Alright here it is. CW chooses the best ever keeper. 32 men duke it out

[Starfighter]

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[morgieb]

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield - close. Oldfield narrowly takes it.
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames - again pretty close, but Ames's batting average (if inflated by weaker sides) was pretty amazing for a keeper back then. And given how keepers were rated back then, he had to be at least good with the gloves.

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans - again tight. Waite's batting swings it.
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari - no disrepect to Bari who was very good but this isn't very close.

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh - tough, Lindsay didn't have great longetivity and I don't know much about his keeping skills. But Marsh wasn't that good with the gloves and Lindsay's superior batting swings it.
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy - despite me voting for Stewart, this is very close, both were great. Healy nabs it on better longetivity (which tbf wasn't Russell's fault).

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher - Moin probably lucky to make the 2nd round. Boucher was very solid
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[mr_mister]

I nearly used the word longevity in my post describing Russell and healy but their test careers were nearly equal length in terms of years so it seems unfair

 

[mr_mister]

wow never knews Ames was such a minnow basher. thats gotta be one of the worst examples of it ever. crap average against Australia, got most of runs against 1930s NZ, WI and SA and even failed against NZ when Cowie started

only respectable things were that he had to face Constantine and Martindale for his minnow runs and at least got the one ton against the Grimmet/O'Reilly combo


but sersiously - the ultimate minnow basher

 

[The Battlers Prince]

Round 2:

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Alan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[marc71178]

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[watson]

Round 2:

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[Red]

Round 2:

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[Red]

(assuming this is for tests, cos otherwise I'd rethink - but probably not change - MSD vs Gilly)

 

[ImpatientLime]

I nearly used the word longevity in my post describing Russell and healy but their test careers were nearly equal length in terms of years so it seems unfair

yeah, russell was probably still the best keeper in england by some distance at the age of 40.

he actually evolved and got even better post international career in those gloucestershrie teams lead by mark alleyne that kept upsetting the big boys and winning one day comps. he was immense up to the stumps versus the seamers.

 

[fredfertang]

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[Gob]

I thought this is purely for keeping which would have been much more interesting. Gilly will walk this

 

[AndrewB]

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[sledger]

I thought this is purely for keeping which would have been much more interesting. Gilly will walk this

Anyone else in the competition would. Dhoni was a hack.

 

[Burgey]

Man the Russell vs Healy match up is worthy of the final. They were amazing keepers both.

 

[Midwinter]

Jack Blackham vs Bert Oldfield
Jock Cameron vs Les Ames

John Waite vs Godfrey Evans
Allan Knott vs Wasim Bari

Denis Lindsay vs Rod Marsh
Jack Russell vs Ian Healy

Moin Khan vs Mark Boucher
Adam Gilchrist vs MS Dhoni

 

[Red]

I thought this is purely for keeping which would have been much more interesting. Gilly will walk this

Wonder who'd be the best pure keeper?

Oldfield, Knott, Kirmani or Healy for me.

 

[harsh.ag]

Keepers who stood up to pacers > Keepers who didn't by default. Esp if they did a good job of it in the era of sticky pitches.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Seems like a weird way of determining that Adam Gilchrist is obviously and clearly the best ever if both keeping and batting are taken into account. Wasting bandwidth, really.

 

[mr_mister]

Feel free to simply not enter the thread again