keepers

[Mr Kiwi]

yet another one of those 'rank the world' type threads i'm afraid . . .

here's my top 5 list of current keepers - best to not so best
gilly
mccullum (but i would say that wouldn't i . . .)
sangakkara
patel
boucher (not as good as he was)

honorable mention goes to taibu - if he had better support he could be doing a lot better

pls note this is NOT an excuse to start a jones/read debate . . .

[bevo]

Gilly
Sangakara
Taibu
Boucher
Patel

Taibu is a very good keeper and his batting is getting better , so he should be the 3rd best keeper in the world , if sangakarra is unfit for asia vs the rest of the world then taibu should get that spot

[Pete]

Originally Posted by bevo

if sangakarra is unfit for asia vs the rest of the world then taibu should get that spot

Umm, Zimbabwe's in Africa.

[Maranello]

Patel in the Top 5? Have you seen him keep? He is not a Test standard keeper, period. This is why he is not in the selector's reckoning anymore; its Kartik or Dhoni who have donned the gloves for India of late.

Secondly, what is this thread measuring? Pure keeping ability? Pure batting ability? or overall value to the team? I presume its the third, since Gilchrist is at the top. My top five would be:

1. Gilchrist
2. Sangakara
3. Taibu
4. Boucher
5. McCullum

Gilchrist's position as the premier wicket-keeper batsman in the history of the game is well accepted and needs no further elaboration.

Sangakara is a proper Test batsman, who bats at number 3, has an excellent technique and a temperament to match. His results in 2004 were second to none. To top it all, he routinely keeps to Muralitharan - so he has to be more valuable to his team than the likes of McCullum are to theirs!

Taibu is one of the very few 'world-class' or even Test-class players in the current Zimbabwe side. To say he is the heart and soul of the team would not be an exagerration. He keeps very well, and also leads, talks and motivates his men on the field. He also makes many valuable contributions with the bat, sometimes being the side's best batsman, and often the bravest.

Boucher, though not a naturally gifted gloveman, is nevertheless very useful to his country, AB DeVilliers notwithstanding! His fighting ability and gutsy character are invaluable to that young side, both on the field, and whilst batting.

McCullum - probably a better keeper than most others, and in fact, along with Kamran Akmal and Taibu, one of the few natural wicket-keepers currently as his nation's no.1. However, is he really one of the more valuable and irreplacable parts of the Kiwi machine? I don't think so, but am prepared to listen to counter-arguments.

[Junior_Flem]

Im with you. You HAVE to include Gilchrist in the top 2 or 3, even if you are biased toward your own country. He is simply brilliant as either keeper or batsman!

[Rachael]

Beny can perhaps confirm... but I belive the reserve 'keepers for Australia are quite exceptional: it's quite feasible that the Aussies alone should fill 2-3 of the top 5!

The bottom line with respect to the rest is surely that they are a sorry-arsed bunch. Sangakkara can bat.. and Boucher's no slouch on that front... but both have been widely criticised as sub standard with the gloves. Substandard they may be.. but who's better?

Those three apart I've a lot of time for Taibu: he can bowl as well which is something I don't believe the others can manage :-)

[Mr Kiwi]

gilchrist has just raised the bar agian by standing up to mcgrath and kasper

wouldn't have thought you'd get to see 'st gilchrist b mgrath' very often

[Beny]

Gilly

Sangakara

Seccomb

Boucher

Jones

Taibu

Haddin



For me. Gilly is ahead by an unbeliveible margin... Croswaite will be a superstar.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Mr Kiwi

gilchrist has just raised the bar agian by standing up to mcgrath and kasper [...] wouldn't have thought you'd get to see 'st gilchrist b mgrath' very often

Awesome. Let's hope (for the sake of cricket everywhere) thta he can make a huge success of this: if he does, wicket-keeping worldwide might change out of all recognition.

[Junior_Flem]

McGrath jokingly said he almost called the batsman back!!!!!!!!!!