Overview:
Wicketkeeping remains one of the most important jobs in the sport. As they say, 'Catches win you matches'. Similarly, one single mistake or missed stumping or missed catch can cost a team the whole match.
In cricket, wicketkeepers don’t get enough credit for their performances compared to batters or bowlers. Thus, there has been curiosity regarding the role of the player behind the gloves.
However, wicketkeeping remains one of the most important jobs in the sport. As they say, ‘Catches win you matches’. Similarly, one single mistake or missed stumping, or missed catch can cost a team the whole match.
Several cricketers have defined and redefined the role of a wicketkeeper over the years. In modern-day cricket, more preference is given to the player who can balance his glovework and batting.
Keeping that in mind, we’ve ranked the current top 8 wicketkeepers who’ve been doing a fine job with both the willow and the gloves. Here’s the list.
8. Mushfiqur Rahman
Veteran Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahman has found a place at the bottom of our list. Rahman has been a part of the Bangladesh national setup for 20 years and has more than 15,000 runs across formats.
At 38, the former Bangladesh skipper is still a part of the Test squad. He was among the run scorers in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka.
7. Kusal Mendis
The 30-year-old has been a consistent performer for Sri Lanka across formats in international cricket. His aggressive batting has played a key role in the success of his sub-continent team in bilateral series.
In over 290 international matches, Kusal Mendis has scored more than 11000 runs. He has taken 246 catches and stumped 30 batters behind the stumps.
6. Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith has become a sensation for England in Test cricket. The 25-year-old scores runs at a brisk pace and is a reasonably good wicket-keeper. He is representing the English team across formats, but only gets the wicketkeeping gloves in Test cricket. In ODIs and T20Is, he bats in the opening slot, while he is a lower-order batter in red-ball cricket.
In 13 Tests, he has scored over 1000 runs at an average of 55.57, including two hundreds and 6 fifties. The right-handed batter has amassed 258 runs in 13 fifty-over games. In 5 T20Is, he has accumulated 130 runs. Jamie has taken 45 catches and stumped two batters in Test cricket.
5. Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan’s rise after the 2019 ICC World Cup has seen him pip former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Khan as the team’s first-choice across all three formats. His glove work and batting have also improved remarkably.
In fact, he already has an international ton each in all three formats. Rizwan averages over 40 across formats. However, he has been dropped from the T20I team after failing to play attacking cricket.
In over 230 international matches for the Men in Green, he has scored more than 8000 runs. He has taken 262 catches and been a part of over 20 stumpings.
4. Rishabh Pant
He is currently the best wicket-keeper batter in Test cricket. The left-handed batter has hit 8 hundreds in the longest format of the game, with his run tally crossing the 3000 mark. Rishabh Pant plays regularly for India in red-ball cricket, but the 27-year-old hasn’t been able to cement his place in white-ball formats.
He has accumulated over 870 runs in 31 ODIs and crossed the 1200-run mark in 76 T20Is.
As a wicket-keeper in five-day cricket, he has contributed to over 170 dismissals. In one-day internationals and T20I games, he has taken 66 catches and stumped 12 batters.
3. Tom Latham
He is New Zealand’s wicket-keeper batter in Test cricket and ODIs and has been a consistent performer for the Kiwis. The 33-year-old has hit 13 hundreds and scored over 5800 runs in 88 Tests.
Tom Latham has presented the Black Caps in 157 ODIs, amassing over 4300 runs, laced with 8 tons and 26 fifties. The veteran has played 26 T20Is, posting 516 runs. In the longest format, he has taken 101 catches.
In the fifty-over format, he has grabbed 133 catches and stumped 17 cricketers. Tom has taken 15 catches and effected four stumpings in the shortest format.
2. Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is arguably one of the best wicketkeepers in the world at the moment. Apart from doing an excellent job behind the stumps, Buttler is known for scoring runs aggressively at any given position.
Buttler has played in over 380 games for England, causing 512 dismissals, including 458 catches and 54 stumpings. He has also amassed over 11,000 runs in international cricket.
1. Alex Carey
Alex Carey of Australia is currently the best wicketkeeper in the world. Although he plays in Tests and ODIs, his consistency in crunch and challenging situations has been remarkable.
The 33-year-old has scored over 2000 runs in 43 Tests at an average of 34.65. He has hit two hundreds and 11 fifties.
Alex has played 80 ODIs, amassing over 2100 runs at an average of 35.81, laced with one hundred and 12 half-centuries. The southpaw has competed in 38 T20Is but managed just 233 runs. In 161 international matches, he has 269 catches and stumped 25 batters.