Debate thread for 2024 Ranking of Wicketkeepers Poll

[Prince EWS]

Flower would make any side in cricketing history as a batsman, surely.

Yeah I think we went through something similar before and basically decided the best "worst middle order batsman" in a side was Damien Martyn, and Flower was better.

 

[Coronis]

Yeah I think we went through something similar before and basically decided the best "worst middle order batsman" in a side was Damien Martyn, and Flower was better.

I did think about 50’s Windies but the W’s and Sobers only played 9 matches together, all before he established himself as a quality test batsman. Too bad their peaks never lined up. (in fact they lost 6 of those matches and won 0)

 

[capt_Luffy]

It's just a silly scenario. Logically speaking, if playing him as a batsman is not an option then you must already have 6 batsmen that are better than him keeping him out of the side, in which case you're even more likely to pick a specialist keeper

Again, I am talking sort of a draft like scenario. But even if I have 6 batsmen similar in quality to him, I would have him over a sub 20 keeper most times, and over a 30ish keeper in a flat or seaming track.

 

[Nintendo]

I drew a graph that I think summarizes this whole "Keeping skill vs batting debate." You've got two circular areas where you have your top tier keepers who can't bat, and another good area where you have your solid keepers who also bat (Gilchrist). In the middle of that you've got the shaft of acceptable keepers, kinda decent but if you get them too excited in the field there gonna drop a fat load of balls in the game. I've also highlighted the bad area in black, that's the group of keepers who will leave you with a load of jizz all over your face and balls on the ground if you pick them. No good.

Hope this helps.

 

[ataraxia]

I drew a graph that I think summarizes this whole "Keeping skill vs batting debate." You've got two circular areas where you have your top tier keepers who can't bat, and another good area where you have your solid keepers who also bat (Gilchrist). In the middle of that you've got the shaft of acceptable keepers, kinda decent but if you get them too excited in the field there gonna drop a fat load of balls in the game. I've also highlighted the bad area in black, that's the group of keepers who will leave you with a load of jizz all over your face and balls on the ground if you pick them. No good.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for this interesting graphic.

Apropos of nothing, I find it intellectually arousing how neither Dick Lilley nor Quinton de Kock reside in the middle oval (nor, indeed, Artie Dick). It might be too pessimistic to conclude from this that there's always a cruel irony to life – on a more optimistic note, this shows the eternal need there is of balance.