Test cricket is still the most enjoyable form of cricket for diehard fans. The tension, excitement, and passion on show for five long days are still rated higher by many than the temporary adrenalin rushes that the shorter formats produce.
A wicketkeeper’s role is very important in Test Cricket; edged catches behind the stumps are still the prime form of dismissal in Test, and for the same, wicketkeepers need to be aware all the time.
Here are the three most successful wicketkeepers of all time in Test Cricket.
3. Ian Healy, Australia
With 395 career dismissals in Tests for Australia between 1988 and 1999, Ian Healy makes it into the list of the top three most successful wicketkeepers in the game’s longest format. Healy’s 395 dismissals include 366 catches behind the wickets and 29 stumpings.
While he was not lightning quick in taking bails off, he had a very secure pair of hands that made up for his reaction time. Healy was a right-handed batter with four centuries and 22 fifties to his name in Tests. His highest score of 161* came against West Indies in 1996.
2. Adam Gilchrist, Australia
With 416 career dismissals in the game’s longest format, Australia’s star wicketkeeper, Adam Gilchrist, is the first among the top two most successful wicketkeepers of all time in Tests. His 416 dismissals include 379 catches and 37 stumpings.
Gilchrist was good with almost all of his roles. He batted well, had a great pair of hands and was lighting quick in his work behind the wickets. He has the highest score of 204* in Tests, while his career run tally stands at 5570 runs, averaging 47.60.
1. Mark Boucher, South Africa
As long as successful wicketkeepers go in the game’s longest version, there will never be a name bigger than South Africa’s Mark Boucher. He had 555 total career dismissals, which included 532 catches and 23 stumpings.
A right-hander, Boucher accumulated 5515 runs scored at an average of 30.30 while registering the highest score of 125. If his keeping and batting were assets enough for the Proteas, Boucher made sure he also contributed with his medium-pace bowling if need be. He bowled once in the game’s longest version and returned with a wicket. He was a truly versatile cricketer.