Based on purely WK skills - Boucher Or Gilchrist?

[Zinzan]

I'd still say Parore was a better pure keeper than Gilchrist as an example of someone in that time. In fact I don't think Parore was far behind Healy at all, tragically underrated as a keeper & I recall many saying he was 2nd to Healy throughout his career.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I wouldn't go as far as to say MANY. Hard to judge say pre 70s as I didn't see them, but Gilchrist is easily in the top half dozen since 70 I'd say, and a good enough shout for top 3/4. That's pretty rarefied company seeing as we're including Knotty and Heals in that.

Counting domestic cricket though, in Australia alone you've got guys like Darren Berry, Hartley, Seccombe etc. and probably heaps more who were brilliant keepers but just not international standard with the bat

 

[Burgey]

It's easy to forget now that early Healy was almost Wade level bad, but became really really good really really quickly.

 

[Red]

From what I know, throughout history the truly great keepers in terms of absolute pure keeping and disregarding batting entirely have been (in no particular order) -

Healy
Knott
Godfrey Evans
Farohk Engineer
Bert Oldfield
Syed Kirmani
Dick Lilley

May be a few others I haven't thought of.

 

[Johnners]

I dont remember him being bad in 2005.

I do remember Hayden being like the schoolyard bully who had ruled the yard for a few years but then suddenly a few tougher kids came in and he tried to bluster his way but he couldnt match it.

Geez I dislike/d Hayden

I approve of this post.

Also, can't help but think of the following every time i see Parore's name mentioned:

"When some big Kiwi prick, gets a 4 from a snick, that's Parore.
When the whole team says "****, what about this bloke's luck" that's Parore."

 

[Zinzan]

It's easy to forget now that early Healy was almost Wade level bad, but became really really good really really quickly.

He was really ever Wade bad? Holy bajangles.

 

[Zinzan]

From what I know, throughout history the truly great keepers in terms of absolute pure keeping and disregarding batting entirely have been (in no particular order) -

Healy
Knott
Godfrey Evans
Farohk Engineer
Bert Oldfield
Syed Kirmani
Dick Lilley

May be a few others I haven't thought of.

Apparently England's Bob Taylor as a pure gloveman.

 

[adub]

Apparently England's Bob Taylor as a pure gloveman.

He was indeed, but playing at the same time as Knott would screw up any keeper's career. Luckily he got a go late in his career but he was 36 before he became the no.1 keeper.

 

[Burgey]

He was really ever Wade bad? Holy bajangles.

Yeah. He was qld' reserve keeper when he was picked and I think he'd played like 3 fc games before he was picked for the tour of Pakistan in about 88. He was one of those selections Sawle and Chapepell made where they plucked blokes who they knew weren't ready but who had the right attitude and who they knew would end up being good enough. IMO it's probably the single most inspired Australian selection I can think of in my time watching. I mean even blokes like S Waugh, Boon and Deano were Shield regulars when picked.

His first tour he was very ordonary by all reports. Was getting better by 88/89 and said he realised he belonged when he ****ed something up that series and Rod Marsh rang him to abuse him and asked if he'd forgotten everything they'd been working so hard on. Basically said if Marsh thought he was worth investing in, he must be good enough.

Healy worked so ****ing hard on his keeping skills. Crazily so. He apparently used to be first at practice and last to leave. Did tons of hours of extras. Fmd if it didn't pay off.

 

[Burgey]

From what I know, throughout history the truly great keepers in terms of absolute pure keeping and disregarding batting entirely have been (in no particular order) -

Healy
Knott
Godfrey Evans
Farohk Engineer
Bert Oldfield
Syed Kirmani
Dick Lilley

May be a few others I haven't thought of.

Don Tallon and Gil Langley both apparently superb.

I thought Wasim Bari was an excellent keeper from what I saw of him growing up

 

[Red]

Yeah. He was qld' reserve keeper when he was picked and I think he'd played like 3 fc games before he was picked for the tour of Pakistan in about 88. He was one of those selections Sawle and Chapepell made where they plucked blokes who they knew weren't ready but who had the right attitude and who they knew would end up being good enough. IMO it's probably the single most inspired Australian selection I can think of in my time watching. I mean even blokes like S Waugh, Boon and Deano were Shield regulars when picked.

His first tour he was very ordonary by all reports. Was getting better by 88/89 and said he realised he belonged when he ****ed something up that series and Rod Marsh rang him to abuse him and asked if he'd forgotten everything they'd been working so hard on. Basically said if Marsh thought he was worth investing in, he must be good enough.

Healy worked so ****ing hard on his keeping skills. Crazily so. He apparently used to be first at practice and last to leave. Did tons of hours of extras. Fmd if it didn't pay off.

I was reading a Healy bio recently and he ****ed up so much in his first few tests that he thought he'd never play again, basically. Really stunk it up early.

 

[Furball]

Warne doesn't make the Gilchrist/Healy argument even sound close. He's said on numerous occasions that Healy was 'easily' the best keeper he played with.

Warne doesn't like Gilchrist. A pretty important point to remember before taking his opinion as gospel.

 

[BoyBrumby]

From what I know, throughout history the truly great keepers in terms of absolute pure keeping and disregarding batting entirely have been (in no particular order) -

Healy
Knott
Godfrey Evans
Farohk Engineer
Bert Oldfield
Syed Kirmani
Dick Lilley

May be a few others I haven't thought of.

Jack Russell worthy of mention in such company, IMHO.

There's a case to be made that dropping him for Stewart was one of the most wrong-headed selectorial shouts in living memory. England sacrificed arguably the best keeper of his generation and Alec Stewart the batsman who averaged over a dozen more per innings than Alec Stewart the keeper/batsman.

Usually to squeeze in a putative all rounder like Craig White, Mark Ealham or Ronnie "****ing" Irani. Sigh.

 

[Shri]

From what I know, throughout history the truly great keepers in terms of absolute pure keeping and disregarding batting entirely have been (in no particular order) -

Healy
Knott
Godfrey Evans
Farohk Engineer
Bert Oldfield
Syed Kirmani
Dick Lilley

May be a few others I haven't thought of.

Prasanna Jayawardene is easily the best WK I have seen after Gilly/Boucher.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Healy's miss to lose the Test in Pakistan was supposedly his first error in two years of Test cricket. Remember one of the players on the tour saying that they couldn't hold it against him because of that.