Wicket-keepers plays an important role in test cricket and, over time, the role has evolved into a specialist position.
In Test cricket, only 34 wicket-keepers have kept wicket in a match for Australia. [1]
Jack Blackham was the first and longest-serving wicket-keeper who kept wicket for Australia and is considered first of the modern great wicketkeepers. [2] [1] He played in thirty-five Test matches between 1877 and 1894 for Australia against England in which he caught 36 catches and stumped 24. [2] He was also the first wicket-keeper captain of the Australian cricket team. [1]
Jack Blackham, Billy Murdoch, Barry Jarman, Adam Gilchrist, and Tim Paine are the only wicket-keepers who have captained the Australian cricket team. Paine is the longest serving wicket-keeper Test captain for Australia.
This list only includes players who have played as the designated keeper for a match. On occasions, another player may have stepped in to relieve the primary wicket-keeper due to injury or the keeper bowling. [3]
Statistics are correct as of 9 February 2024. [4]
No. | Player | Span | Tests | Catches | Stumpings | Total dismissals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jack Blackham [A] | 1877–1894 | 32 | 35 | 24 | 59 |
2 | Billy Murdoch [B] | 1882 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
3 | Affie Jarvis [C] | 1885–1895 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
4 | Frederick Burton [D] | 1887 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
5 | Jim Kelly | 1896–1905 | 36 | 43 | 20 | 63 |
6 | Sammy Carter | 1907–1921 | 28 | 44 | 21 | 65 |
7 | Barlow Carkeek | 1912 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
8 | Bert Oldfield | 1920–1937 | 54 | 78 | 52 | 130 |
9 | Hammy Love | 1932–1933 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
10 | Ben Barnett | 1938 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
11 | Don Tallon | 1946–1953 | 21 | 50 | 8 | 58 |
12 | Ron Saggers | 1948–1950 | 6 | 16 | 8 | 24 |
13 | Gil Langley | 1951–1956 | 26 | 83 | 15 | 98 |
14 | Len Maddocks | 1955–1956 | 7 | 19 | 1 | 20 |
15 | Wally Grout | 1957–1966 | 51 | 163 | 24 | 187 |
16 | Barry Jarman | 1959–1969 | 19 | 50 | 4 | 54 |
17 | Brian Taber | 1966–1970 | 16 | 56 | 4 | 60 |
18 | Rod Marsh | 1970–1984 | 96 | 343 | 12 | 355 |
19 | Steve Rixon | 1977–1985 | 13 | 42 | 5 | 47 |
20 | John Maclean | 1978–1979 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
21 | Kevin Wright | 1978–1980 | 10 | 31 | 4 | 35 |
22 | Roger Woolley | 1983–1984 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
23 | Wayne B. Phillips [E] | 1984–1986 | 18 | 43 | 0 | 43 |
24 | Tim Zoehrer | 1985–1987 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 19 |
25 | Greg Dyer | 1986–1988 | 6 | 22 | 2 | 24 |
26 | Ian Healy | 1988–1999 | 119 | 366 | 29 | 395 |
27 | Phil Emery | 1994 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
28 | Adam Gilchrist | 1999–2008 | 96 | 379 | 37 | 416 |
29 | Brad Haddin | 2008–2015 | 66 | 262 | 8 | 270 |
30 | Graham Manou | 2009 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
31 | Tim Paine | 2010–2021 | 35 | 150 | 7 | 157 |
32 | Matthew Wade [F] | 2012–2017 | 22 | 63 | 11 | 74 |
33 | Peter Nevill | 2015–2016 | 17 | 61 | 2 | 63 |
34 | Alex Carey | 2021–present | 30 | 107 | 12 | 119 |
The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first T20I, against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League. Australia are the current ICC World Test Championship and ICC Cricket World Cup champions. They are regarded as one of the most successful cricket teams in the history of Cricket
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being watchful of the batsman and ready to take a catch, stump the batsman out and run out a batsman when occasion arises. The wicket-keeper is the only member of the fielding side permitted to wear gloves and external leg guards. The role of the keeper is governed by Law 27 and of the Laws of Cricket.
Caught is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket. A batsman is out caught if the batsman hits the ball, from a legitimate delivery, with the bat, and the ball is caught by the bowler or a fielder before it hits the ground.
Rodney William Marsh was an Australian professional cricketer who played as a wicketkeeper for the Australian national team.
William Lloyd Murdoch was an Australian cricketer who captained the Australian national side in 16 Test matches between 1880 and 1890. This included four tours of England, one of which, in 1882, gave rise to The Ashes. In 2019 Murdoch was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
John McCarthy Blackham was a Test cricketer who played for Victoria and Australia.
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Ernest Austin "Barberton" Halliwell was a first-class cricketer, who played eight Test matches for South Africa between 1892 and 1902, including three as captain. He played as a wicket-keeper, and was the first to put raw steaks inside his gloves to protect his hands. At his peak, he was considered one of the best wicket-keepers in the world, and was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1905. He was particularly praised for standing close to the wickets, even against fast bowlers.
Timothy David Paine is an Australian former cricketer and a former captain of the Australia national cricket team in Test cricket. A right-handed batsman and a wicket-keeper, he played for the Tasmanian Tigers in Australian domestic cricket and was the captain of the Hobart Hurricanes before his selection for Australia in the 2017–18 Ashes series. During his time with Australia, Paine won the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.
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