World’s Best Wicket Keeper

Just like batting, bowling, and fielding, wicket keeping is also an important factor in cricket. As we can see from the history of cricket, there have been many wickets which have been taken by great wicketkeepers.

Also, there have been instances when the wicket-keeper won the game for the team. Furthermore, wicket-keeping involves great speed and awareness. Slowness will limit the amount of time he has for stumping.

Developing concentration, focus, and speed is crucial as balls bounce suddenly behind the batsmen. The wicketkeeper is a key position on any team, as a poor wicketkeeper could result in a loss. In this article, we will discuss some of these keepers who excelled during their careers.

World’s Best Wicket Keeper

10. Brad Haddin

The 10th place is occupied by the former Australian batsman Bradley James Haddin. In his role as a back-up wicketkeeper for Australian captain Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin stood in for James in case Gilchrist was unable to play due to an injury or some other reason.

Despite the fact that Brad Haddin was more of a backup wicketkeeper than we had originally anticipated, he did prove his worth. In test cricket, Brad is only the second wicketkeeper to have scored five half-centuries. The years 2007 to 2015 were when Brad was at his best, and he accomplished a lot during that time period. During his test career, Brad has 270 dismissals to his name.

262 of his 270 dismissals were catches, and 8 were stumpings. In one test match, he also picked up 6 dismissals. He was not only great in test cricket, but he also did well in ODIs. In 126 ODI matches, he recorded 181 dismissals.

9. Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, the former captain of the New Zealand team, is ranked 9th on the list. McCullum hit the fastest century ever scored in test cricket, making it off 56 balls. He is the only T20I player to have hit two 100-run innings and to have scored 2000 runs.

Moreover, McCullum has played in the IPL as well, where he played for different teams over multiple seasons. Over the course of his wicket-keeping career, he had 179 dismissals, of which 168 were catches and 11 were stumpings. He had 242 dismissals in ODIs.

In addition, he is the first New Zealand player to score a triple century in a test match and more than 1000 runs in a single year in test cricket. McCullum announced his retirement from cricket in 2016. He also hit 170 runs in his last test match, another record. In recognition of his outstanding career, he received several awards. Furthermore, he served as the team’s head coach.

8. Rod Marsh

Continuing the list, there is another Australian player on position eight, Rodney William Marsh. When Marsh took 355 wickets in only 96 test matches, he set a world record. Although there are players who have been dismissed more than that, no one has gotten it in less time. Rodney played in the early 70s to mid-80s, when he achieved such a score.

Marsh had 124 dismissals in 92 ODI matches. Marsh scored around 5000 runs in his international career, including 3 centuries and 20 half-centuries. Marsh has also been inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame. He was a cricket commentator for around ten years after retiring from the game.

He was also the coach of the Australian cricket academy where he trained great players like Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee. In addition, he served as director of the England and Wales Cricket Board for five years. Throughout his distinguished career, he received many prestigious awards.

7. Moin Khan

Former Pakistani batsman Moin Khan played for the team from 1990 to 2004. In just 69 matches over a career of 14 years, he dismissed 147 batsmen. He also had 287 dismissals in ODIs. He has also lead Pakistan on many occasions. In his international career, he scored more than 6000 runs, including four centuries and 27 half-centuries.

His highest test score is 137. The Pakistani team also had Rashid Latif as the wicketkeeper during Moin Khan’s time, so him being the wicketkeeper several times led to dismissals that could have helped lift Khan higher in the list. In 2014, he also coached the Pakistani National Team.

6. Jeff Dujon

Former West Indies goalkeeper Jeff Dujon occupies the 6th spot on the list. Over the course of his career, he had more than 5000 runs with five centuries and 22 half-centuries. He had 272 dismissals with 267 catches and 5 stumpings in test cricket.

He got 204 dismissals in ODIs, 183 catches and 21 stumpings. In 81 test matches, Jeff Dujon never lost for West Indies, they won all 81 games. In 1992, he was appointed assistant coach of the West Indies team, where he trained young talent in Jamaica.

5. Ian Healy

This brings us to the third Australian player in the list on place number 5. Australian cricketers seem to work hard on their wicket-keeping skills. Due to his incredible performance in his Test career, Ian Healy is also known as ‘Heals’. He has the most dismissals in test cricket history.

With 366 catches and 29 stumpings, he made the highest number of dismissals in test cricket history with 395 dismissals. A total of 233 dismissals, 194 catches, and 39 stumpings were recorded by Healy in 168 ODIs. Aside from that, he hit 4 centuries and 26 half-centuries in his international career, scoring more than 5000 runs.

A 161-not out score in a test matches is his top score. The Australian team was also led by him for 8 One Day International matches after Mark Taylor was injured. Healy was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2008. Upon retiring, he started a car washing business, which he is currently running with a capacity to wash more than 50 cars per hour.

4. Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MS Dhoni, the legendary Indian captain, holds the fourth spot on the list. He is considered to be one of the most successful cricket captains in India. Furthermore, he is regarded as one of the most dangerous keepers in the Indian Premier League. In addition to being an excellent wicketkeeper, he was an outstanding cricketer as well.

A very good batsman and a brilliant finisher, Dhoni never lacked for skill. Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni struggled to get on the team because of many challenges. Indian cricket teams won a wide array of tournaments and series when Dhoni was captain. One ICC Champions Cup trophy, two ICC World Cups, and two Asia Cups were won by the team.

In his career, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has scored more than 17000 runs, including 16 centuries and 106 half-centuries. He has the highest ODI score of 183 not out. In terms of wicket-keeping, he had 294 dismissals with 256 catches and 38 stumpings in test matches, and 444 dismissals with 321 catches and 123 stumpings in one-day internationals. During the Indian Premier League, he also leads the CSK team.

The Indian army has awarded him the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Throughout Dhoni’s career, he has set numerous records and achieved many feats. A wicketkeeper who has caught the most tests in history holds that record as well. The journey he took to get to the Indian cricket team is also depicted in a movie made in his honour. One of the greatest and world’s best wicket keeper in the history of cricket.

3. Kumar Sangakkara

In third place on the list is the former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara. Among all cricketers who have played One Day Internationals, Kumar Sangakkara holds the record for taking the most dismissals. Among experts, Sangakkara is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

Sangakkara holds one of the top three positions in all three formats of the game when it comes to his batting records. Throughout his career, he has scored more than 28000 runs in all three formats, including 63 centuries and 145 half-centuries.

His top score is 319 runs in test cricket. According to his wicket-keeping statistics, he recorded 202 dismissals in test cricket, 182 catches and 20 stumpings, while in one-day international matches, he recorded 501 dismissals, 402 catches and 99 stumpings. Most dismissals in ODIs by a wicket-keeper is held by him. The ICC named him cricketer of the year in 2007. In 2014, Sri Lanka won the world cup and he was named man of the match.

Following his retirement from cricket, Sangakkara entered politics as the country’s ambassador for anti-narcotics campaign. A number of awards have been bestowed upon Sangakkara. Despite having retired for many years, he holds a number of records. Additionally, Sangakkara has been a commentator for the Indian Premier League and Champions Trophy since retirement.

2. Mark Boucher

Former South African cricketer Mark Boucher is the best wicket-keeper the team has ever had. Boucher also managed 532 catches and 23 stumpings during his time as a wicket-keeper in test cricket. In ODIs, however, he got 425 dismissals, 403 catches, and 22 stumpings.

Boucher holds the record for most catches by a wicketkeeper in a Test. His Indian Premier League career spans multiple teams. As one of the first test cricketers to have reached 400 dismissals, he was the first of his kind in the world. In the course of his career, he won three player of the year awards. 999 dismissals are his most notable achievements as a wicket-keeper across all forms of the game.

Boucher scored more than 10000 runs in his international career, including 6 centuries and 61 half-centuries. His highest score is 147 runs not out in one day internationals. Sadly, he retired after suffering an eye injury in 2012. Boucher has been the head coach of the South Africa National Cricket team since 2019.

1. Adam Gilchrist

We have another Australian captain at the top, Adam Gilchrist. Of the 10 players on the list, four are Australian. Throughout the history of the game, Gilchrist has been considered among the best batsmen and wicketkeepers. Gilchrist holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in One Day Internationals.

The international cricket career of Adam Gilchrist includes more than 15000 runs with 32 centuries and 81 half-centuries. Gilchrist’s highest score in test cricket is 204 runs not out. During his test career, he had 416 dismissals with 379 catches and 37 stumps, while in ODIs he had 472 dismissals with 417 catches and 55 stumps.

During his test cricket career, he became the first player to hit more than 100 sixes. He is one of only three players to ever win three world cup titles. He received numerous awards throughout his career for his outstanding performances. Undoubtably one of the world’s best wicket keepers of all time.

We hope you like the list of our World’s Best Wicket Keepers of all time. Let us know your favourite wicketkeeper and according to you who is World’s Best Wicket Keeper. I hope this article is successful in providing the necessary information…!!!