This is a chronological list of England Test wicket-keepers. The list comprises players who were the designated wicket-keeper at the toss, so the number of matches does not include times when a player has acted as a stand-in keeper, or appeared as a batsman only.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Jonny_Bairstow.jpg/220px-Jonny_Bairstow.jpg)
Alan Knott kept wicket in 95 Test matches for England, and is currently the record-holder, both in terms of caps as wicket keeper, and dismissals.[1] Godfrey Evans is the record-holder for stumpings.[1] A number of the players listed have played a large number of Test matches as specialist batsmen, for example Jonny Bairstow has played 74 Tests in total, as of January 2021.[2]
On occasions, another player has stepped in to relieve the primary wicket-keeper due to injury or illness. Unless the relief player was himself a recognised Test wicket-keeper, he is not included here. The list also does not include Billy Murdoch, who kept in the second innings of his only Test for England,[3] having previously appeared as wicket-keeper in one of his 18 Tests for Australia. He and Jonny Bairstow are the only replacement keepers to make a stumping for England. Eight stand-in keepers have taken a total of ten catches as replacements,[4][citation needed][original research?] including two by Jonny Bairstow.
On one occasion in 1986, two replacement wicket-keepers were called on, neither of whom were members of the side, and one was a member of the crowd. Former England keeper, Bob Taylor, aged 45 and retired from professional cricket, stepped in at a Test match to replace Bruce French, with the permission of the New Zealand captain, after French had been hit in the head while batting.[5] Later, Hampshire's Bobby Parks, (son of former England wicket keeper Jim Parks) who did not otherwise make a Test appearance in his career, took over from Taylor for the rest of the match.[5]
Statistics are correct as of 31 July 2023.[6]
No. | Player | County/counties | Span | Tests | Catches | Stumpings | Total dismissals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Selby[A] | Nottinghamshire | 1877 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2 | Leland Hone | MCC | 1879 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
3 | Alfred Lyttelton | Middlesex | 1880–1884 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Dick Pilling | Lancashire | 1881–1888 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 14 |
5 | Edmund Tylecote | Kent | 1882–1886 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
6 | Joe Hunter | Yorkshire | 1884–1885 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
7 | Mordecai Sherwin | Nottinghamshire | 1887–1888 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
8 | Henry Wood | Kent and Surrey | 1888–1892 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
9 | Gregor MacGregor[B] | Middlesex | 1890–1893 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
10 | Punch Philipson | Middlesex | 1892–1895 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
11 | Leslie Gay | Hampshire and Somerset | 1894 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
12 | Harry Butt | Sussex | 1896 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
13 | Dick Lilley | Warwickshire | 1896–1909 | 35 | 70 | 22 | 92 |
14 | Bill Storer | Derbyshire | 1897–1899 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
15 | Jack Board | Gloucestershire | 1899–1906 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
16 | Leonard Moon[C] | Middlesex | 1906 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
17 | Dick Young | Sussex | 1907–1908 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
18 | Joe Humphries | Derbyshire | 1908 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
19 | Bert Strudwick[D] | Surrey | 1910–1926 | 27 | 61 | 12 | 73 |
20 | Neville Tufnell | Surrey | 1910 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
21 | Tiger Smith[E] | Warwickshire | 1911–1912 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 19 |
22 | Arthur Dolphin | Yorkshire | 1921 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
23 | George Brown | Hampshire | 1921–1923 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 12 |
24 | George Street | Sussex | 1923 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
25 | George Wood | Kent | 1924 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
26 | George Duckworth | Lancashire | 1924–1936 | 24 | 45 | 15 | 60 |
27 | Rony Stanyforth | Yorkshire | 1927–1928 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
28 | Harry Elliott | Derbyshire | 1928–1934 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
29 | Harry Smith | Gloucestershire | 1928 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
30 | Les Ames[F] | Kent | 1929–1939 | 44 | 72 | 23 | 95 |
31 | Tich Cornford | Sussex | 1930 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
32 | Bill Farrimond | Lancashire | 1931–1935 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
33 | Hopper Levett | Kent | 1934 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
34 | Fred Price | Middlesex | 1938 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
35 | Arthur Wood | Yorkshire | 1938–1939 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 11 |
36 | Paul Gibb[G] | Essex and Yorkshire | 1946 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
37 | Godfrey Evans | Kent | 1946–1959 | 91 | 173 | 46 | 219 |
38 | Billy Griffith[H] | Surrey and Sussex | 1949 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
39 | Arthur McIntyre[I] | Surrey | 1950–1955 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
40 | Don Brennan | Yorkshire | 1951 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
41 | Dick Spooner | Warwickshire | 1951–1955 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
42 | Keith Andrew | Northamptonshire | 1954–1963 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
43 | Roy Swetman | Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey | 1959–1960 | 11 | 24 | 2 | 26 |
44 | Jim Parks[J] | Sussex and Somerset | 1960–1968 | 43 | 101 | 11 | 112 |
45 | John Murray[K] | Middlesex | 1961–1967 | 20 | 52 | 3 | 55 |
46 | Geoff Millman | Nottinghamshire | 1961–1962 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 15 |
47 | Alan Smith | Warwickshire | 1962–1963 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
48 | Jimmy Binks | Yorkshire | 1964 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
49 | Alan Knott | Kent | 1967–1981 | 95 | 250 | 19 | 269 |
50 | Bob Taylor | Derbyshire | 1971–1984 | 57 | 167 | 7 | 174 |
51 | David Bairstow | Yorkshire | 1979–1981 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 13 |
52 | Paul Downton | Kent and Middlesex | 1981–1988 | 30 | 70 | 5 | 75 |
53 | Bruce French | Nottinghamshire | 1986–1988 | 16 | 38 | 1 | 39 |
54 | Jack Richards | Surrey | 1986–1988 | 8 | 20 | 1 | 21 |
55 | Jack Russell | Gloucestershire | 1988–1998 | 54 | 153 | 12 | 165 |
56 | Alec Stewart[L] | Surrey | 1991–2003 | 82 | 227 | 14 | 241 |
57 | Richard Blakey | Yorkshire | 1993 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
58 | Steve Rhodes | Worcestershire | 1994–1995 | 11 | 46 | 3 | 49 |
59 | Warren Hegg | Lancashire | 1998–1999 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
60 | Chris Read | Nottinghamshire | 1999–2007 | 15 | 48 | 6 | 54 |
61 | James Foster | Essex | 2001–2002 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 18 |
62 | Geraint Jones | Kent | 2004–2006 | 34 | 128 | 5 | 133 |
63 | Matt Prior | Sussex | 2007–2014 | 79 | 243 | 13 | 256 |
64 | Tim Ambrose | Warwickshire | 2008–2009 | 11 | 31 | 0 | 31 |
65 | Jonny Bairstow[M] | Yorkshire | 2013–2023 | 55 | 198 | 13 | 211 |
66 | Jos Buttler[N] | Lancashire | 2014–2022 | 37 | 130 | 1 | 131 |
67 | Ben Foakes | Surrey | 2018–2024 | 21 | 57 | 8 | 63 |
68 | Ollie Pope[O] | Surrey | 2019–2022 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 13 |
69 | James Bracey | Gloucestershire | 2021 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
70 | Sam Billings | Kent | 2022 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
71 | Jamie Smith | Kent | 2024 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
See also
editNotes
edit- A Selby appeared in four further Tests as a fielder, taking no catches.
- B MacGregor appeared in one further Test as a fielder, taking no catches.
- C Moon appeared in three further Tests as a fielder, taking three catches.
- B Strudwick appeared in one further Test as a fielder, taking no catches.
- E Smith appeared in one further Test as a fielder, taking one catch.
- F Ames appeared in three further Tests as a fielder, taking two catches.
- G Gibb appeared in five further Tests as a fielder, taking no catches.
- H Griffith appeared in one further Test as a fielder, taking no catches.
- I McIntyre appeared in one further Test as a fielder, taking one catch.
- J Parks appeared in three further Tests as a fielder, taking two catches.
- K Murray appeared in one further Test as a fielder, taking no catches.
- L Stewart appeared in 51 further Tests as a fielder, taking 36 catches.
- M Bairstow has appeared in 40 further Tests as a fielder, taking 36 catches. He stood in as wicket-keeper for Foakes and Buttler in six of these games, taking two catches and one stumping; and 19 catches respectively.[7][8]
- N Buttler has appeared in 20 further Tests as a fielder, taking 23 catches. He stood in as wicket-keeper for Bairstow in one of these games.[9]
- O Pope has appeared in 35 further Tests as a fielder, taking 36 catches.
References
edit- ^ a b "Fielding records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com".
- ^ "Jonny Bairstow profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos".
- ^ "Only Test, England tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Mar 19–22 1892 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ "Fielding records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ a b "25 July 1986: Bob Taylor's unexpected comeback". TheGuardian.com. 24 July 2009.
- ^ "England wicket-keepers". ESPNcricinfo. 29 August 2023.
- ^ "West Indies beat England by 10 wickets – West Indies vs England 2nd Test Match Summary, Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ "South Africa end Test drought as new ball shreds England's bid for more miracles". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ "3rd Test, India tour of Ireland and England at Nottingham, Aug 18–22 2018 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.