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Greatest wicket keeper ever?
- Thread starter Craig
- Start date
Mister Wright
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
From players that I've seen, I'd say Ian Healy. He certainly brought professionalism to the role in his approach to training and inspired many of the current generation of Australian wicket keepers. He also had the tough task of keeping to Warne at his peak.
Goughy
Hall of Fame Member
Very tough. No stats to fall back on and the spectacular will often poll better than those that make few mistakes and are very solid.
As an individual piece of keeping you cant beat Russell stumping Jones off Small though I couldnt say who was the best keeper ever.
As an individual piece of keeping you cant beat Russell stumping Jones off Small though I couldnt say who was the best keeper ever.
HeathDavisSpeed
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Darren Berry
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
Undoubtedly that will influence some people. It's often an interesting question - Knott vs Taylor, Evans vs Andrew, Russell vs Stewart, etc.
That was a phenomenal piece of work and certainly the best dismissal I've ever seen, but I think the famous take by Knott off Underwood as purely a bit of keeping is at least worthy of rivalling it.
a massive zebra
International Captain
Jack Blackham, Don Tallon or Bob Taylor IMO.
archie mac
International Coach
Keith Andrew
Blackham played during the 1870s and 1880s.
SJS
Hall of Fame Member
It wouldn't have done you much good even if you were. He was in his 70's by then
I can understand you 'feel'/'think'/'opine' that Healy could/might be the best keeper of all time but I wonder how you can say it "without any doubt", particularly if you haven't even heard of all the great keepers of the other eras.
SJS
Hall of Fame Member
Quite possible but I would say Oldfield, Tallon, Andrews, Taylor - take your pick.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
That's fair enough, really, actually.
I don't see that we could say with any real authority that any of these wicketkeepers were better than one-another.
Good call on Oldfield BTW - probably better-known for being hit by Larwood than his phenomenal glovework and one of the longest career spans in Test history.
Blackham, having said that, was a bit special, and the ultimate in innovations from wicketkeepers.
As a sign that the question of batting impacting upon selection of wicketkeepers is nothing new, though, remember this - Australia's best seam-bowler of the 19th-century, Fred Spofforth, refused to play in an early Test match (I forget whether it was in the 1870s or 1880s) because Blackham had been omitted in favour of the superior batting and inferior glovework of Billy Murdoch.
I don't see that we could say with any real authority that any of these wicketkeepers were better than one-another.
Good call on Oldfield BTW - probably better-known for being hit by Larwood than his phenomenal glovework and one of the longest career spans in Test history.
Blackham, having said that, was a bit special, and the ultimate in innovations from wicketkeepers.
As a sign that the question of batting impacting upon selection of wicketkeepers is nothing new, though, remember this - Australia's best seam-bowler of the 19th-century, Fred Spofforth, refused to play in an early Test match (I forget whether it was in the 1870s or 1880s) because Blackham had been omitted in favour of the superior batting and inferior glovework of Billy Murdoch.
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Ikki
Hall of Fame Member
You saw him did you?
Ikki
Hall of Fame Member
Wicket-keeping, however, is one of the most subjective things. Unlike batting where you can at least get some semblance of Grace's superiority by his figures, you cannot do so with Blackham. Unless there is some amazing catches stat where the only reason possible is for great ability, I don't see how you can have consider him the best "without question" unless you were there to see him.
I doubt Blackham ever faced anything that keepers do nowadays.
Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
No, and he also did things that wicketkeepers these days never do either.
IE, stand up to the stumps to all bowling.
He also never enjoyed wicketkeeping gloves of anything like the standard wicketkeepers have for the last 70-odd years or so.
If you read down a bit further, however, you'll see that I actually row back, and say that no wicketkeeper can be regarded definitively as the best ever.
IE, stand up to the stumps to all bowling.
He also never enjoyed wicketkeeping gloves of anything like the standard wicketkeepers have for the last 70-odd years or so.
If you read down a bit further, however, you'll see that I actually row back, and say that no wicketkeeper can be regarded definitively as the best ever.
a massive zebra
International Captain
I think you might be getting a little confused here, Richard.Australia's best seam-bowler of the 19th-century, Fred Spofforth, refused to play in an early Test match (I forget whether it was in the 1870s or 1880s) because Blackham had been omitted in favour of the superior batting and inferior glovework of Billy Murdoch.
Spofforth refused to play in the first ever Test because Blackham had been selected to keep wicket in preference to Murdoch.
However, I do agree that the "Prince of Wicket-keepers" should be recognised as amongst the very greatest keepers ever as he revolutionised the art of wicketkeeping like no other. For instance, in one of his trips to England, a group of clergymen complained that he was a danger to the wellbeing of cricket, encouraging as he did the abolition of long-stop, the clergy's traditional fielding spot in village teams!