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Greatest wicket keeper ever?

Richard

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Burgey said:
Knott and Healy of those I've seen, with Russell not far behind.

Might say something about my bias that each of the 2 keepers I nominated did some great work up to the stumps - Knott to Underwood, Healy to Warne.
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Undoubtedly I'd have those two as the best 'keepers to a single spin-bowler in history.
 
SJS

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
archie mac said:
Struddi was a good keeper, but so was Lilley

You are lucky I did not throw in Mr. Box:ph34r:
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I think you are right. I must say that I when I said Its a pure slip. in response to why I did not include him in my short list, I was being slightly dishonest but because I have decided not to get into big debates over small issues :)

I did consider some other keepers besides the four I mentioned. The most prominent amongst these were Blackham, Strudwick, Evans, Knott, Marsh and Healy.

Here are my reasons for finally leaving each of them out.

Blackham:
I do believe that bowling skills were not fully developed till around the turn of the century. This resulted in both keeping and batting skills being, lets say, different from what they were to eventually become. Having said that, it must be added that the much poorer quality of the wickets in the 19th century meant that they had to be very good in other aspects of their craft. Also being a bit of a stickler for purity of technique, I find the habit of older keepers to be on their feet, rather than on their haunches, not so impressive. I, therefore, prefer, generally, to treat all the cricketers of that early era, not with a negative perspective but with a feeling that the game then was so much more different from what it evolved to become that it would be fair to them as well as subsequent generations to keep them out of such 'clubbing together'.​

As I have said in another context, one can be sure that the argument that a great athlete/sportsman will be great in another era with all the exposure/conditioning from the very beginning would still hold.

Strudwick:
From all accounts that one has read, he seems to have been a great keeper but not amongst the greatest. One doesn't get that overall impact reading about him in a number of different places. One specific piece, though, might make you feel so.

Evans:
Probably the greatest of the keepers (in my humble opinion) I left out. If I had five in my list, I would probably have had him

Knott
The first of the three keepers I have seen the most of in this list. He was brilliant - and it is that brilliance, as against the sheer solidity which I as someone who has kept wickets values more, that may have resulted in my bias. Hence my preference for Taylor from his era.

Marsh
My Australian friends are very miffed at my relative 'scorn' (their expression not mine) for Australian keepers but they are wrong since I always include Oldfield and Tallon in every short-list. I think in a country with a great tradition for keepers, Marsh was probably the first great keeper who dived so much. Mind you I am not against the diving by keepers. but it can be overdone to the detriment and eventual neglect of 'footwork'. I think Marsh set new standards in 'diving' covering great distances but he also was the one from where great keepers started putting less emphasis on footwork. I must stress he was not as bad as Gilchrist in this regard.

Healy
The finest Aussie keeper not in that list of mine. Everything right about him. I think if he was an Indian I might have put him as the fifth in that list but being the third best from Australia probably disqualified him from my all time World List :)​
 
biased indian

biased indian

International Coach
How come no one noticed it yet ???

Craigos asked for --> Grestest wicket keeper ever ? Not Greatest
 
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