By Cricket is a mesmerizing sport with numerous aspects of great batting, bowling, fielding, and wicket-keeping abilities that keep one team ahead of the other. However, one of the most crucial roles in fielding that makes a major impact is the job of a wicketkeeper. Partaking in vital stumping and dismissals, wicketkeepers are the unsung heroes behind the wicket. In the history of this sport, there have been countless talented wicketkeepers; here’s a list of the six oldest wicketkeepers to have played cricket.
1. Alec Stewart – retired at the age of 40
Known as one of the most prominent and capped wicket-keepers, Alec Stewart was the first to make it three Lions teams. When he debuted, many believed he wouldn’t go far because he got this position as his father was a coach.
Stewart played 133 tests and 170 ODIs for England, with over 8000 test runs. He is a classy Test batsman, but he could have easily made it to the team as a pure batsman. Additionally, he’s always had a reassuring presence behind the stumps.
Even before Stewart passed Graham Hooch’s record of 119 Test appearances for England, everybody wanted him to retire – many said he’s overstayed and should have made way for youngsters. But he continued playing with skills and determination, announcing his retirement at age 40, which is quite impressive as very few wicket-keepers last that long!
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – The Man With the Quickest Hands
MS Dhoni, one of the most successful captains and a deadly finisher of all time, was also known for his lightning-speed stumps. The captain cool, Dhoni, is the third-best wicket-keeper ever, followed by Adam Gilchrist and Mark Boucher. He recorded 829 dismissals in international cricket as a wicketkeeper, while Mark Boucher with 998 dismissals and Adam Gilchrist with 905. MS Dhoni is the only keeper who recorded over 100-plus stumping in ODIs.
Apart from his lighting hand, he was widely known for his quick and accurate DRS decisions. Dhoni has the highest success rate when it comes to DRS decisions. Due to his impeccable skills, Akash Chopra, a well-known Cricket commentator, named DRS as Dhoni-Review-System. He retired from all forms of cricket when he was 39.
3. Adam Gilchrist – the most popular modern-day wicketkeeper.
Adam Gilchrist is one of the best wicket-keepers in the entire cricketing history, redefining the wicket-keeping standards. He was an attacking left-handed batsman and groundbreaking wicketkeeper. He’s played 96 Test matches and 287 ODIs for his country, literally revolutionizing the game with 47.60 and 35.89 averages.
Having retired at the age of 37, Adam was a big part of the Australian Invincibles – and won three consecutive world cup trophies in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Gilchrist is recognised as the most popular modern-day wicketkeeper.
4. Syed Kirmani – India’s Best wicket-keeper.
For all the veteran cricket lovers that have watched him play, there won’t be another wicketkeeper as good as Syed Kirmani. Widely considered India’s best keeper, Syed has dominantly stumped and stunned batters. He replaced the former Farokh Engineer and defeated the endless legends that came.
Standing tall for three consecutive Tests against England in 1981-82, Syed Kirmani kept to the Indian spin quartet and then later Kapil Dev. However, he lost his place to Kiran More, retiring at the age of 37.
5. Farokh Engineer
Farokh Engineer is popularly recognized as India’s greatest and most charismatic wicket-keeper, with ease to the Indian spin quartet of Bedi, Prasanna, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan. His prowess, ability as a batsman and outstanding play behind the stumps have had him garner a lot of praise.
In 1966, his lucky break came in the third Test against West Indies when he tore open into the infamous West Indian bowling attack – scoring an outstanding century. Soon, Farokh became a prominent name – however, he never got a fixed position in the batting order. He scored 2500 Test runs.
6. Ridley Jacobs
Debuting at the age of 31, Ridley Jacobs served his country for six years as an outstanding wicket-keeper. He played in 65 Tests and took 200 catches in six years before becoming the second West Indian keeper to achieve this milestone.
Jacobs has brilliantly played in 65 Tests and 147 ODIs as one of the best wicket-keepers. Scoring over 2000 Test runs, Jacobs last appeared in the West Indian colours in 2004, at the ripe age of 37.
