Ranked by our ratings

Best Test Wicketkeepers

The top 50 wicketkeepers from the 582 Test players in the Beat My 11 database, ranked by our ratings. The best 10 have a short profile each, then the table runs to No. 50.

Wicketkeepers are rated on batting only (batting average, runs per player-match, century rate). Dismissals are shown for information and are not part of the rating.

Career Test totals from the Beat My 11 database, as of 22 October 2026.

The best 10, and why

1 Andy Flower Zimbabwe

Flower was a wicketkeeper-batter of a higher class than most of the sides he played in. He scored 4,794 runs at 51.5 with 12 hundreds in 63 Tests, the best average of any keeper on our list, and took 162 dismissals. In 2000 he scored 232 not out against India at Nagpur, one of the biggest innings ever played by a wicketkeeper, to save the match; in 2001 his 142 and 199 not out against South Africa at Harare took him to the top of the Test batting rankings, the first Zimbabwean and the first wicketkeeper to get there. In 2003 he and Henry Olonga wore black armbands at the World Cup in protest at the state of Zimbabwe, and both left international cricket soon afterwards. He ranks first among keepers because his batting average and his dismissals together are the best case for the position on our list.

2 Adam Gilchrist Australia

Gilchrist changed what a wicketkeeper could do. He batted at No. 7 and scored like an opener, finishing with 5,570 runs at 47.6 and 17 hundreds in 96 Tests, and he took 420 dismissals. At Hobart in 1999 he made 149 not out to help chase 369 against Pakistan. At Perth in 2006-07 he hit a hundred off 57 balls against England, one of the fastest in Ashes history. He turned matches in a session and let Australia declare early, which was a major part of their dominance through the early 2000s. His glovework was sound, and his batting meant the selectors could play an extra specialist bowler. He is second among keepers because his dismissals total is the biggest on the list and his runs came at a great rate.

3 Alec Stewart England

Stewart played 133 Tests for England over thirteen years, often keeping wicket and batting in the top order at the same time. He made 8,463 runs at 39.5 with 15 hundreds and took 279 dismissals. At Bridgetown in 1994 he scored 118 and 143 in the same Test against West Indies, a rare feat against that attack. He captained England in 1998-99 and was a fitness and practice fanatic who set a standard for the side. His career was one of the longest and most demanding for a keeper-batter, because he often did both jobs without much rest. His average is lower than those above him on this list, but he did the harder job for longer, at a time when England were not a strong side. He ranks third among keepers for that reason.

4 Rishabh Pant India

Pant is the most dangerous attacking wicketkeeper-batter in the world today. He scored 3,725 runs at 43.8 with 8 hundreds in 52 Tests and took 187 dismissals. In January 2019 he made 159 not out at Sydney, the first Test hundred by an Indian wicketkeeper in Australia. In 2021 his 89 not out at the Gabba won the Test and the series, ending Australia's long unbeaten run at the ground. He survived a serious car accident in December 2022, spent more than a year recovering, and returned to Test cricket in 2024. In 2025 he scored a hundred in each innings of the Headingley Test against England. He ranks fourth among keepers because he has already scored hundreds in Australia, England and South Africa and shows no sign of slowing down.

5 Mushfiqur Rahim Bangladesh

Mushfiqur is the heart of Bangladesh's batting. He scored 6,876 runs at 39.1 with 14 hundreds in 105 Tests, more than any other Bangladeshi, and took 133 dismissals behind the stumps. In 2013 at Galle he became the first Bangladeshi to score a Test double hundred, 200 against Sri Lanka. In 2018 he made 219 not out against Zimbabwe at Dhaka, the highest Test score by a Bangladeshi, making him the first wicketkeeper to score two Test double hundreds. He made his Test debut as a teenager, at Lord's in 2005. He has played in difficult conditions for most of his career, with a lot less support than his rivals. He ranks fifth among keepers because he has provided real batting weight at No. 5 or 6, which his side relied on throughout his career.

6 Brendon McCullum New Zealand

McCullum was an aggressive, inventive keeper-batter who ended up changing how his country played. He scored 6,453 runs at 38.6 with 12 hundreds in 101 Tests and took 209 dismissals. In 2014 he became New Zealand's first Test triple centurion, with 302 against India at Wellington. In his final Test in 2016, he hit the fastest Test hundred in history, off 54 balls, against Australia in Christchurch. As captain he led New Zealand to the final of the 2015 World Cup with a fearless, front-foot style that influenced later teams, and later coached England, where the approach was nicknamed "Bazball". He gave up the gloves for part of his career to focus on batting. He ranks sixth among keepers because he combined unusual batting power with fine hands and strong leadership.

7 Hashan Tillakaratne Sri Lanka

Tillakaratne was a left-handed batter who kept wicket early in his career and later gave up the gloves. He scored 4,545 runs at 42.9 with 11 hundreds in 83 Tests, and took 126 dismissals. He played for Sri Lanka from 1989 and was part of the side that developed from a new Test nation into a strong one in the 1990s. He was an adhesive crease-occupier in the middle order, which made him valuable when the top order failed, and he captained Sri Lanka for a spell. After he stopped playing he worked as a coach. His batting average is higher than most of the keepers behind him on this list, which is why he is seventh. Like many players of his generation he did a lot of work that does not show up in the headline numbers.

8 Mark Boucher South Africa

Boucher was the most reliable keeper of his generation. He took 557 dismissals in 147 Tests, a world record when he retired. He added 5,515 runs at 30.3 with 5 hundreds, many of them in tight situations when South Africa needed late-order runs. He was sharp, tidy and fearless standing up to the stumps for the spinners as well as back to the quicks. His career ended suddenly in 2012, when a bail struck his left eye in a tour match at Taunton, and ended his career on the spot. He later coached South Africa. His batting average is lower than the keepers above him, but for pure wicketkeeping he is the standard by which others are judged. That is why he is eighth in our list.

9 Quinton de Kock South Africa

De Kock was one of the most gifted attacking keeper-batters of his era. He scored 3,300 runs at 38.8 with 6 hundreds in 54 Tests and took 233 dismissals, a very high rate of dismissals per match. He was a left-hander who played with quick hands and a clean swing, and he was happy to score quickly when South Africa needed it. He was also an excellent gloveman, particularly to fast bowling. He retired from Test cricket in December 2021 at the age of 29, citing family reasons, after only 54 Tests. His short career is the reason he is ninth among keepers; his numbers per Test are very strong, but the sample is smaller than the keepers above him. He remained a key player in limited-overs cricket for South Africa and the IPL.

10 Matt Prior England

Prior was the wicketkeeper in England's best Test side in a generation. He made a hundred on debut at Lord's in 2007, the first England keeper to do so. He finished with 4,099 runs at 40.19 and 7 hundreds in 79 Tests and took 256 dismissals. England won the Ashes in 2009, in Australia in 2010-11 and again in 2013 with him at No. 7, and in 2011 the team reached the top of the Test rankings. He was a combative batter who often rescued the innings after an early collapse. After his retirement he moved into media and coaching. He is tenth among keepers because his glovework was solid and his batting was above average for a keeper, and because his career lined up with the strongest period of English Test cricket in the modern era.

Top 50 ranking

#	Player	Nation	Played in	Tests	Runs	Bat avg	100s	Dismissals
1	Andy Flower	Zimbabwe	1990s, 2000s	63	4,794	51.5	12	162
2	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	Legends, 2000s	96	5,570	47.6	17	420
3	Alec Stewart	England	1990s, 2000s	133	8,463	39.5	15	279
4	Rishabh Pant	India	2020s	52	3,725	43.8	8	187
5	Mushfiqur Rahim	Bangladesh	2000s, 2010s, 2020s	105	6,876	39.1	14	133
6	Brendon McCullum	New Zealand	2000s	101	6,453	38.6	12	209
7	Hashan Tillakaratne	Sri Lanka	1990s, 2000s	83	4,545	42.9	11	126
8	Mark Boucher	South Africa	2000s	147	5,515	30.3	5	557
9	Quinton de Kock	South Africa	2010s	54	3,300	38.8	6	233
10	Matt Prior	England	2010s	79	4,099	40.19	7	256
11	Brendan Taylor	Zimbabwe	2000s, 2010s, 2020s	37	2,420	35.6	6	32
12	MS Dhoni	India	2000s, 2010s	90	4,876	38.1	6	297
13	Liton Das	Bangladesh	2010s, 2020s	56	3,356	35.3	6	145
14	BJ Watling	New Zealand	2010s	75	3,790	37.5	8	276
15	Sarfraz Ahmed	Pakistan	2010s	54	3,031	37	4	182
16	Ian Healy	Australia	1990s	119	4,356	27.4	4	396
17	Mohammad Rizwan	Pakistan	2010s, 2020s	47	2,682	37.8	3	137
18	Tom Blundell	New Zealand	2020s	48	2,482	34.5	6	140
19	Alan Knott	England	Legends, 1970s	95	4,389	32.8	5	269
20	Kamran Akmal	Pakistan	2000s	53	2,648	30.8	6	207
21	Brad Haddin	Australia	2010s	66	3,266	33	4	270
22	Jeff Dujon	West Indies	Legends, 1980s	81	3,322	31.9	5	272
23	Dhruv Jurel	India	2020s	12	651	40.7	2	27
24	Rod Marsh	Australia	Legends, 1970s, 1980s	96	3,633	26.5	3	356
25	Alex Carey	Australia	2020s	50	2,387	35.1	3	210
26	Farokh Engineer	India	1970s	46	2,611	31.1	2	82
27	Syed Kirmani	India	1970s, 1980s	88	2,759	27.05	2	198
28	Jos Buttler	England	2010s	57	2,907	31.9	2	155
29	Moin Khan	Pakistan	1990s, 2000s	69	2,741	28.6	4	149
30	Denesh Ramdin	West Indies	2000s, 2010s	74	2,898	25.9	4	218
31	Adam Parore	New Zealand	1990s	78	2,865	26.3	2	204
32	Niroshan Dickwella	Sri Lanka	2010s, 2020s	56	2,853	30.7	0	173
33	Prasanna Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	2000s	58	2,124	29.5	4	157
34	Kyle Verreynne	South Africa	2020s	31	1,266	30.1	4	106
35	Wasim Bari	Pakistan	1970s, 1980s	81	1,366	15.9	0	228
36	Ridley Jacobs	West Indies	2000s	65	2,577	28.32	3	219
37	Tatenda Taibu	Zimbabwe	2000s	28	1,546	30.3	1	62
38	Shane Dowrich	West Indies	2010s	35	1,570	29.1	3	91
39	Wriddhiman Saha	India	2010s	40	1,353	29.4	3	105
40	Romesh Kaluwitharana	Sri Lanka	1990s, 2000s	49	1,933	26.1	3	122
41	Ian Smith	New Zealand	1980s	63	1,815	25.6	2	176
42	Ben Foakes	England	2020s	25	1,139	29.2	2	79
43	Jack Russell	England	1980s, 1990s	54	1,897	27.1	2	165
44	Tim Paine	Australia	2010s	35	1,534	32.6	0	157
45	Deryck Murray	West Indies	1970s	62	1,993	22.9	0	189
46	Regis Chakabva	Zimbabwe	2010s	22	1,061	27.2	1	51
47	Sadeera Samarawickrama	Sri Lanka	2020s	9	308	23.7	1	17
48	Bob Taylor	England	1970s, 1980s	57	1,156	16.3	0	167
49	Rashid Latif	Pakistan	1990s	37	1,381	28.8	1	132
50	Kiran More	India	1980s	49	1,285	25.7	0	130

What stands out

The top 10 come from 8 nations. England has the most (2, level with South Africa).
7 of the top 10 played in the 2000s, more than in any other.
Mark Boucher played the most Tests of the top 10 (147); Rishabh Pant the fewest (52).
Of wicketkeepers with 20+ Tests, the best batting average is Andy Flower's 51.5 (No. 1).
Mark Boucher made the most dismissals (557). He is No. 8.

Pick your own at this position: draft an XI across seven eras and see if it beats mine.

Start drafting