Is this the greatest era for Wicketkeeper Batsman?

[Athlai]

Looking at the Test teams today, it seems like every team in the world has a wicketkeeper batsman that far exceeds the quality of even 5 years ago. Sri Lanka are taking this to the even more ludicrous level of playing 4 keepers in the same team.

England have Prior, Australia with Haddin, Sri Lanka has half a team of keepers, NZ have Watling, a resurgent Ramdin impresses for WI, Rahim is a gun for Bangers, India have Dhoni, SA have the bloody best batsman in the world in AB. Only Pakistan are somewhat lacking in the Test quality keeper department. Even Zimbabwe could potentially look to give the gloves to Taibu or Taylor to put a Test quality batsman in that position.

If we look at the stats from the modern era, keepers have averaged higher in the 2010s than any previous decade:

10s - 16261 @ 33.66 (Non-Keepers 153136 @ 31.87)
00s - 41705 @ 31.81 (Non-Keepers 417512 @ 32.04)
90s - 25950 @ 27.28 (Non-Keepers 285212 @ 29.66)

If you exclude Pakistan's batting stats from the 2010s it raises to an average of 35.43.

While I don't believe this era has seen the greatest wicketkeeper batsman ever (though you could certainly present a case for AB) the amount of quality present worldwide for that position is impressive.

Has there ever been a greater time with the willow for the men behind the stumps?

 

[salman85]

I would agree.Can't look beyond this era if you're looking at decent keepers who are great batsmen.

However i think this era has seen the skill of wicket-keeping itself itself go down a tad.Or maybe it's just because the batting aspect of a wicketkeeper has become much more prominent off late.While players like AB,Sanga etc are all safe wicket keepers,they are not ridiculously good behind the stump.They wouldn't be automatic choices in a side based on their wicket-keeping alone.They are in the side primarily because of their batting skills,and being decent keepers just adds to it.There could be a counter argument that Sanga came into the side initially as a wicketkeeper,but still.

Teams now want keepers who can bat well.In today's game,an average keeper who can bat well is always going to be preferred over a world class keeper who is an average batsman IMO.

 

[Athlai]

Yeah I definitely think we're seeing a new sort of "safe gloveman" standard rising up. As long as they don't put down any catches they will meet the grade.

 

[salman85]

Weird thing is,people attribute this sudden change to Gilchrist's rise as a wicketkeeper/batsman even though someone like Alec Stewart had been doing the 'good batsman-OK keeper' bit before Gilchrist even made his debut.The man deserves a fair amount of credit.

Gilchrist took it too a whole new level obviously,but Stewart never gets mentioned when speaking of top batsman who were also decent keepers.

 

[Athlai]

Flower did alright too.

 

[salman85]

Yea forgot him,my bad.Better batsman than Stewart and didn't wet his pants facing spinners.

 

[WindieWeathers]

The funny thing about Ramdin is his place has been under constant pressure and yet the man is only one ton away from equalling Dujon's number of tons for us...two more tons for Ramdin and he will have the most tons of any WI keeper in history.

 

[the big bambino]

With the modern emphasis on pace means most teams can afford to have back stops instead of wicket keepers. Teams are now free to pick men who can add value as a 7th batsman.

 

[social]

No way

The policy of keepers needing to bat well started in the 70s with Marsh, Knott, Lindsay, Dujon, Engineer, etc

All of those guys could bat reasonably and most were far better keepers than those today

Reckon the current era is just average as I'm sure that each decade since the 70s has seen a crop at least equal to what we see today

 

[Athlai]

No way

The policy of keepers needing to bat well started in the 70s with Marsh, Knott, Lindsay, Dujon, Engineer, etc

All of those guys could bat reasonably and most were far better keepers than those today

Reckon the current era is just average as I'm sure that each decade since the 70s has seen a crop at least equal to what we see today

Reckon the current crop are better with the bat.

 

[marc71178]

Gilchrist took it too a whole new level obviously,but Stewart never gets mentioned when speaking of top batsman who were also decent keepers.

Stewart always flattered to deceive. Should've never been given the gloves IMO, open with him and have Russell at 7 with the gloves - as it is, Stewart only averaged a few more when keeping then Russell did but in doing it we were deprived of what could've been a world class opener plus a world class keeper.

 

[Debris]

Reckon the current crop are better with the bat.

Worse with the gloves, though. Some of them are more backstop than keeper.

 

[Watson33]

Worse with the gloves, though. Some of them are more backstop than keeper.

Yep agreed. Sadly this is the way the wicket-keeper has gone. We're seeing some seriously average keepers in the test arena simply because they can bat. A certain Johnny Bairstow springs to mind.

 

[BeeGee]

Yep agreed. Sadly this is the way the wicket-keeper has gone. We're seeing some seriously average keepers in the test arena simply because they can bat. A certain Johnny Bairstow springs to mind.

Wade has to be the worst I've ever seen. He wasn't just a poor keeper, he didn't even have a keeper's instinct. Half the time he looked surprised that the ball was heading towards him. Diabolical.

The saddest part is that selectors are so enamored with the idea of playing a batsman as a keeper that they fail to realise that it only takes one missed catch/stumping/run out off the opposition's key batsman and you've gained nothing (and probably lost a lot). I think the problem is that it's hard for people to quantify exactly how much a really top class keeper contributes to a team's performance in the field. It's huge.

 

[kyear2]

Well Sri Lanka seems to be Goin back to Jayawardeane which is a good move.
A.B's glove work really is improving though and actually looks good behind the stumps while his batting seems not to be suffering as a result.

 

[Athlai]

Dear Cricinfo,

I'd accept payment in the form of NZ cricket ODI shirts.

Numbers Game: Pakistan's hunt for a wicketkeeper-batsman | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

Regards,
Athlai

 

[YorksLanka]

Well Sri Lanka seems to be Goin back to Jayawardeane which is a good move.
A.B's glove work really is improving though and actually looks good behind the stumps while his batting seems not to be suffering as a result.

and about time too, he is the best gloveman we have and a solid bat to boot...

 

[Maximas]

PJ only missed one series at home against Bangladesh, it's not like the selectors were gonna dump him for good or anything.

While there are still some great keepers going around today, (PJ, BJ Watling) we do seem to be seeing more keepers like Haddin, AB and Mushfiqur Rahim who are solid keepers, but it's their runs that keep them in the team. Even in the case of Watling and PJ once they start failing with the bat they would be under immediate pressure because this is an age where being a wk is a dual role, you must be able to keep well enough but you must also be able to hold a bat.

 

[Muloghonto]

Worse with the gloves, though. Some of them are more backstop than keeper.

Err, i started watching cricket in the mid 1970s and in the 15 years that followed, there were only a few wicketkeepers: Alan Knott, the other English guy who Knott always kept out of the side, Engineer, Kirmani and Bari.
In the 90s, we had Mongia, More, Moin, Latif, Kaluwithrana, Russell, Healy, Saba Karim and Gillchrist as good to excellent keepers.

Sorry but I don't rate the likes of Marsh, Dujon, Boucher as keepers. They may have excellent numbers and been highly acrobatic but they were the apex of backstops, not keepers. I've kept in matches before- I am a fairly athletic guy (or atleast, was before the big 4-0 happened!) and I've kept to Patrick Patterson. Its not easy but if you are athletic, its not hard either.

But to actually keep wickets, you need to prove your chops against spinners. Its against spinners that the technique & stamina of keepers come into play. I've kept to Nagamootoo before- i was completely lost because it is all about reading the ball, perfect technique ( how low you crouch, when you get up, how far you are from the wicket, immese back strength from hunching over all day) that are end-all, be-all of keeping to spinners.

So Marsh, Dujon, Boucher, i will disqualify from a keeper argument. They were not keepers. They were athletic backstops who could catch a ball coming at breakneck speed and hurl themselves around. Would not trust them to keep to the bowling of Nagamootoo, nevermind actual spinners.

In this aspect, I rate Mongia very highly as a keeper because Anil Kumble was the hardest bowler to keep to in the last 30 years and Mongia made it look easy.

 

[Red]

Err, i started watching cricket in the mid 1970s and in the 15 years that followed, there were only a few wicketkeepers: Alan Knott, the other English guy who Knott always kept out of the side, Engineer, Kirmani and Bari.
In the 90s, we had Mongia, More, Moin, Latif, Kaluwithrana, Russell, Healy, Saba Karim and Gillchrist as good to excellent keepers.

Sorry but I don't rate the likes of Marsh, Dujon, Boucher as keepers. They may have excellent numbers and been highly acrobatic but they were the apex of backstops, not keepers. I've kept in matches before- I am a fairly athletic guy (or atleast, was before the big 4-0 happened!) and I've kept to Patrick Patterson. Its not easy but if you are athletic, its not hard either.

But to actually keep wickets, you need to prove your chops against spinners. Its against spinners that the technique & stamina of keepers come into play. I've kept to Nagamootoo before- i was completely lost because it is all about reading the ball, perfect technique ( how low you crouch, when you get up, how far you are from the wicket, immese back strength from hunching over all day) that are end-all, be-all of keeping to spinners.

So Marsh, Dujon, Boucher, i will disqualify from a keeper argument. They were not keepers. They were athletic backstops who could catch a ball coming at breakneck speed and hurl themselves around. Would not trust them to keep to the bowling of Nagamootoo, nevermind actual spinners.

In this aspect, I rate Mongia very highly as a keeper because Anil Kumble was the hardest bowler to keep to in the last 30 years and Mongia made it look easy.

AWTA. Except I'd argue that Warne and MacGill were much more difficult to keep to than Kumble. Which goes on to prove my constant point of how underrated Gilchrist was as a pure keeper.