10 greatest men's wicketkeepers of all time ft. MS Dhoni, Adam Gilchrist
Wicketkeepers are an integral part of any cricket squad. Every playing XI in cricket must feature one wicketkeeper, who stands behind the stumps, guarding the wickets.
The wicketkeeper has two main roles. The first one is stop the ball from going to the boundary if the batter leaves the delivery alone, and the second role is to execute dismissals by catches, run-outs or stumping from behind the stumps. These days, the wicketkeepers also have the responsibility of giving feedback on whether a team should take a DRS or not while fielding.
Having spoken about how important a wicketkeeper's job is in cricket, here's a list of the top 10 greatest men's wicketkeepers of all time.
#10 Alec Stewart, England
Alec Stewart was one of the top cricketers of his era. The English player played 82 Tests as a wicketkeeper, scoring 4,540 runs in 145 innings. Notably, he had an average of 34.92 with the bat while keeping the wickets.
Talking about his wicketkeeping stats, the former England wicketkeeper grabbed 227 catches behind the stumps. He executed 14 stumpings as well in his Test career. In ODIs, he took 148 catches and inflicted 15 stumpings as a wicketkeeper.
#9 Ian Healy, Australia
Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Ian Healy kept the wickets for his nation in Tests from 1988 to 1999. In a total of 119 Test appearances for Australia, Healy grabbed 366 catches and executed 29 stumpings.
Healy also represented the Aussies in 168 ODIs from 1988 to 1997. While his batting numbers were not that great in ODIs, Healy took 194 catches and pulled off 39 stumpings to support his team's bowlers.
#8 Brendon McCullum, New Zealand
Brendon McCullum was the backbone of the New Zealand cricket team in the early 2010s. He not only kept the wickets but also provided explosive starts to his team with the bat.
In all, McCullum played 42 T20Is as a wicketkeeper for the Blackcaps. In those 42 games, he amassed 1,352 runs at an average of 37.56. Behind the stumps, McCullum took a total of 419 catches across all formats of international cricket. Apart from being a reliable wicketkeeper, McCullum was also a fantastic fielder.
#7 Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh
Bangladesh's legendary wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim has surprised everyone with his longevity. It is rare to see a wicketkeeper actively playing Tests and ODIs even after almost 20 years of his debut.
However, Rahim has maintained his fitness well. He has scored 3,515 runs in 55 Tests as a wicketkeeper. He has 98 catches and 15 stumpings to his name in Tests, while overall in all formats, he has a total of 367 catches and 101 stumpings, making him the greatest Bangladeshi wicketkeeper of all time.
#6 One of the greatest wicketkeepers of the current era - Ben Foakes, England
It may surprise a few fans to see Ben Foakes on this list because he has played only 25 Tests and one ODI for England. However, he deserves a place on this list, thanks to his excellent wicketkeeping skills.
In the modern era of cricket, teams prefer to pick batters who can keep wickets instead of wicketkeepers who can bat. Hence, it is hard to find a proper wicketkeeper in the current era. Ben Foakes is one of such rare players. His reflexes and glove work are so good that his teammates even consider him as the best wicketkeeper of all time.
#5 One of the greatest wicketkeepers of the 19th century - Jack Blackham, Australia
Known as the 'Prince of Wicketkeepers', Jack Blackham was one of the early heroes of Australian cricket. The legendary player represented the Aussies in 35 Test matches.
It is said that whenever Blackham had even half a chance of executing a dismissal behind the stumps, he never missed it. For 18 years, he was Australia's first-choice wicketkeeper in Tests.
#4 Adam Gilchrist, Australia
It was quite hard to keep Adam Gilchrist outside the top 3 because of the Australian legend's extraordinary achievements on the cricket field. He is a multiple-time World Cup winner, and an inspiration to many young wicketkeepers of the modern era.
Gilchrist was not only a top-quality glovesman, but he also revolutionized the way fans looked at wicketkeepers with his batting. He would come down the order for Australia and smack quick runs while batting with the tail. He is arguably the greatest Australian wicketkeeper of all time.
#3 Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka
The subcontinental conditions are among the toughest to keep wickets because the pitch helps the spinners, making it tough for the glovesman to predict where the ball will turn.
Former Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara mastered this difficult art. Sangakkara took 539 catches and inflicted 139 stumpings throughout his international career. The left-handed batter also amassed more than 28,000 runs across all formats.
#2 Mark Boucher, South Africa
Mark Boucher is the greatest wicketkeeper born outside Asia. With 998 dismissals to his name in international cricket, Boucher was the most reliable wicketkeeper of his era.
Playing for South Africa, Africa XI and ICC World XI, Boucher scored more than 10,000 runs as well. He could have completed 1,000 dismissals had he not suffered a brutal eye injury while playing a practice game before his farewell Test series against England.
#1 MS Dhoni, India
Former Indian wicketkeeper MS Dhoni is unsurprisingly the number one name on this list. With his unorthodox technique and lightning quick stumpings, Dhoni has done a better job behind the stumps than any man to have taken up the responsibility.
Dhoni took 634 catches and executed 195 stumpings during his legendary career. He was also his team's lead finisher, and had an extraordinary record as India's captain. Even at the age of 42, Dhoni continues to be active in the IPL, doing a better job as a glovesman for CSK than all other wicketkeepers playing in the league.