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Old 13-05-2007, 08:30 PM in reply to Rachael's post starting "Time after time we hear this trotted..."
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Selector-World XI (1980 onwards)
(SA) Passed Colin Bland's 1669 Test runs
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rachael
Time after time we hear this trotted out as a measure of glovework: that's nuts....

... The real difference is the pressure brought to bear on the batsman by the gloveman: the pressure of a world class stumper breathing down the batsman's neck, forcing the great and the good to bat from the crease and thereby increasing the likelihood of either a nick or (more likely) a catch at mid on or mid off (from a drive on the up that might have otherwise have been played along the ground).

Wicket-keeping is done AT THE STUMPS: that doesn't mean even a great 'keeper stands up to everything... but it does mean that it's the likelihood of them standing up... and their effectiveness in that role... that seperates the men from the boys.
Jones' main failings as a keeper were that he dropped too many "regulation" catches. With the bowling attack we have we dont need a "stumper" just someone who doesnt drop too many.

In the 1960's the rest of you statement holds true. However, nowadays we play on uncovered wickets and the trundlers and fingerspinners of old who would have benefitted from the keeper standing up are largely ineffective. Modern batsman are much more comfortable and competant in using their feet to attack bowling and because the game nowadays is more attacking their is less fear in coming down the pitch.

Would you ever see Ponting, Lara, Tendulkar, Dravid.... ever get pinned on the crease with the keeper standing up?
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