News

Centuries by Keepers in Test cricket

Article: Ramis

Muhammad Ramis Shah
25-Feb-2002
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Photo © CricInfo
On February 23, during the 1st Test match (no. 1590) between Australia and South Africa at Johannesburg, Australian wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist smashed a stunning unconquered 204* to help lift his team to a gigantic total of 652 for 7, shattering all sorts of records in the process.
Gilchrist's double-ton was the fifth by any wicketkeeper in Test cricket. Imtiaz Ahmed, Taslim Arif, Brendon Kuruppu and Andy Flower complete the famous five. However, the best still remains, the unbeaten 232 by Zimbabwe's Andy Flower.
Playing his 29th Test, it was Gilchrist's fifth hundred and he also bettered his personal best of 152 - made against England at Edgbaston in 2001. He also improved the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper - registered by Ian Healy (161 not out against West Indies at Brisbane in 1996-97).
Gilchrist's double-hundred came off just 212 deliveries, and is the fastest-known in terms of balls faced in the history of Test cricket. The previous-quickest was Ian Botham's against India at The Oval in 1982, which came off 220 balls. Interestingly, Don Bradman reached 200 in 214 minutes at Headingley in 1930, but the number of balls he faced was not recorded.
Gilchrist, in the mean time, along with Damien Martyn added 317 for the sixth-wicket - second highest stand for the sixth wicket in Test history, behind Jack Fingleton and Don Bradman's 346 against England at the MCG in 1936-37, and the fourth-highest against South Africa for any wicket.
It will be interesting to have a look at the list of all the 110 centuries scored by wicketkeepers so far in Test cricket. On rechecking my database I found that there have also been some instances when a player acting as an emergency wicketkeeper scored a century in a Test match, so I have updated this article accordingly.
All hundreds by wicketkeeper's in Test cricket (110)

Wicketkeeper

Score

Vs

Test

Venue

Year

A Flower (Zim)

232*

Ind

2nd

Nagpur

2000

Taslim Arif (Pak)

210*

Aus

2nd

Faisalabad

1980

Imtiaz Ahmed (Pak)

209

NZ

2nd

Lahore

1955

AC Gilchrist (Aus)

204*

SA

1st

Johannesburg

2002

DSBP Kuruppu (SL)

201*

NZ

1st

Colombo (CCC)

1987

A Flower (Zim)

199*

SA

1st

Harare

2001

BK Kunderan (Ind)

192

Eng

1st

Chennai

1964

A Flower (Zim)

183*

Ind

1st

Delhi

2000

DT Lindsay (SA)

182

Aus

1st

Johannesburg

1966

IDS Smith (NZ)

173

Ind

3rd

Auckland

1990

AJ Stewart (Eng)

173

NZ

1st

Auckland

1997

CL Walcott (WI)

168*

Eng

2nd

Lord's

1950

AJ Stewart (Eng)

164

SA

3rd

Old Trafford

1998

IA Healy (Aus)

161*

WI

1st

Brisbane

1996

A Flower (Zim)

156

Pak

1st

Harare

1995

CL Walcott (WI)

152

Ind

1st

Delhi

1948

WK Lees (NZ)

152

Pak

3rd

Karachi

1976

NR Mongia (Ind)

152

Aus

1st

Delhi

1996

AC Gilchrist (Aus)

152

Eng

1st

Edgbaston

2001

Rashid Latif (Pak)

150

WI

1st

Sharjah

2002

AC Gilchrist (Aus)

149*

Pak

2nd

Hobart

1999

LEG Ames (Eng)

149

WI

4th

Kingston

1930

LEG Ames (Eng)

148*

SA

5th

The Oval

1935

A Flower (Zim)

142

SA

1st

Harare

2001

K Sangakkara (SL)

140

WI

1st

Galle

2001

PJL Dujon (WI)

139

Aus

1st

Perth

1984

LEG Ames (Eng)

137

NZ

1st

Lord's

1931

DT Lindsay (SA)

137

Aus

3rd

Durban

1967

Imtiaz Ahmed (Pak)

135

Ind

4th

Chennai

1961

APE Knott (Eng)

135

Aus

3rd

Trent Bridge

1977

H Wood (Eng)

134*

SA

1st

Cape Town

1892

JHB Waite (SA)

134

Aus

3rd

Durban

1958

IA Healy (Aus)

134

Eng

1st

Brisbane

1998

CJ Richards (Eng)

133

Aus

2nd

Perth

1986

RS Kaluwitharana (SL)

132*

Aus

1st

Colombo (SSC)

1992

RW Marsh (Aus)

132

NZ

3rd

Adelaide

1974

DT Lindsay (SA)

131

Aus

4th

Johannesburg

1967

PJL Dujon (WI)

130

Aus

2nd

Port-of-Spain

1984

A Flower (Zim)

129

SL

2nd

Harare

1999

RC Russell (Eng)

128*

Aus

4th

Old Trafford

1989

K Sangakkara (SL)

128

Zim

1st

Colombo (SSC)

2001

LEG Ames (Eng)

126

WI

4th

Kingston

1935

WW Wade (SA)

125

Eng

5th

Port Elizabeth

1949

MV Boucher (SA)

125

Zim

1st

Harare

1999

AJ Stewart (Eng)

124*

Zim

1st

Lord's

2000

RC Russell (Eng)

124

Ind

2nd

Lord's

1996

CC Depeiza (WI)

122

Aus

4th

Bridgetown

1955

Imtiaz Ahmed (Pak)

122

WI

3rd

Kingston

1958

AC Gilchrist (Aus)

122

Ind

1st

Mumbai

2001

FM Engineer (Ind)

121

Eng

5th

Mumbai

1973

LEG Ames (Eng)

120

Aus

2nd

Lord's

1934

WB Phillips (Aus)

120

WI

3rd

Bridgetown

1984

VL Manjrekar (Ind)

118

WI

5th

Kingston

1953

RW Marsh (Aus)

118

Pak

1st

Adelaide

1972

AC Gilchrist (Aus)

118

NZ

1st

Brisbane

2001

Moin Khan (Pak)

117*

SL

3rd

Sialkot

1995

APE Knott (Eng)

116

Pak

1st

Edgbaston

1971

APE Knott (Eng)

116

WI

4th

Headingley

1976

HP Tillakaratne (SL)

116

Zim

3rd

Harare

1994

Moin Khan (Pak)

115*

Aus

3rd

Lahore

1994

PW Sherwell (SA)

115

Eng

1st

Lord's

1907

LEG Ames (Eng)

115

SA

2nd

Cape Town

1938

JHB Waite (SA)

115

Aus

1st

Johannesburg

1957

A Flower (Zim)

115

Ind

1st

Delhi

1993

A Flower (Zim)

114*

BD

2nd

Chittagong

2001

IDS Smith (NZ)

113*

Eng

3rd

Auckland

1984

IA Healy (Aus)

113*

NZ

1st

Perth

1993

A Flower (Zim)

113*

WI

1st

Port-of-Spain

2000

RD Jacobs (WI)

113*

SA

3rd

Bridgetown

2001

JHB Waite (SA)

113

Eng

3rd

Old Trafford

1955

JT Murray (Eng)

112

WI

5th

The Oval

1966

A Flower (Zim)

112

Eng

1st

Bulawayo

1996

SAR Silva (SL)

111

Ind

2nd

Colombo (RPS)

1985

RW Marsh (Aus)

110*

Eng

1st

Melbourne

1977

PJL Dujon (WI)

110

Ind

5th

St. John's

1983

AC Parore (NZ)

110

Aus

3rd

Perth

2001

FM Engineer (Ind)

109

WI

3rd

Chennai

1967

DJ Richardson (SA)

109

NZ

3rd

Cape Town

1995

JM Parks (Eng)

108*

SA

1st

Durban

1964

CL Walcott (WI)

108

Ind

3rd

Calcutta

1948

FCM Alexander (WI)

108

Aus

3rd

Sydney

1961

MV Boucher (SA)

108

Eng

3rd

Durban

1999

APE Knott (Eng)

106*

Aus

5th

Adelaide

1975

PJL Dujon (WI)

106*

Pak

2nd

Port-of-Spain

1988

A Flower (Zim)

105*

SL

2nd

Colombo (SSC)

1998

K Sangakkara (SL)

105*

Ind

1st

Galle

2001

LEG Ames (Eng)

105

WI

2nd

Port-of-Spain

1930

I Barrow (WI)

105

Eng

2nd

Old Trafford

1933

Moin Khan (Pak)

105

Eng

2nd

Headingley

1996

AJ Stewart (Eng)

105

WI

3rd

Old Trafford

2000

TG Evans (Eng)

104

WI

1st

Old Trafford

1950

TG Evans (Eng)

104

Ind

2nd

Lord's

1952

LEG Ames (Eng)

103

NZ

1st

Christchurch

1933

RS Kaluwitharana (SL)

103

NZ

1st

Dunedin

1997

SAR Silva (SL)

102*

Eng

1st

Lord's

1984

IA Healy (Aus)

102*

Eng

1st

Old Trafford

1993

SMH Kirmani (Ind)

102

Eng

1st

Mumbai

1984

JM Parks (Eng)

101*

WI

5th

Port-of-Spain

1960

SMH Kirmani (Ind)

101*

Aus

6th

Mumbai

1979

JR Murray (WI)

101*

NZ

2nd

Wellington

1995

AJ Stewart (Eng)

101*

Zim

2nd

Harare

1996

JHB Waite (SA)

101

NZ

2nd

Johannesburg

1961

APE Knott (Eng)

101

NZ

2nd

Auckland

1971

PJL Dujon (WI)

101

Eng

4th

Old Trafford

1984

AC Parore (NZ)

100*

WI

1st

Christchurch

1995

A Flower (Zim)

100*

Pak

1st

Bulawayo

1998

BK Kunderan (Ind)

100

Eng

4th

Delhi

1964

MV Boucher (SA)

100

WI

5th

Centurian

1999

RS Kaluwitharana (SL)

100

Pak

3rd

Lahore

1999

D Dasgupta (Ind)

100

Eng

1st

Mohali

2001

- All data updated to 27.02.2002