Jonny Bairstow, former England Test wicket-keeper

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.

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–present 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

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b "Fielding records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com".
  2. ^ "Jonny Bairstow profile and biography, stats, records, averages, photos and videos".
  3. ^ "Only Test, England tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Mar 19–22 1892 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  4. ^ "Fielding records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b "25 July 1986: Bob Taylor's unexpected comeback". TheGuardian.com. 24 July 2009.
  6. ^ "England wicket-keepers". ESPNcricinfo. 29 August 2023.
  7. ^ "West Indies beat England by 10 wickets – West Indies vs England 2nd Test Match Summary, Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  8. ^ "South Africa end Test drought as new ball shreds England's bid for more miracles". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  9. ^ "3rd Test, India tour of Ireland and England at Nottingham, Aug 18–22 2018 | Match Summary | ESPNCricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
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