Best English Wicket-keeper in terms of wicket-keeping skill

[Near]

Lately, I have been thinking who the best English Wicket-keeper is in terms of wicket keeping skill...who do you guys think it is?

 

[Brook]

James Foster I'm pretty sure, purely on glovework

 

[War]

Yea Foster easily. Sadly the balance of England test team for the majority of the last decade (mainly the test side) with Flintoff always injured has meant England couldn't risk playing him in tests.

 

[Near]

yeah...I think so too...I do think Foster deserved another chance in tests but in terms of batting in tests Prior is way ahead of him and in limited overs its Davies and Kieswetter. But...do you guys think Foster is the best wicket-keeper in the history of England cricket in terms of keeping skill of course?

 

[War]

yeah...I think so too...I do think Foster deserved another chance in tests but in terms of batting in tests Prior is way ahead of him and in limited overs its Davies and Kieswetter. But...do you guys think Foster is the best wicket-keeper in the history of England cricket in terms of keeping skill of course?

Nah. That accolade is toss up between Godfrey Evans or Allan Knott. Bob Taylor, Les Ames being close behind.

 

[sifter132]

Historically? Look up George Duckworth - always read great stuff about his keeping ability. One tidbit about him I really liked: he was known as the loudest appealer of his time He lost his spot to Ames because he couldn't bat as well.

 

[JD10]

James Foster easily the best purely on skill. But he is well behind in the pecking order behind Prior Kieswetter then Davies.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

What happened to Read? Wasn't he once the best in England on keeping skill?

 

[cricket_icon]

foster like everyone has said. then davies i think is solid behind the stumps. personally i think kieswetter is too "clumsy" behind the stumps. could do alot better.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

Historically? Look up George Duckworth - always read great stuff about his keeping ability. One tidbit about him I really liked: he was known as the loudest appealer of his time He lost his spot to Ames because he couldn't bat as well.

from what I've read there was a guy called godfrey evans who some reckon was the most skilled wicket keeper ever. suffered the same fate as duckworth though, his batting wasn't great which meant his spot wasn't always secure.

played against over 1,000 runs before he conceded a single bye. Bill O'Reilly thought he was the best ever and wisden said this on one of his ashes tours "Evans did not miss one Test catch, but he caught some which became chances only through lightning mental reaction plus acrobatic agility"

(interesting fact, it was Evans, as a bookies cricketing expert, who apparently set the famous 500-1 odds against england that that the two australians better on in the 1981 bothams ashes series.)

 

[sami ullah khan]

I don't know much about his keeping but I loved that mustached Keeper from Stewart Era. I liked him for his mustache .

 

[Shoaib87]

I don't know much about his keeping but I loved that mustached Keeper from Stewart Era. I liked him for his mustache .

Jack Russell?

 

[sami ullah khan]

Yeah exactly. He had a very peculiar batting style too.

 

[Owzat]

Yeah exactly. He had a very peculiar batting style too.

Russell was a handy batsman and good keeper, he then started poncing about and facing cover when keeping and did all manner of odd things with his batting stance. He rather became too 'eccentric'

He suffered around the 1991 series against West Indies, England went into the final Test as I recall 1-2 down and England played Stewart as keeper to include extra bowling. England squared the series and because Stewart was a more than capable keeper Russell's opportunities thereafter were limited.

Wasn't he the guy at the other end when Atherton scored his marathon 185no against South Africa? *scoots off to check, and look up Russell's record*

RC Russell (ENG/54 Tests)

1897 runs @ 27.10 (HS 128no) & 153/12 ct/st

1988-1990 (5 series) : 17 Tests, 690 runs @ 32.86
90/91-93/94 (6 series) : 19 Tests, 565 runs @ 21.73
1995-97/98 (5 series) : 18 Tests, 642 runs @ 27.91

Stewart's keeping improved, Russell was never going to be able to sustain a place with a batsman around who could keep competently, especially with no all-rounder and England's long term fixation with playing five bowlers.

That split worked out quite nicely, he didn't fare so well with the bat against West Indies (21.09 from 37 innings, almost half his innings), but averaged over 26 against all other sides and averaged 32.58 against the aussies. He never scored a 50 against Pakistan and more surprisingly never against the kiwis despite playing nine innings against them


As for the Test with Atherton :

HowSTAT! Match Scorecard

SAF 1st Inns : 332
G.Kirsten 110, Cullinan 69.
Cork 5/84, Malcolm 4/62

ENG 1st Inns : 200
Stewart 45, R.Smith 52
Pollock 3/44, Eksteen 3/12

SAF 2nd Inns : 346/9d
Cullinan 61, Rhodes 57, McMillan 100no
Cork 4/78, Fraser 3/84

ENG 2nd Inns : 351/5
Atherton 185no (492 balls), Stewart 38, Smith 44, RUSSELL 29no (235 balls)

Match Drawn

England may have been 232/5 when Russell came to the crease and finished 351/5, but just look at the balls faced for Russell alone.

 

[The Rock]

Russel > Foster > Kieswetter > Read > Prior.