The rise and rise of the keeper-batsman

Brad Haddin! Brad Haddin! Brad Haddin! How good is he? In the just concluded Ashes series he has scored 493 runs at an average of 61.63.

Haddin’s consistency was extraordinary – one century and five fifties in eight innings, including at least a fifty in every Test.

Only teammate David Warner has scored more runs, but Haddin has the best average in the series of anyone. He even took 22 catches.

Haddin has had it tougher than most, following the greatest batting keeper in history, Adam Gilchrist (although fans of Zimbabwean Andy Flower might disagree).

For Haddin, following Gilly into the national side was akin to a generation of batsmen who struggled under the yoke of being labelled the “next Bradman.”

Many of the major sports have seen the role of some positions change dramatically over the past 20-30 years.

In cricket, no role has changed so much as that of the wicket-keeper. In the early days of Test cricket, circa 1870-90s, the keeper was precisely that, the custodian of the stumps.

The craft was considered so difficult, and so physically and mentally taxing, that the keeper needed all his resources merely to keep competently.

Any runs he scored off the bat were a bonus, nothing more.

Wicket keeping in the early days was certainly an art form. Pitches were more crudely prepared, the outfield was also rougher, with variations in grass level and tiny mounds of dirt or rocks making like difficult for the fielding team.

It was also the era of uncovered pitches. After the rain, the ‘sweating’ or ‘stickiness’ of the pitch would ensure that no two balls landing in precisely the same spot, would behave in similar fashion.

Equipment – gloves and pads – were also rudimentary. Keepers probably thought they had the best protection available, and I’m sure they did. But looking back 135 years, you have to feel for them.

Australia’s own very first Test keeper, Jack Blackham, was also considered one of the finest to ever grace the game. He was dubbed ‘the prince of keepers’ and rightly so.

Blackham could bat a bit, scoring several fifties in Tests, but keeping was his first priority. But such was the surety of his glovework, that he was the first to dispense with the then fielding position of ‘long-stop’, behind the keeper.

For a very long time, indeed right up to the beginning of the 90s, it was still considered essential that a keeper be an outstanding wicket-keeper first.

Batting was still considered a bonus, although the stakes were rising. Greater emphasis on batting skill was being insisted upon in most countries.

The first century by a regular keeper came in 1892, when England’s Henry Wood scored 134 not out against South Africa.

The highly rated South African Percy Sherwell then became the second keeper to score a Test century when he returned the favour against England with 115 in 1907.

Between the first and second world wars, there were just a further nine centuries scored by keepers. But eight of them belonged to the brilliant Les Ames, who hit his centuries between 1930 and 1938.

I find it odd that some English fans are willing to put forward Matt Prior’s name as an alternative to the great Alan Knott when Ames himself averaged 40 in Tests.

The lone other century of the period belonged to West Indian Ivan Barrow against England in 1933.

So up to the beginning of WW2 only 11 centuries had been scored by keepers over 63 years of Test cricket, and eight of those by Ames.

After WW2 things began to heat up. Windies legend Clyde Walcott scored three of the first five post-war centuries before throwing away the keeping gloves.

The first double century by a keeper came in 1955 when Pakistani Imtiaz Ahmed scored 209 against New Zealand.

By the time the extraordinary events of 1966/67 occurred, a total of 32 centuries had been scored by keepers, 21 of them since 1946.

1966/67 was the Everest of batsman-keeper performances in a single series. But before 1966/67, Indian Budhi Kunderan achieved the step below the summit performance of being the first keeper to score over 500 runs in a series.

In 1963/64 against England, Kunderan reached 525 runs at 52.50 including two centuries and two fifties, plus a top score of 192.

It has now been well documented how often Haddin rescued Australia from a precarious position in the recently concluded series.

In 1966/67 the well credentialed Denis Lindsay filled the same role for South Africa, often spectacularly counter-punching with his clean hitting.

As an example, Lindsay came to the crease in the first innings of the first Test with his team at 5-39, but he helped lift them to 199, top scoring with 69.

Australia replied with 325, a handy lead of 126 runs and South Africa were far from safe when Lindsay entered in the second innings.

The transformation in the South African innings was stunning, the team reaching 620 with Lindsay again top scoring with 182.

Australia were a broken team, falling for 261 in their second innings and losing by 233 runs.

Lindsay finished the series with 606 runs at an average of 86.57, including three centuries and two fifties.

Only one other keeper-batsman has passed 500 other than Lindsay and Kunderan.

That was the remarkable Andy Flower in 2000/01 against India, when he compiled a massive 540 runs at 270 (two Tests, four innings, two not outs).

It’s reasonable to suggest that in a four or five Test series, perhaps even a three Test series, Flower would have blown away Lindsay’s record.

But 47 seasons later, Lindsay’s extraordinary feat of 1966/67 still stands – over 600 runs and three centuries in one five-Test series.

Since Lindsay’s pyrotechnics, the frequency of keepers scoring centuries has simply become contagious.

Australia was slow to join the ranks of keepers scoring centuries. After being cruelly stranded on 92 not out by skipper Bill Lawry’s declaration in 1970/71, Rod Marsh finally broke through in 1972/73, with 118 against Pakistan.

Since then, Wayne Phillips, Ian Healy, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Wade have joined the list of century-makers while in the keeper position.

Today, the criteria of the keeper-batsman has been blurred somewhat with specialist batsman, for example, Kumar Sangakkara and AB de Villiers, filling the role for extended periods.

However, for the moment, here are some key points.

Adam Gilchrist has scored most runs (5570 in 96 Tests), followed by Mark Boucher (5518 in 147 Tests).

Andy Flower has the highest batting average as a keeper (53.71 in 55 Tests) followed by Gilchrist (47.61 in 96 Tests).

A point of interest is that de Villiers is averaging 57 with the bat after just 18 Tests and Sri Lanka’s LD Chandimal is averaging a whopping 75.33 from eight Tests as keeper.

Gilly can lay claim to most successful batsman who has kept wicket in every Test he has played.

Returning to Haddin, I am happy to say he is now the second best keeper-batsman Australia has produced in the time I have been watching and following cricket, 1967 to present.

Only Gilly remains ahead of him.

Haddin’s remarkably gutsy batting, his tidy glovework, his never say die spirit and high standard of cricketing skills have put him ahead of Healy and Marsh.

It’s a huge compliment to Haddin to be ranked above both Healy and Marsh, but he has earned it.