Number game: Test wicketkeepers
Since the very beginning of cricket, a wicketkeeper’s skill has always been applied behind the wickets. His most important skill is his ability to catch the ball, be it with one hand or both, either from a nearly stationary position standing close to the batsman or eecting a quick dive or sprint, or even a stumping. However, in modernday cricket, a ’keeper’s job specs are not only to perform well behind the wickets in terms of taking catches, executing stumpings and limiting the number of byes, but to also perform well as a batsman. Therefore, the position is of a specialist or an allrounder in the playing XI.
Our previous four statistical pieces were on Test captains, so we now take a look at wicketkeepers in the veday format. The rst part of the series analyses performances as a keeperbatsman.