One of the most difficult jobs in cricket is being a wicketkeeper. You have to stand behind the wicket all day, and a simple miss could cost your team the win. More than being the wicketkeeper, it is important to have the presence of mind and inflict runouts, stumpings, and taking catches.
As a result of that, the record of most stumpings in cricket is something that will be highly valued and talked about. There have been some game-changers from behind the stumps. In honor of them, today we will talk about wicket keepers with the most stumpings in cricket.
1. MS Dhoni (195 stumpings)
MS Dhoni is everywhere. From his unique wicket keeping style to winning ICC titles, one after the other, he was a superb cricketer for the Indian cricket team. MS Dhoni started his career in 2004, and immediately made an impact.
Meanwhile, he has played 538 international matches, inflicting 195 stumpings to his name. Not only that, but Dhoni also has 829 dismissals to his name. Dhoni performs one stumping every 1.36 matches, which is a brilliant record.
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2. Kumar Sangakkara (139 stumpings)
In the early 2000s, a brilliant left-handed Sri Lankan batter came into the mix of the cricket circuit, and made a name for himself. Kumar Sangakkara was one of the finest batsmen of the generation, with plenty of runs.
But all of these fans tend to forget that Kumar was also a brilliant wicketkeeper. Playing in 594 international matches, Sangakkara had 139 stumpings to his name. Out of 678 dismissals of him, Sanga had stumping dismissals every 1.358 matches, which is brilliant to talk about.
3. Romesh Kaluwitharana (101 stumpings)
Before Kumar Sangakkara was a wicket keeping and batting stalwart from Sri Lanka, it was Romesh Kaluwitharana, who ruled the game from behind the stumps. Romesh’s cricketing career spanned 14 years. Mainly known for his fearsome batting, Kaluwitharana impressed the fans with his wicket keeping too.
Playing in 238 international matches, Kaluwithara had 101 stumpings to his name. Interestingly, he had a stumping dismissal every 1.203 games, which is an interesting stat in itself.
4. Mushfiqur Rahim (101 stumpings)
One of the most underrated, less talked, and ignored wicketkeepers/batsmen, is Mushfiqur Rahim. Be it the fitness standpoint or the consistency, Rahim has been the first-choice Bangladesh wicketkeeper for a long time.
Rahim has played for 20 years now, and has been part of 468 international games. The ability to make 101 stumping dismissals out of 471 made, is enough to put him on the list of most stumpings in cricket.
5. Moin Khan (93 stumpings)
More than the batter, the contribution of Moin Khan has been as a wicketkeeper for the Pakistan cricket team. Starting his career in 1990, Moin went on to play until 2004, when Kamran Akmal took the responsibility of wicketkeeping.
Khan has been part of 434 dismissals in his career with 93 stumpings. With nimble feet, along with agility with the handling of the quick bowlers from behind the stumps, Moin was a superstar, when we talk about Pakistan cricket.
6. Adam Gilchrist (92 stumpings)
A player who made wicketkeeping more stylish than ever, was Adam Gilchrist. Before the rise of MS Dhoni, it was all Adam Gilchrist in international cricket. Not only great wicket keeping skills, but Gilly had a great presence of mind and match awareness.
A bludgeoning batter at the top of the order, Gilchrist played 396 international matches and went on to pick 92 stumpings to his name. Gilly had one stumping every 1.865 matches, which suggests he did have good hand-eye coordination to whip the balls.
7. Kamran Akmal (85 stumpings)
There is a joke around the wicketkeeping circuit that Kamran Akmal drops more catches than he gathers. But he has done well with the opportunities he has capitulated. Starting his career in 2002, Akmal played for 15 years in 268 international matches.
Kamran was part of 85 stumpings to his name. Even with so much criticism for his stumpings, Akmal went on to make 453 dismissals in international cricket, which is quite the record in itself.
8. Ian Healy (68 stumpings)
The Australian wicketkeeper who was termed to inspire Adam Gilchrist, Ian Healy also makes it into the list of most stumpings in cricket. Being a right-handed dominant, Ian made 628 dismissals in his international career.
Healy had 68 stumpings out of 628 career dismissals, which is quite the mixed bag when we talk records. Along with that, Healy played international cricket for 11 years and passed the baton to Adam Gilchrist.
9. Sarfaraz Ahmed (56 stumpings)
The former captain of Pakistan, Sarfaraz Ahmed is one of the finest keepers and leaders of Pakistan cricket. His ability to change the game from behind the stumps is still talked about. Ahmed played 232 matches in international cricket, but hasn’t retired until now.
In recent times though, Ahmed has been in and out of the international setup. Sarafaraz, during his playing days, has inflicted 56 stumpings to his name. Not only that, he also had 371 dismissals, which states he was good with the gloves.
10. Mohammad Shahzad (53 stumpings)
The last name in the list of most stumpings in cricket is Mohammad Shahzad. Often criticized for his overweight issue, Shahzad didn’t allow that to come in the middle of his international wicket keeping duties.
Shahzad has played for 14 years now, and has been no less of a superstar for Afghanistan cricket. According to the records present at Cricinfo, Shahzad has 53 stumpings to his name. Not only that, Shahzad has also inflicted 149 dismissals from 153 matches.
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