CW's Ranking of WicketKeeper-Batsmen (Tests)

[PlayerComparisons]

Knott

 

[HookShot]

Alan Knott

 

[bagapath]

Andy Flower

 

[Chubb]

Tough. I should say Flower, but he wasn't a great keeper. Sangakkara didn't keep all the time. Gilchrist was both a great batsman and a great keeper but he didn't shoulder the burden those two did. I never saw Knott. Jack Russell was the best gloveman I ever saw, but he was a limited batsman.

I am going to say Flower because he averaged 50+ while keeping for a far weaker side than any of the others even though his glovework wasn't world class.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Greg Dyer.?

Don't bring back bad memories. He wasn't popular in NZ when I was a kid.

 

[Nikhil99.99]

As a wicket keeper (batsman+gloveman) Knott will be my pick in my all time xi. But there have been better wk bat than him.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Gilchrist clearly top.

Knott probably 2nd then you can argue over the likes of Prior, Haddin and Watling etc... (not including Sanga or ABDV as they were predominantly bats) though I do think Healy gets rated lower than he should as he was a superb keeper and a gritty pain in the arse with a bat but he preceded the all time great so is easily forgotten.

If you look back I guess Ames comes into it but most keepers back then were just specialist glovemen. JBMac to give a better input on that though.

 

[jayjay]

Tough. I should say Flower, but he wasn't a great keeper. Sangakkara didn't keep all the time. Gilchrist was both a great batsman and a great keeper but he didn't shoulder the burden those two did. I never saw Knott. Jack Russell was the best gloveman I ever saw, but he was a limited batsman.

I am going to say Flower because he averaged 50+ while keeping for a far weaker side than any of the others even though his glovework wasn't world class.

Yet another stat problem here, Flower's numbers are massively inflated by his bullying of India.

Minus Bang who were/are a nonsense test side and india, his average drops to a much more human 43.7. That's not bad but it's not part of the whole brigade "well Flower averaged 50".

I'm not putting him down, he was a good batsman in a weak-ish side and an average keeper. there have been far better, athletic keepers than him who are handy with the bat although suffer average wise because they did not have to bat as much.

 

[Pap Finn Keighl]

Ames
Better batsman than Knott
Better WK than Gilly

 

[trundler]

Watling

 

[harsh.ag]

ABdV

 

[_00_deathscar]

Yet another stat problem here, Flower's numbers are massively inflated by his bullying of India.

Minus Bang who were/are a nonsense test side and india, his average drops to a much more human 43.7. That's not bad but it's not part of the whole brigade "well Flower averaged 50".

I'm not putting him down, he was a good batsman in a weak-ish side and an average keeper. there have been far better, athletic keepers than him who are handy with the bat although suffer average wise because they did not have to bat as much.

So apart from the runs he did score, he still scored a lot of runs but not as many as the runs he scored vs his 2 biggest runscoring opponents?

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Says nothing.

It was an “informative” post

 

[ankitj]

It was an “informative” post

I appropriately rewarded it with reaction

 

[OverratedSanity]

Knott

 

[jayjay]

So apart from the runs he did score, he still scored a lot of runs but not as many as the runs he scored vs his 2 biggest runscoring opponents?

I'm saying the average of 50 puts him in the absolute upper tier but that's an inflated average due to 2 outliers (please look up statistical outliers and what they mean).

An average of 40ish is not bad and more at Flower's skill level.

Even then, we have to keep in mind the keeping and he was nowhere near as good of a keeper as the guys I mentioned.

 

[ParwazHaiJunoon]

Jeff Dujon (after Gilchrist)

 

[Daemon]

Gilchrist by a fair distance.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Gilchrist by a fair distance.

Gilchrist was already voted as no 1. We are doing no 2. You can change your vote.

 

[gftw]

Knott - 7
Ames - 2
Flower - 2
Watling - 1
De Villiers - 1
Dujon - 1

The List
1. Adam Gilchrist
2. Alan Knott

The vote for the #3 test wicketkeeper-batsmen of all-time begins now.