Wicketkeeping is one of the most crucial and challenging skills in cricket.
A good wicketkeeper can not only save runs and take catches behind the stumps but also contribute with the bat and provide valuable insights to the captain and the bowlers.
Today, we will rank the top 10 best wicketkeepers in the world in 2023, based on their wicket-keeping stats, records, and their recent wicket-keeping performance in the 2023 World Cup.
We will also highlight their strengths and weaknesses, and what makes them stand out from the rest.
10. Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran is a young and talented wicket keeper-batsman from West Indies. He made his international debut in 2016, and has since established himself as a regular member of the West Indies limited-overs teams. He is known for his explosive batting and acrobatic wicket keeping.
Pooran has impressive stats as a wicket keeper, having taken 64 catches and 10 stumpings in 88 ODIs and T20Is combined. He also holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicket keeper in a single T20I innings, with six against Bangladesh in 2018. He has also scored 1669 runs in ODIs and T20Is, with a strike rate of 136.62 and four centuries.
Pooran had a decent performance in the 2023 world cup, where he scored 212 runs in eight matches, with a strike rate of 122.41 and a highest score of 75. He also took 11 catches and two stumpings, and was involved in some spectacular dismissals. However, he also dropped some crucial catches and missed some stumpings, which cost his team some matches. He also struggled against quality pace and spin bowling, and was dismissed cheaply on several occasions.
9. Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow is an experienced and versatile wicket keeper-batsman from England. He made his international debut in 2011, and has since played in all three formats of the game. He is known for his aggressive batting and reliable wicket keeping.
Bairstow has impressive stats as a wicket keeper, having taken 229 catches and 15 stumpings in 211 international matches across all formats. He also holds the record for the most runs scored by a wicket keeper in a calendar year, with 1470 runs in 2016. He has also scored 10077 runs in international cricket, with a strike rate of 91.67 and 22 centuries.
Bairstow had a good performance in the 2023 world cup, where he scored 378 runs in nine matches, with a strike rate of 103.83 and a highest score of 112. He also took 14 catches and one stumping, and was involved in some crucial dismissals. However, he also had some lapses in concentration and judgement, which led to some missed chances and run outs. He also struggled against quality spin bowling, and was dismissed by spinners six times out of nine.
8. KL Rahul
KL Rahul is a versatile cricketer who has shown great promise in both his wicket-keeping and batting abilities. He is known for his agility and quick reflexes behind the stumps, making him a formidable force as a wicketkeeper. Here is a look at his wicket-keeping stats, records, and recent performances.
KL Rahul has been a consistent performer behind the stumps, with a total of 54 catches and 5 stumpings in 75 ODI matches. He has also taken 23 catches and made no stumpings in 72 T20I matches. In addition, he has taken 51 catches and made no stumpings in 47 Test matches.
In recent years, KL Rahul has been a regular member of the Indian cricket team across all formats of the game. He has been a consistent performer with the gloves, taking some spectacular catches and making crucial stumpings.
7. Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur Rahim is is a veteran and dependable wicket keeper-batsman who has played for Bangladesh in various formats of the game. He is known for his aggressive batting style and his ability to play unorthodox shots. Besides his exploits with the bat, Mushfiqur Rahim is also a sound wicketkeeper who has donned the keeping gloves for the Bangladesh cricket team.
Mushfiqur Rahim has been a consistent performer behind the stumps, with a total of 226 dismissals in 265 ODI matches. He also holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper-captain in T20Is. In addition, he has taken 110 catches and made 15 stumpings in 88 Test matches.
In recent years, Mushfiqur Rahim has been a regular member of the Bangladesh cricket team across all formats of the game. He has been a consistent performer with the gloves, taking some spectacular catches and making crucial stumpings.
Tough somewhat semi retired, Rahim is a seasoned wicket keeper-batsman, who has the experience and grit to score runs and take catches in any condition.
However, he also had some problems with his fitness and stamina, which affected his wicket keeping and batting in the later stages of the tournament. He also struggled against quality pace and bounce, and was dismissed by pacers six times out of eight.
6. Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is an explosive and innovative wicket keeper-batsman from England. He made his international debut in 2011, and has since played in all three formats of the game. He is known for his destructive batting and agile wicket keeping.
Jos Buttler is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman who is considered one of the best wicketkeepers in the world in 2023. He is England’s second-most-capped T20I player behind Eoin Morgan and holds the England ODI record for most dismissals as well as the England T20I record for most dismissals.
Along with Adil Rashid, he holds the world record for the highest seventh-wicket stand in ODIs: 177 against New Zealand during their 2015 tour of England. He is England’s highest run-scorer in T20Is and is one of only four Englishmen to score a T20I century.
5. Tom Latham
Tom Latham is a wicket keeper-batsman from New Zealand, who is the vice captain of the Test and ODI teams.
He is also a reliable and respected leader, who has led New Zealand to several victories in Tests and ODIs. He is a key player for New Zealand, and a valuable asset for the team.
He has played 76 Tests and 145 ODIs, and has scored over 9000 runs and taken over 200 catches in both formats. He is also a record holder for several wicket keeping feats, such as the most dismissals in a series, the most stumpings in a series, and the fastest hundred by a wicket keeper in ODIs. He has also carried his bat in both Tests and ODIs, making unbeaten scores of 264 and 79 respectively.
Latham had a great performance in the 2023 world cup, where he scored 421 runs in eight matches, with a strike rate of 94.87 and a highest score of 144. He also took 16 catches and four stumpings, and was involved in some stunning dismissals. He was the second-highest run-scorer and the most successful wicket keeper in the tournament. He also captained New Zealand in the absence of Kane Williamson, who was injured in the semi-final.
4. Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman from Pakistan, has established himself as one of the best wicket-keeper batters in the world. He has demonstrated his exceptional skills in both wicket-keeping and batting through his recent performances and records. As a wicket-keeper, he has made 164 catches and 7 stumpings in Tests, 76 catches and 3 stumpings in ODIs, and 43 catches and 11 stumpings in T20Is. As a batter, he has achieved some remarkable feats in the recent past. In October 2023, he scored an unbeaten century against Sri Lanka while chasing a mammoth total of 345. He also formed a record T20 cricket partnership of 203 runs with Babar Azam without being dismissed. Moreover, he became the only batter to score 2000 runs in a calendar year in T20s. Mohammad Rizwan’s exceptional wicket-keeping abilities and his consistent and reliable performances behind the stumps have made him a valuable asset for the Pakistan cricket team.
3. Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant, the dashing left-handed wicket-keeper batsman, has been a key player for the Indian cricket team. He has also captained the Delhi Capitals in the IPL.
He has impressed everyone with his wicket-keeping stats, records, and notable performances, which are based on the provided sources. In Test matches, he has played 33 games and amassed 119 dismissals, comprising 105 catches and 14 stumpings. In ODIs, he has featured in 30 games and accounted for 27 dismissals, including 26 catches and 1 stumping. In T20Is, he has participated in 66 games and registered 36 dismissals, consisting of 27 catches and 9 stumpings.
Unfortunately, he did not participate in the recent ODI World Cup in 2023. He was still recovering from injuries during the tournament, and his absence was felt by the Indian team.
2. Alex Carey
Alex Carey is widely regarded as one of the best wicket-keepers in the world due to his skills, consistency, and versatility across formats. He has impressive stats and records as a wicket-keeper batter in Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and IPL.
In Test cricket, he has scored 1037 runs in 26 matches at an average of 31.42, with one century and five fifties.
He has also taken 92 catches and 9 stumpings behind the stumps.
Carey holds several records, including the fastest fifty by a wicket-keeper in Test cricket, scoring 50 off 28 balls against England in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the most catches by a wicket-keeper in a single Test match, taking 11 catches against Australia in Adelaide in 2018.
In ODI cricket, he has scored 1814 runs in 72 matches at an average of 32.98, with one century and eight fifties.
He has also taken 82 catches and 8 stumpings as a wicket-keeper.
Carey is the vice-captain of the ODI team and has led Australia to victory against West Indies in 2023.
In T20I cricket, he has scored 233 runs in 38 matches at an average of 11.10, with no fifties.
1. Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock is considered one of the best wicket-keepers in the world due to his exceptional wicket-keeping and batting performances across all formats of the game.
He has played 54 Test matches, taking 221 catches and 11 stumpings as a wicket-keeper. He made a remarkable 100 catches and 4 stumpings in a Test match against West Indies in March 2023.
In 155 ODI matches, he has taken 7 catches and 1 stumping as a wicket-keeper. He made a stunning 7 catches and 1 stumping in an ODI match against the Netherlands in November 2023.
In 80 T20I matches, he has taken 32 catches and 9 stumpings as a wicket-keeper. He made a brilliant 3 catches and 1 stumping in a T20I match against the same team a few days earlier. He also made several notable dismissals, including a run-out and a stumping, in the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
