All about Test cricket wicketkeepers – Part III

In the third part of this statistical analysis on Test wicketkeepers, we take a look at their all-round performances and also at times their bowling performances.

Dhoni has the most runs as a captain-wicketkeeper in Test cricket.

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.

In the third part of this statistical analysis on Test wicketkeepers, we take a look at their all-round performances and also at times their bowling performances. Some of them also have the double distinction of appearing in Test matches as both as captain and wicketkeeper. A list of such successful players is given below.

Top all-round performances by wicketkeepers – A century and seven or more dismissals in the match

Runs	Dismissals	Wicketkeeper	Country	Opponent	Venue	Month, Year	Result
69 & 182	6ct & 2ct	Dennis Lindsay	South Africa	Australia	Johannesburg	December 1966	Won
111 & 11	3ct+1st & 5ct	Amal Silva	Sri Lanka	India	Colombo (PSS)	September 1985	Won
118	2ct & 5ct	Matt Prior	England	Australia	Sydney	January 2011	Won
31 & 103*	6ct & 5ct	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	Pakistan	Johannesburg	February 2013	Won
13 & 103	4ct & 3ct	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	India	Johannesburg	December 2013	Drawn
129* & 9*	4ct & 4ct	Quinton de Kock	South Africa	England	Centurion	January 2016	Won
140	5ct & 4ct	Jonny Bairstow	England	Sri Lanka	Leeds	May 2016	Won
104	3ct & 4ct	Quinton de Kock	South Africa	Australia	Hobart	November 2016	Won
18 & 129	3ct & 4ct	Quinton de Kock	South Africa	Pakistan	Johannesburg	January 2019	Won

Note: Sri Lanka gained its first-ever Test victory in the Colombo Test in 1985.

Leading Test wicketkeeping all-rounders – 200-plus dismissals and 4,000-plus runs

Wicketkeeper	Country	Tests	Dismissals	Runs	Average	Hundreds	Period
Mark Boucher	South Africa	147	555	5,515	30.30	4	1997-2002
Adam Gilchrist	Australia	96	416	5,570	47.61	17	1999-2008
Ian Healy	Australia	119	395	4,356	27.40	4	1988-1999
M. S. Dhoni	India	90	294	4,876	38.09	6	2005-14
Alan Knott	England	95	269	4,389	32.75	5	1967-1981
Matt Prior	England	79	256	4,099	40.19	7	2007-14
Alec Stewart	England	82	241	4,540	34.92	4	1991-2003

 

Quickest to reach 1,000 runs + 50 dismissals while keeping wickets

Matches	Keeper-batsman	Country	Runs	Dismissals	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
13	Jonny Bairstow	England	1,068	64 (63ct+1st)	Pakistan	Birmingham	August 6, 2016	Won
14	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	1,019	53 (51ct+2st)	Pakistan	Centurion	February 23, 2013	Won
14	Quinton de Kock	South Africa	1,019	57 (55ct+2st)	Sri Lanka	Cape Town	January 3, 2017	Won
15	Dennis Lindsay	South Africa	1,000	56 (54ct+2st)	Australia	Port Elizabeth	March 9, 1970	Won

 

Quickest to reach 2,000 runs + 100 dismissals while keeping wickets

Matches	Keeper-batsman	Country	Runs	Dismissals	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
25	Jonny Bairstow	England	2,002	102 (97ct+5st)	South Africa	Manchester	August 7, 2017	Won
25	A. B. de Villiers	South Africa	2,120	102 (97ct+5st)	Zimbabwe	Port Elizabeth	December 27, 2017	Won
30	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	2,029	126 (116ct+10st)	South Africa	Cape Town	March 9, 2002	Won
31	Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	2,037	106 (92+14st)	Pakistan	Karachi	October 31, 2004	Lost

 

Quickest to reach 3,000 runs + 200 dismissals while keeping wickets

Matches	Keeper-batsman	Country	Runs	Dismissals	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
47	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	3,073	201 (184+17st)	Zimbabwe	Sydney	October 20, 2003	Won
54	Brad Haddin	Australia	3,007	220 (215+5st)	England	September 1985	January 5, 2014	Won
56	Bradley-John Watling	New Zealand	3,092	217 (209ct+8st)	England	Mt Maunganui	November 23, 2019	Won
62	M. S. Dhoni	India	3,242	200 (174ct+26st)	West Indies	Delhi	November 6, 2011	Won

 

Quickest to reach 4,000 runs + 300 dismissals while keeping wickets

Matches	Keeper-batsman	Country	Runs	Dismissals	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
72	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	4,572	303 (275ct+28st)	England	Nottingham	August 25, 2005	Lost
105	Ian Healy	Australia	4,002	360 (335ct+25st)	Pakistan	Peshawar	October 19, 1998	Drawn
107	Mark Boucher	South Africa	4,005	406 (387ct+19st)	West Indies	Port Elizabeth	December 29, 2007	Lost

Note: Only these three cricketers have achieved this.

Bowling performances in an innings by designated Test wicketkeepers – in chronological order

Wicketkeeper	Country	Overs	Maidens	Runs	Wickets	Innings	Opponent	Venue	Date	Result
Alfred Lyttelton+	England	12	5	19	4	First	Australia	The Oval	August 12, 1884	Drawn
Dick Lilley#	England	5	1	23	1	First	Australia	Manchester	July 16, 1896	Lost
Bill Storer	England	16	4	55	1	First	Australia	Melbourne	January 1, 1898	Lost
Bill Storer	England	4		24	1	First	Australia	Melbourne	January 29, 1898	Lost
Clifford McWattt	West Indies	4	2	16	1	Fourth	England	Port of Spain	March 23, 1954	Drawn
Jim Parks Jr	England	6		43	1	Third	India	Kanpur	February 20, 1964	Drawn
Taslim Arif	Pakistan	5		28	1	Third	Australia	Lahore	March 23, 1980	Drawn
Syed Kirmani	India	2		9	1	Fourth	Pakistan	Nagpur	October 10, 1983	Drawn
Tatemda Taibu	Zimbabwe	8	1	27	1	Second	Sri Lanka	Harare	May 7, 2004	Lost
Mark Boucher	South Africa	1.2		6	1	Second	West Indies	St John’s	May 3, 2005	Drawn

Notes:

+ Four-ball overs

# Five-ball overs

– In Test cricket history, 23 designated keepers have bowled, of which nine have claimed wickets, with Englishman Bill Storer doing it twice.

– Lyttelton (four wickets) and Storer (two wickets) are the only keepers to claim more than one wicket during their Test careers.

– Storer sent down the most balls (168) as a designated keeper in his career and also conceded the most runs (108).

– M. S. Dhoni is the keeper to bowl on the most occasions – in seven innings spanning six Test matches.

– Lilley and Storer (twice) claimed their wickets on the opening day of the Test.

– Boucher’s 1/6 has the second-best figures after Lyttelton’s 4/19.

Most runs by captain-wicketkeepers in Test cricket

Captain-keeper	Country	Period	Matches	Innings	Not-outs	Runs	Highest score	Average	Hundreds	Fifties
M. S. Dhoni	India	2008-14	60	96	11	3,454	224	40.63	5	24
Mushfiqur Rahim	Bangladesh	2011-17	28	52	5	2,014	200	42.85	4	10
Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	1993-2000	16	30	5	1,232	156	49.28	3	7
Alec Stewart	England	1993-2001	12	24	3	781	164	37.19	1	3
Tim Paine	Australia	2018-20	19	30	3	705	79	26.11		4
Tatemda Taibu	Zimbabwe	2004-05	10	20	2	674	153	37.44	1	5
Sarfaraz Ahmed	Pakistan	2017-19	13	23	1	568	94	25.81		5

 

Most dismissals by captain-keepers in Test cricket

Captain-keeper	Country	Period	Matches	Dismissals	Catches	Stumpings
M. S. Dhoni	India	2008-14	60	211	187	24
Tim Paine	Australia	2018-20	19	84	80	4
Gerry Alexander	West Indies	1958-60	18	70	65	5
Mushfiqur Rahim	Bangladesh	2011-17	28	65	60	5
Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	1993-2000	16	56	56
Sarfaraz Ahmed	Pakistan	2017-19	13	55	51	4

 

To be continued...