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Best Wicket keeper ever

Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
Scallywag said:
Would have to be Marsh, he drank 23 cans of beer on the flight from Australia to england.
You underestimate the man's talents:

Marsh did in fact go on to establish a new mark of 45 cans a few years later, and was ******ed off the plane in a wheelchair. Pundits thought that record would stand for a long time but along came that Launceston bulldog, David Boon. He posted 53 cans on his flight, a new mark which will probably last forever!
Fantastic yarn written by Kerry O'Keefe here:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Cricket/...n/2004/11/26/1101219749976.html?from=storylhs
 

a massive zebra

International Captain
badgerhair said:
If there's an Australian who could challenge Andrew, it would be Bert Oldfield. If there's anyone from anywhere else who could challenge either of them, I'd be very surprised.
Most people who saw them were of the opinion that Tallon made Oldfield look like an amateur.
 

nookie_lk

First Class Debutant
Definitely RASHID LATIF was the best keeper in the world... hes quick, flexible, and damn stylish when he keeps. He also takes some unbelievable catches.

Parore was pretty good too.
 

godonnygo

Cricket Spectator
Marsh
Berry
Healy

Certainly the best 3 Australian keepers I've seen. Their batting was their only downfall, and in Berry's case, it cost him selection over Gilchrist.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
This is as close to impossible as it gets !!

Let me give the names of the best keepers that I have seen.

England - Taylor
Australia - Healy (I would have said Grout but it was one day and its very long back and I was too young to be able to appreciate really great wicket keeping of all things) :p
India - Kirmani
Pakistan - Bari
 

Marius

International Debutant
Ray Jennings was a hell of a keeper, and it is one of the tragedies of South Africa's isolation that he couldn't exhibit his skills in front of a wider audience. In one day matches he would sometimes stand at almost first slip, and dive, taking catches where a third slip would have been. Jack Russel was also pretty good (I was there when he took the 11th catch at the Wanderers in 1995 to break the world record :) )
 

JASON

Cricketer Of The Year
England had several, and not having seen any apart from Russell, I am not sure who was better . But the best keepers for England were Les Ames, Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell, Bob Taylor , Alan Knot etc.

For Australia, Wally Grout, Gil Langley, Bert Oldfield, Rod Marsh, Ian Healey !

For India, Syed Kirmani, Farouk Engineer.
For Pakistan, Wasim Bari, Rashid Latiff .
For SriLanka Amal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara.

For NZ, Warren Lees, Lee Germon.

West Indies Dennis Murray, Jeff Dujon,Sir Clyde Walcott.
 

Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
JASON said:
England had several, and not having seen any apart from Russell, I am not sure who was better . But the best keepers for England were Les Ames, Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell, Bob Taylor , Alan Knot etc.

For Australia, Wally Grout, Gil Langley, Bert Oldfield, Rod Marsh, Ian Healey !

For India, Syed Kirmani, Farouk Engineer.
For Pakistan, Wasim Bari, Rashid Latiff .
For SriLanka Amal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara.

For NZ, Warren Lees, Lee Germon.

West Indies Dennis Murray, Jeff Dujon,Sir Clyde Walcott.
Lee Germon was NOT one of our best 'keepers.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
JASON said:
England had several, and not having seen any apart from Russell, I am not sure who was better . But the best keepers for England were Les Ames, Godfrey Evans, Jack Russell, Bob Taylor , Alan Knot etc.

For Australia, Wally Grout, Gil Langley, Bert Oldfield, Rod Marsh, Ian Healey !

For India, Syed Kirmani, Farouk Engineer.
For Pakistan, Wasim Bari, Rashid Latiff .
For SriLanka Amal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara.

For NZ, Warren Lees, Lee Germon.

West Indies Dennis Murray, Jeff Dujon,Sir Clyde Walcott.
Hi Jason,
Did Walcott get knighted ?
 

JASON

Cricketer Of The Year
SJS said:
Hi Jason,
Did Walcott get knighted ?
Yes. Here's cricinfo player page -

With his schoolmate Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott added an unbroken 574 for the fourth wicket for Barbados against Trinidad at Port-of-Spain in 1945-46, which remains the record West Indian stand for any wicket. Walcott was just 20 at the time, and his 314 not out remained his career-highest. For a decade, this brilliant and compellingly attractive cricketer was an integral part of the Test team, immortalised as one of the Three Ws -- Walcott, Weekes and Worrell. A solid 6ft 2ins and 15 stone, Clyde Walcott had a commanding presence, though a crouching stance. His powerful physique enabled him to drive with tremendous force, and he had a strong defence, a peerless off-drive, and a dazzling square-cut. He was rarely lost for a stroke. Off either foot he bombarded fielders from mid-on to the covers. He served reliably either as a wicketkeeper or first slip, and he was a useful fast-medium change bowler too. In India in 1948-49 he made 452 runs in the Tests, and carried that good form into the 1950 England tour. He endured a lean spell against the Australian shock attack of Lindwall and Miller, but between 1953 and 1955 he achieved unrivalled supremacy. Against Australia he achieved the then-record West Indian aggregate of 827 runs in a series, including a record five centuries. At one time in his career, he hit 12 centuries in 12 consecutive Tests. He later managed several West Indian teams, and became a commentator and coach in his native Barbados. He was president of the West Indian Board before, in 1993, he succeeded Sir Colin Cowdrey as chairman of ICC. He was himself knighted in 1994. Christopher Martin-Jenkins
 

Attachments

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
SJS said:
Hi Jason,
Did Walcott get knighted ?
More to the point, Walcott only kept in around half the tests he played in or less. Given that other wicket keepers were preferred over him in some of the matches he played during his own era, I don't see how he could be considered one of the greatest keepers. And in a list that long of Australian keepers, Gilchrist certainly has to make it. He's not very far behind Healy in my estimation.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
FaaipDeOiad said:
More to the point, Walcott only kept in around half the tests he played in or less. Given that other wicket keepers were preferred over him in some of the matches he played during his own era, I don't see how he could be considered one of the greatest keepers. And in a list that long of Australian keepers, Gilchrist certainly has to make it. He's not very far behind Healy in my estimation.
Walcott was no great keeper. Thats true but neither is Griffith. There is a big difference ihe keeping capabilities of Healy and Gilchrist. Healy is one of the finest wicket keepers to come from down under, Griffith. on keeping alone, wouldnt make any short list.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Chris Read is a damn fine wicket keeper, his standard of keeping in my opinion is world class, its is only his performances with the bat (in the test arena at least) that let him down.
 

C_C

International Captain
The best wicketkeepers i've seen from each nation ( when it boils down to wicketkeeping and wicketkeeping skills only)

Australia: Ian Healey
England: Alan Knott(honourable mention: Jack Russell)
BD- ?!?
IND- Syed Kirmani/Nyan Mongia
NZ- Parore/Germon
PAK- Wasim Bari/Rashid Latif
RSA- Dave Richardson
SL- Amal Silva
WI- Jackie Hendriks
ZIM- Taibu
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
There are several exceptional wicketkeepers I've seen:
Jack Russell, Rashid Latif, Khaled Mashud (not watched him that much, but I've barely seen him fumble a single ball), Ian Healy, Chris Read, Keith Piper, Moin Khan, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Adam Parore, Tatenda Taibu.
Of the best of all-time, there's always talk of Don Tallon, Bert Oldfield, Godfrey Evans \ Keith Andrew, Bob Taylor (the only one I've seen extensively, and he was sensational - especially given that 32 of his Test-caps - over half his career - came after his 40th birthday), Wally Grout, George Duckworth, Deryk Murray, Wasim Bari, Ian Smith, Rodney Marsh and probably quite a few others.
The outstanding wicketkeeper by some consent was Jack Blackham, who stood-up to the pace of Frederick Spofforth (which C_C would seek - without any idea of what he's on about - to talk down) and others on the evil pitches of the 19th-century with wicketkeeping equipment that, frankly, was unacceptible for such a job.
Bit surprised no-one mentioned him yet.
 
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Neil Pickup

Cricket Web Moderator
Tenth Century?

Wessex 128-8
ATR Aethelred 36*, CK Grõdenson 4-27
Jorvik 130-6
NS Sigþórsson 52, MJ Egwin 3-42
 

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