515	Mark Boucher+	South Africa	147	206	30.30	October 17, 1997-March 27, 2012
4,876	M. S. Dhoni	India	90	144	38.09	December 2, 2005-December 30, 2014
4,540	Alec Stewart	England	82	145	34.92	January 25, 1991-September 8, 2003
4,404	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	55	100	53.70	October 18, 1992-January 15, 2002
4,389	Alan Knott	England	95	149	32.75	August 10, 1967-September 1, 1981
4,356	Ian Healy	Australia	119	182	27.40	September 13, 1988-October 17, 1999
4,099	Matt Prior	England	79	123	40.19	May 17, 2007-July 21, 2014

+ Includes one Test for the ICC World XI.

South Africa's AB de Villiers had the best career batting average of 57.30 in Test cricket. He score 2,120 runs in 25 Tests.

 

Highest Test career batting average as a wicketkeeper (minimum 30 innings)

Average	Keeper-batsman	Country	Tests	Innings	Runs	Period
57.30	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	25	40	2,120	December 26, 2004-December 27, 2017
53.70	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	55	100	4,404	October 18, 1992-January 15, 2002
47.60	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	96	137	5,570	November 5, 1999-January 28, 2008
43.40	Leslie Ames	England	44	67	2,387	August 17, 1929-March 14, 1939
41.08	Dinesh Chandimal	Sri Lanka	24	43	1,602	December 26, 2011-January 14, 2017

 

First to landmark Test runs as a wicketkeeper

Runs	Keeper-batsman	Country	Achieved on	Opponent	Venue
1,000	Bert Oldfield	Australia	December 13, 1932	England	Melbourne
2,000	Leslie Ames	England	June 24, 1938	Australia	Lord’s
3,000	Alan Knott	England	January 30, 1975	Australia	Adelaide
4,000	Alan Knott	England	July 29, 1977	Australia	Nottingham
5,000	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	April 10, 2006	Bangladesh	Fatullah

 

Fewest innings to landmark Test runs as a wicketkeeper

Runs	Innings	Tests	Keeper-batsman	Country	Achieved on
1,000	21	14	Quinton de Kock	South Africa	January 3, 2017
2,000	38	24	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	December 27, 2015
3,000	63	46	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	October 10, 2003
4,000	90	49	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	September 10, 2001
5,000	122	84	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	April 10, 2006

Notes:

Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka) and Jonny Bairstow (England) took the fewest Tests (13) to reach 1,000 runs as keeper.

Andy Flower (Zimbabwe) took the fewest Tests (42) to reach 3,000 runs as keeper.

Most Test centuries as wicketkeeper

Centuries	Keeper-batsman	Country	Tests	Innings	Average	Period
17	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	96	137	47.60	November 5, 1999-January 28, 2008
12	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	55	100	53.70	October 18, 1992-January 15, 2002
8	Leslie Ames	England	44	67	43.40	August 17, 1929-March 14, 1939

Note: Wicketkeepers with seven centuries are Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Matt Prior (England), A. B. de Villiers (South Africa) and Bradley-John Watling (New Zealand).

Most Test runs in a calendar year as wicketkeeper

Runs	Keeper-batsman	Country	Year	Tests	Innings	Average	Hundreds	Fifties
1,470	Jonny Bairstow	England	2016	17	29	58.80	3	8
1,045	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	2000	9	16	80.38	3	5
933	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	2013	9	13	77.75	4	5
899	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	2001	9	14	89.90	3	4
891	Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	2001	12	17	55.68	3	4

 

Most Test runs in a series as wicketkeeper

Runs	Keeper-batsman	Country	Opponent	Series	Tests	Innings	Average	Hundreds	Fifties
606	Dennis Lindsay	South Africa+	Australia	1966-67	5	7	86.57	3	2
540	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	India+	2000-01	2	4	270.00	2	2
525	Budhi Kunderan	India+	England	1963-64	5	10	52.50	2	1
493	Brad Haddin	Australia+	England	2013-14	5	8	61.62	1	5
484	Gerry Alexander	West Indies	Australia+	1960-61	5	10	60.50	1	5

+ Home team.

To be continued...