Not many cricket stories that reference Australia’s latests performances don’t include criticism or surprise that our current wicket keepers have performed well.
Our recent tour of Bangladesh had us all bashing the proverbial selectors door demanding Matt Wade be dropped after 30+ byes and some poor overall keeping. Was this really a reason? Or was it the fact he scored under ten in both innings? The role of the keeper in cricket today has been changed forever – thanks to one fine player, Adam ‘Gilly’ Gilchrist.
Adam Gilchrist changed the face of what it meant to ‘keep wickets’ but to also be one the most dominating batsmen of the 2000s. You can only imagine playing Australia during his time and thinking that you are into the tail and then Gilly walks out.
Test average of 47 and a ODI average of 35 with a strike rate board line 100, the game has only just began for the bowling side.
Prior to the Gilly era, we had arguably the best glove man in Australian history Ian Healy running the ship. Your more traditional keeper, he only averaged 27 with the stick – but his glove work was yards above the standard ‘wicky’.
Keeping to Shane Warne in the early days was like no one had seen before. If someone said ‘Heals dropped a catch today’ you’d probably say they are lying. But on his own, he maintained his spot based on his glove work, leadership skills and love for the game.
Brad Haddin brought amazing hands, energy, passion and determination to the game and was a perfect replacement for Gilly. Batting at 6-7, he took down opposition attacks for fun and did it with an air of confidence which was contagious.
Selectors had it easy picking him. They knew what they were going to get. I would argue it’s not to same with our current crop.
Wade, Nevill and Handscomb, what do I think? I don’t know if Wade is your man. In saying this he seems to be a bit of a culture man, which I like.
We also would be ignorant to say that keeping in Bangladesh was easy. It would be the last place I would want to try and catch. Will the flatter wickets in Australia be a saving grace for Wade?
I don’t think Nevill did a lot wrong to be punted in the first place and if he has a big one day season and even better first couple of Shield games I’d be worried for Wade. Like Wade, Nevill is a good culture builder and brings a lot of ups to the side. But in the modern day game thanks to the Gilly curse, he needs runs.
Or do we go left field and throw Handscomb in there, who is reported as a tidy glove man and is scoring runs for Australia? Selectors have to decide what the focus is with Handscomb. I think he has a huge future and he should worry about scoring more 100s, particularly in the upcoming Ashes campaign.
It might not be popular but I am keen for Nevill to return to the picture and to see the selectors emphasise the glove work component to the game.
All wicketkeepers are now expected to catch everything and not make a mistake but also be the saving grace when the country needs you.
Will Australia ever pick a wicket keeper who bats 11? Even if he had the best hands? I don’t think so.
What’s more important to cricket selectors now? The Gilly blessing has now become a curse for Australian selectors who are trying to emulate a man who took the game by storm.
How lucky we were to have him. I hope the next crop and the current can succeed half as good as him.
The wicketkeeper has had a good game when no one talks about his wicketkeeping.
BriainsTrust
Guest
I wouldn;t say keeping to Lee was straight forward. When did Healy keep to Lee I don't remember it. If the ball is knicked and deviates a fair way from the original path then a keeper has to dive to get it. Gilchrist did take some rippers and he had a longer reach than Healy. I thought both Gilchrist and Haddin better days as keeper was before their test careers. Wicketkeepers decline with age, we certainly saw that with Gilchrist and Haddin. Healy as well, his last year was pretty ordinary.
maverick
Roar Rookie
Gilchrist actually made more dismissals than Healy and only behind to Mark Boucher.Gilchrist only played 96 tests though
Simon Templar
Guest
Iron gloves Marsh never proved himself up to the stumps to a Shane Wayne - handy longstop to Lillee and Thommo . Wade all talk and has not performed- Neville got a raw deal when it was the batsmen who were getting out cheaply. Oz cricketers should be on performance based pay about 1/10 of what they now get - $200k for a Shield player is excessive - a share of the gate when there are more than 20 there would be reasonable. IPL and Big Bash keep some food on their tables!
Bakkies
Guest
Gilchrist would have got closer had he not made his test début when he was 30 odd.
DavSA
Guest
Spot on qwetzen . All around the world now its batting first , keeping second. If the player also develops into a decent keeper just a bonus .
James
Guest
Keeping to Mcgrath would be easy. Every ball landed at basically the same place.
James
Guest
Damn Flintoff
DLKN
Guest
Sorry, can't agree. When I was a young keeper of very modest ability,my coaches, without exception, drummed into me that a good gloveman's key skills were - great footwork first and second; then good hands, then reflexes. With all of the above came hard work, repetition, and concentration. Where Haddin, Gilly, Wade and Nevill all fall well behind Healy is in the area of footwork. They were / are all cumbersome and slow with their feet. This often leads to the need to dive for catches instead of taking them more upright, and results in a lot of missed balls down leg side and plenty of byes. I understand that Healy once went two years without conceding a test bye. I doubt that any of his successors went more than two innings. Keeping to Warne must have been hard, and Healy made it into an art form. That Gilly was a 'serviceable' keeper to Warne is why I rate him slightly above Haddin, who often looked clueless with a range of spinners. And this was a bloke who learned his keeping on slow wickets in Canberra and Sydney. Keeping to McGrath, Lee and Gillespie should be bread and butter to all keepers of any ability. Healy did it, so did Gilly. Thommo would have been a whole new set of challenges, and Marsh gets credit for that. But he was rubbish to spinners. Old Iron Gloves indeed. For these reasons, I don't want Handscombe anywhere near the gloves - let's maximise his batting gifts. I've seen him keep several times, and he's worse than the worst of Haddin or Gilly. But he's a batting gem - let's not compromise that. Alex Carey is my pick of the current pure keepers. But obviously he's going to need runs, given the current priority list of skills. And Nevill needs to find keeping form - he's been very pedestrian at best behind the stumps for over a year now, despite some good batting numbers.
qwetzen
Guest
Agree entirely. We should get a club going. Or at least tees produced. And of course the obvious thing to point out is that when Oz swapped the keepers' criteria around the major beneficiaries were Gilchrist & Haddin. And when the criteria was switched back to the Traditional setting the beneficiary was Nevill. Can you spot the common factor?
Connor Wright
Guest
Healy was a heck of a wicketkeeper in his day, but I would have said Rod Marsh was Australia's best ever. Imagine keeping for the likes of Thomson and Lillee! Healy lowered himself in my eyes when he gave up the game and became a commentator. Seemed like he never had a good word to say about Gilchrist. Anyway, at least we didn't end up with Zoehrer!
AGordon
Guest
What is your claim to fame as a cricketer with a rubbish response like this is what, Simoc? Read my comment again, you clown, before commenting. Healy completed 395 Test dismissals - who has got close to that in the past 30 years in Australia? At no stage did I discuss his technique or whether he was a super star, I merely pointed out he's been out best keeper in the past 30 years. Come on genius, who has a better record? I look forward to read and responding to more stupid comments from you in the future.
Clayton Waters
Roar Rookie
I can't say I have seen a lot of him. Only 26 with a good average. Let's see how he plays in the shield season.
Clayton Waters
Roar Rookie
Strong words and fair play to you for going against the grain. I agree about Healy but disagree about Gilchrist and Haddin. They both were solid and had amazing hands. Did there batting over shadow their glove work. I think so but to keep you Shane Warne, Brett Lee, McGrath and others full time, I think he was pretty handy.
Dicky M
Guest
Bad time for Whiteman to be injured , given Carey a free run at the job..Shame, quality keeper and bat averaging 36 in first class..
John Erichsen
Guest
You forgot our selectors Holy Grail Quest for a world beating test all-rounder.
dan ced
Guest
I think you're correct, but both were 5 times as good as Doormat Wade. Alex Carey should be the next keeper, has taken lots of screamers, rarely lets one slip. Shield record for most dismissals in a season, and a handy bat that's still getting better with each innings. They need to get him in there quick, you say Healy didn't go for 50/50 dives.. perhaps that's something you can only maintain when age is on your side.
Simoc
Guest
Of course A Gordon that is absolute nonsense and indicates that you haven't played the game or understand wicketkeeping. Healey did miss catches and didn't go for 50/50 dives. He rarely if ever featured in great catches. He just got on well with the chatterers and was tidy behind the stumps as were the others you speak of.And that is what was required; now plus runs The current leading light is the Englishman Bairstow. We'll see him soon enough. The biggest requirement of the keeper is to catch everything. Spinners (that spin the ball) are difficult for all keepers and practice is the way around them. Many times byes are from crap balls.
DLKN
Guest
Look, I'm sorry to row against the popular tide here, but I don't think Australia has had a test keeper of high quality since Healy. Both Gilchrist and Haddin were batsmen - Gilchrist an incendiary talent with the bat, Haddin more of a flat-track bully. But in my opinion, both were pretty average keepers, barely first-class standard. Haddin didn't get the nicknames among other teams of "Byes" and "T!ts for hands" for no reason, and Gilchrist wasn't much better. When their batting performances tailed off towards the end, it shone a stark light on just how poor their keeping was. Yes, both could pull off the occasional spectacular deed, but they were both untidy and prone to error. It beggars belief that Haddin is now coaching our fieldsmen - and Wade.He won't improve with that regime. Australia really missed the boat post-Healy by not making Gilchrist a specialist batsman and picking blokes like Seccombe, Berry and Hartley instead. I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but I like my keepers to be good with the gloves.
Clayton Waters
Roar Rookie
I tend to agree and where I was aiming to take the article. I do believe there are some good up and comers in the system, they just need to perform. I see Jay Lenton (Thunder) keeper as a prospect and a few kids out of the U19s from NSW that I know of have a good firm base.
qwetzen
Guest
"I don’t think you can blame our current struggle for a consistent, solid keeper on Gilly. " Well, Yes and No. 'No' it wasn't his fault that the selectors picked him, but 'Yes' because with his success he changed the priority of selection throughout Oz cricket. Previously the best available keeper was selected but upon the emergence of The Gloved One the better batsman started to get The Nod. And this percolated all the way down to 5th grade cricket. In effect, Gilchrist poisoned the well. It's not much of a stretch now to opine that the best keeper in the country is probably playing 2nd grade somewhere.