Best 'keeper of the 90s

[trundler]

Akram is a candidate for most difficult great pacer to keep to I reckon. Also, wasn't Latif more consistent than Moin? Latif was pretty solid if I'm not wrong. Much shorter career though. Healy made the Australian team of the 20th century and was probably in the top handful ever.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

I used to love Junior Murray for some reason.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Special mention for Hashan Tillekeratne.

33 catches
2 stumpings

 

[marc71178]

At least Stewart was significantly ahead of Russell as a bat (but less so when batting middle-order).

That was the worst bit of it. Until a year or so before Russell’s last test, IIRC Stewart averaged about 30-31 when keeping but 47 without the gloves. Russell’s career average was 27.

Stewart as a pure bat was potentially a world class 48-50 averaging opener but they messed both his and Russell’s career up whilst significantly weakening the team.

 

[stephen]

That was the worst bit of it. Until a year or so before Russell’s last test, IIRC Stewart averaged about 30-31 when keeping but 47 without the gloves. Russell’s career average was 27.

Stewart as a pure bat was potentially a world class 48-50 averaging opener but they messed both his and Russell’s career up whilst significantly weakening the team.

This.

People think Russell was a bunny but he averaged very close to Healy and not too much behind Dujon/Murray/Moin etc... It was stupid dropping him for Stewart.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

So that was prior to a Gilchrist-paradigm shift in keeper-batsmen.

It's interesting.

 

[trundler]

This.

People think Russell was a bunny but he averaged very close to Healy and not too much behind Dujon/Murray/Moin etc... It was stupid dropping him for Stewart.

Before Gilchrist elite wicket-keeper batsmen like Knott and Waite averaged a touch above 30 and a mid to high 20s average would place you in the 'no mugs with the bat' category. Ames is an outlier.

 

[Bijed]

That was the worst bit of it. Until a year or so before Russell’s last test, IIRC Stewart averaged about 30-31 when keeping but 47 without the gloves. Russell’s career average was 27.

Stewart as a pure bat was potentially a world class 48-50 averaging opener but they messed both his and Russell’s career up whilst significantly weakening the team.

Annoyingly, I think it was usually to make room in the side for one of our alleged 'all-rounders' along the lines of Ronnie Irani or similar. Basically we'd drop a very good keeper and impair Stewart's batting to include a player who was unlikely to make a positive contribution to the match

 

[AndrewB]

Annoyingly, I think it was usually to make room in the side for one of our alleged 'all-rounders' along the lines of Ronnie Irani or similar. Basically we'd drop a very good keeper and impair Stewart's batting to include a player who was unlikely to make a positive contribution to the match

There were four times when Russell was specifically dropped at the end of a series with Stewart taking over as keeper; there was often more than one change to the side, but the closest to direct replacements were:

1990-1 in Australia, 4th and 5th Tests: DeFreitas (did OK)
1991 v WI, 5th Test: Botham (did OK)
1992 v Pakistan, 4th and 5th Tests: Ramprakash/Pringle (failed)
1996 v Pakistan, 3rd Test: Salisbury and Croft came in for Russell and Caddick (failed).

Note that the first two definitely came across as emergency measures as Russell then returned to the side; after the other occasions Russell was out of the side for over a year.

The wicket-keeper dropped to bring Irani into the team was Chris Read in 1999.

 

[Flem274*]

only saw one of these guys at the time (parore). he was a massive dickhead but he could keep and he got under the opposition skin like no one else. the likes of he, cairns and nash probably gave that side an extra edge the current lacks.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Surprised that anyone would say Parore was inconsistent, he was definitely the best keeper I've seen play for NZ. Always felt 100% safe with him behind the stumps.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I agree. He had a record at the time for the most runs conceded by a test team (aggregate over several matches) without a keeper conceding a bye. That was probably helped by keeping to NZ medium Pacers (not too many big spinners to deal with) though. NZ's wicketkeeping is as good as
anywhere in the world. Wadsworth, Smith, Parore, McCullum, and Watling were all in the top 3 or 4 in the world through their careers.

 

[trundler]

Was hoping the overlooking of Parore would be rectified by NZers waking up the next day. I've heard that he used to change his style depending on where he was keeping and was pretty safe generally.

 

[Flem274*]

parore gets overlooked even here because he wasn't much of a bat through lack of effort (considered it boring in his book) and he's got a rep for being a knob.

once steve rixon got hold of him he became a superb stumper. mccullums genius without the derps of mccullums early career.

he also kept to vettori when he turned the ball.

 

[Migara]

Latif easily

 

[Migara]

Yep I too think Healy was better, although I don't get why keeping to McGrath merv Warne and whoever else would be harder than akram waqar akhtar and mushtaq

Pakistani bowlers were much more wilder than Aussie ones.

 

[Migara]

Special mention for Hashan Tillekeratne.

33 catches
2 stumpings

best short (leg) fielder of the era. holds the joint record for most non-keeper catches in a single match.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

best short (leg) fielder of the era. holds the joint record for most non-keeper catches in a single match.

That's pure brilliance.

In that video you posted in the other thread. He took some smart catches fielding at slip to Murali.

 

[stephen]

Boonie was alright in that position as well.

 

[honestbharani]

On Parore, I just said inconsistent because I recall often he would play as a specialist batsman. And I remember Parore missing a few in the 1999 tour when they were here. Guess my impression is going more from there. He was definitely a very talented batsman who often seemed to not care. I don't recall much of his keeping apart from a couple of misses but then some amazing takes in the 99 tour, but like many say, that perhaps indicates he was very good at it.