Better pure wicketkeeper: de Villiers or Flower?

[Tejretics]

Who do you reckon was the better gloveman in Test matches, de Villiers or Flower? Batting aside.

 

[Johan]

De Villiers, not even close to being close, De Villiers didn't have a great technique but he was one of the great athletes of the game and was far quicker and agile than Flower.

 

[Coronis]

@capt_Luffy purely based on Kimber I presume

 

[Johan]

@capt_Luffy Can you stop it?

 

[capt_Luffy]

@capt_Luffy purely based on Kimber I presume

@capt_Luffy Can you stop it?

One kept for 55 Tests, over 80% of his Test matches
The other kept for 24 Tests, barely 20% of his Test matches

 

[Johan]

One kept for 55 Tests, over 80% of his Test matches
The other kept for 24 Tests, barely 20% of his Test matches

I guess Tom Latham is a better batsmen than George Headley

Latham batted for 88 tests.
Headley batted for 22 tests.

The Same line of thought.

 

[capt_Luffy]

I guess Tom Latham is a better batsmen than George Headley

Latham batted for 88 tests.
Headley batted for 22 tests.

The Same line of thought.

No it isn't and you know it. ABD played almost twice the amount of Tests Flower did, but Flower kept practically whole career instead of a tiny fraction.

 

[Johan]

No it isn't and you know it. ABD played almost twice the amount of Tests Flower did, but Flower kept practically whole career instead of a tiny fraction.

this is too context dependent and not dependent enough on skill, if Flower played for South Africa, he'd certainly lose the gloves to either Boucher or QDK. That doesn't mean he's a great keeper on the basis of just playing for a bad team with no competent keepers, if it was a keeper-batsmen comparison then sure, you can make the case that Flower kept more and thus should get the nod, but the comparison is of a better keeper and De Villiers's overwhelming superiority in regards to wicket keeping is clear cut.

 

[capt_Luffy]

this is too context dependent and not dependent enough on skill, if Flower played for South Africa, he'd certainly lose the gloves to either Boucher or QDK. That doesn't mean he's a great keeper on the basis of just playing for a bad team with no competent keepers, if it was a keeper-batsmen comparison then sure, you can make the case that Flower kept more and thus should get the nod, but the comparison is of a better keeper and De Villiers's overwhelming superiority in regards to wicket keeping is clear cut.

Wait, it isn't a keeper batsman comp??

 

[Johan]

Wait, it isn't a keeper batsman comp??

...No? the OP says it's a comparison as a glovesmen, batting aside, so it's a comparison of their keeping ability solely rather than their careers as a wicketkeeper-batsmen.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Oh..... Meh

 

[Johan]

You're about to be voting Kamran Akmal over Walcott as a keeper at this rate.

 

[capt_Luffy]

You're about to be voting Kamran Akmal over Walcott as a keeper at this rate.

Flower isn't Kamran.

 

[Johan]

Flower isn't Kamran.

True, Kamran was a slightly better keeper.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Mate, no Flower slander here.

 

[Johan]

Flower was not a good keeper, how many times does this have to be said?

 

[capt_Luffy]

Flower was not a good keeper, how many times does this have to be said?

I need any kind of proof.

 

[Johan]

I need any kind of proof.

how old were you when he toured England?

 

[capt_Luffy]

how old were you when he toured England?

-3 years

 

[Johan]

-3 years

Exactly