Basics of wicket-keeping.

A wicket-keeper in characteristic position, ready to face a delivery. This keeper is "standing up" close to the wicket, for a slow pace bowler or spin bowler

A pair of wicket-keeping gloves. Spin bowling, sometimes known as slow bowling, is a technique used for bowling in the Sport of Cricket. The webbing which helps the keeper to catch the ball can be seen between the thumb and index fingers.

The wicket-keeper in cricket is the fielding player who stands behind the batsman on strike at the wicket. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Fielding in the Sport of Cricket is what fielders do to collect the ball when it is struck by the Batsman, in such a way as to either Mike Powell cricketerjpg|thumb|200px| Warwickshire batsman Mike Powell]] A batsman in the sport of Cricket is depending on context Any In the sport of Cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings Meanings of wicket Set of stumps Primarily the wicket The role of the wicket-keeper is governed by Law 40 of the Laws of cricket, and is similar to that of the catcher in baseball. The laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC which serve to standardise the format of Cricket matches across the world to ensure Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in Cricket. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each

The wicket-keeper's major function is to stop deliveries that pass the batsman (in order to prevent runs being scored), but often he can also attempt to dismiss the batsman in various ways. the Sport of Cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a Batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen (plus In the sport of Cricket, a dismissal occurs when the Batsman is out (also known as the fielding side taking a wicket and/or the batting side The most common dismissal effected by the wicket-keeper is for him to catch a ball that has nicked the batsman's bat, called an edge, before it bounces. Sometimes the keeper is also in the best position to catch a ball which has been hit high in the air. The keeper can also stump the batsman by using the ball to remove the bails from the stumps if the batsman has come out of his crease during a delivery. For other uses see Stump (disambiguation Stump is a term used in the Sport of Cricket where has three different meanings In the Sport of Cricket, a bail is one of the two smaller sticks placed on top of the three stumps to form a Wicket. For other uses see Stump (disambiguation Stump is a term used in the Sport of Cricket where has three different meanings For the goalie's crease in hockey see Goal area. In the Sport of Cricket, the crease is the area demarcated by white Finally, when the ball is hit into the outfield, the keeper moves close to the stumps to catch the return throw from a fielder and, if possible, to run out a batsman. For the term run out, used in equestrian sport see Refusal Run out is a method of dismissal in the Sport

A wicket-keeper's position depends on the bowler: for fast bowling he will crouch some distance from the stumps, in order to have time to react to edges from the batsman, while to slower bowling, he will come much nearer to the stumps (known as "standing up"), to pressure the batsman into remaining within the crease or risk being stumped. Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the Sport of Cricket. The more skilled the keeper, the faster the bowling to which he is able to "stand up", for instance Godfrey Evans often stood up to Alec Bedser. Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE ( August 18, 1920 &ndash May 3, 1999) was an English Cricketer who played for Sir Alec Victor Bedser, CBE, (born 4 July 1918) was a professional English Cricketer chairman of selectors for the English national [1]

Wicket-keeping is a specialist discipline and it requires training consistent with the level expected of a specialist batsman or bowler. Muralijpg|thumb|250px|right|The world's leading off-spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan sends down a delivery]] A bowler in the Sport of Cricket is usually However, the modern-day wicket-keeper is also expected to be able to bat reasonably well, in the middle order at least. Wicket-keepers who are also capable of batting at the top of the order are known informally as wicket-keeper/batsmen.

Since there is only room for one wicket-keeper in a cricket side, selectors (especially at the international level) are often faced with a difficult choice between two or more skilled keepers. Often, one of the two wicket-keepers is an exceptional wicket-keeper, but only an average batsman, whereas the other is a wicket-keeper/batsman who is clearly better at batting, but not quite as good a wicket-keeper as his rival. One such selection dilemma was that faced by England selectors in the 1990s between Jack Russell (the pure keeper) and Alec Stewart (the keeper/batsman). The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999 Robert Charles "Jack" Russell (born 15 August, 1963 in Stroud, Gloucestershire) is a retired English international Alec James Stewart OBE (born 8 April 1963 in Merton, Greater London) is a retired English Cricketer a right-handed Batsman - Wicketkeeper They were never able to consistently choose between the two until 1998, when Russell began to fade: prior to that, they had regularly swapped the role, often with Stewart maintaining his place when not wicket-keeping thanks to his batting skill. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Adam Gilchrist, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Kumar Sangakkara, Brendon McCullum and Mark Boucher are the top wicket-keeper/batsmen today in cricket. Adam Craig Gilchrist (born 14 November 1971 Nicknamed Gilly or Church, is a retired Australian international Cricketer -->He Mahendra Singh Dhoni or MS Dhoni ( Hindi:महेन्द्र सिंह धोनी (born July 7 1981 in Ranchi, Jharkhand) is an Indian Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara (born 27 October 1977 at Matale) is a Sri Lankan Cricketer He is a left-handed Batsman Brendon Barrie McCullum (born 27 September 1981 in Dunedin) is a New Zealand Test cricketer Mark Verdon Boucher (born 3 December 1976 in East London, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa is a South African Cricketer He was educated at Mike Powell cricketerjpg|thumb|200px| Warwickshire batsman Mike Powell]] A batsman in the sport of Cricket is depending on context Any Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Ex Indian captain Rahul Dravid is a part time wicket-keeper, and played that role for India throughout the 2003 World cup. The Indian cricket team is an international Cricket team representing India. Rahul Sharad Dravid ( Kannada:ರಾಹುಲ್ ಶರದ್ ದ್ರಾವಿಡ Marathi:राहुल शरद द्रविड) (b The 2003 Cricket World Cup ( Official name: ICC Cricket World Cup 2003) was played in South Africa from February 9 to March 24.

The wicket-keeper may also have a captaincy role. Uniquely, they are usually involved in every delivery of an innings, and may be in a position to see things that the captain misses. They can frequently be heard encouraging the bowler and "sledging" the batsman with well timed comments about their skill, appearance or personal habits. Sledging is the practice in Cricket of insulting opponents to break their concentration and cause them to make mistakes

The wicket-keeper is the only fielder allowed to touch the ball with protective equipment, typically large padded gloves with webbing between the index finger and thumb, but no other webbing. The protection offered by the gloves is not always adequate. The England wicket-keeper Alan Knott sometimes placed steaks inside his gloves for added cushioning. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Alan Philip Eric Knott (born 9 April 1946 in Belvedere Kent, England was a Kent County Cricket Club and English Cricketer as a Wicket-keeper A steak (from Old Norse steik, "roast" is a slice of meat typically Beef. Wicket-keepers also tend to wear leg pads and a box to protect the groin area.

Wicket-keepers are allowed to take off their pads and bowl and this is not uncommon when matches are drifting to draws or a bowling team is desperate for a wicket. Two wicket-keepers have removed their pads and taken hat-tricks in first-class cricket: Probir Sen for Bengal v Orissa at Cuttack in 1954-55 and A. C. (Alan) Smith for Warwickshire v Essex at Clacton in 1965.

England used 4 wicket-keepers in New Zealand's first innings at Lord's in 1986 when the appointed wicket-keeper, Bruce French was injured during England's first innings. Bruce Nicholas French (born August 13, 1959, Warsop, Nottinghamshire) is a former English Cricketer who played in 16 Bill Athey kept for the first two overs before veteran Bob Taylor was pulled out of the sponsors tent to keep, immaculately, for overs 3 to 76. Bill Athey (born Charles William Jeffrey Athey on September 27 1957 in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England) was an English Robert Taylor or Bob Taylor may refer to;Arts Robert Taylor (actor at the top (he is the most linked-to of the people on this page --> Bobby Parks, the Hampshire keeper, was called up for overs 77 to 140 and French returned for the final ball. Robert James Parks (born June 15, 1959, Cuckfield) is a former English cricketer who played for Hampshire and Kent.

Leading Test match wicket-keepers

The following wicket-keepers have taken 200 or more dismissals in Test cricket. Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations ^[1]

Notes in Table

1. Statistics are correct as of 05 March 2008
2. Indicates current player

Leading One day wicket-keepers

The following wicket-keepers have taken 200 or more dismissals in one day cricket. Caught is a method of dismissing a Batsman in the Sport of Cricket. For other uses see Stump (disambiguation Stump is a term used in the Sport of Cricket where has three different meanings Mark Verdon Boucher (born 3 December 1976 in East London, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa is a South African Cricketer He was educated at The South African cricket team, also known as The Proteas are a national Cricket team representing South Africa Adam Craig Gilchrist (born 14 November 1971 Nicknamed Gilly or Church, is a retired Australian international Cricketer -->He The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. Ian Andrew Healy (nicknamed "Heals" (born 30 April 1964 in Brisbane Queensland) is a former Cricketer who played for Queensland and The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. Rodney William Marsh, MBE (born 4 November 1947 in Armadale, Western Australia) is a retired Australian Wicketkeeper. The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. Peter Jeffrey ("Jeff" Leroy Dujon (born May 28, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica) was a West Indian Cricketer The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as The Windies or The West Indies, is a multi-national Cricket team representing Alan Philip Eric Knott (born 9 April 1946 in Belvedere Kent, England was a Kent County Cricket Club and English Cricketer as a Wicket-keeper The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. Alec James Stewart OBE (born 8 April 1963 in Merton, Greater London) is a retired English Cricketer a right-handed Batsman - Wicketkeeper The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. Wasim Bari ( Urdu: وسیم باری) (born March 23, 1948, Karachi, Sind) is a former Pakistani Cricketer The Pakistan National Cricket Team is an international Cricket team representing Pakistan. Ridley Detamore Jacobs ( 26 November, 1967, Swetes Village, Antigua) is a left-handed batsman who was a regular fixture in the West Indian The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as The Windies or The West Indies, is a multi-national Cricket team representing Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE ( August 18, 1920 &ndash May 3, 1999) was an English Cricketer who played for The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. Adam Craig Parore (born 23 January 1971 in Auckland) is a former Wicket-keeper for the New Zealand cricket team. The New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps or BLACKCAPS, played their first Test in 1929-30 against England in Christchurch Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common NightMatchOldTraffordjpg|right|thumb|350px|A night match at Old Trafford. ^[2]

Notes in Table

1. Statistics are correct as of 05 March 2008
2. Indicates current player

Wicket-Keepers by Country (current Internationals)

Australia

• Brad Haddin

Bangladesh

• Dhiman Ghosh
• Mushfiqur Rahim

Canada

• Ashish Bagai

England

• Geraint Jones
• Chris Read
• Tim Ambrose
• Phil Mustard
• Matthew Prior

India

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni
• Dinesh Karthik

Ireland

• Niall O'Brien
• Gary Wilson

Kenya

• David Obuya
• Kennedy Otieno
• Maurice Ouma

Pakistan

• Kamran Akmal
• Sarfraz Ahmed

New Zealand

• Brendon McCullum

South Africa

• Mark Boucher
• AB de Villiers

Sri Lanka

• Kumar Sangakkara
• Prasanna Jayawardene

West Indies

• Denesh Ramdin
• Carlton Baugh

Zimbabwe

• Tatenda Taibu
• Brendan Taylor

See also

• All-rounder
• Batsman
• Bowler
• Captain
• Fielder
• Cricket terminology

References