The primary job of a wicketkeeper is to provide a safe pair of hands behind the wicket, but if they can also contribute a lot of runs with the bat, it can be a huge bonus for a team.
Adam Gilchrist saved so many innings when he arrived at the crease in the middle order for Australia in the 90s and 00s, while Alec Stewart had a very good batting average for England.
Here is a look at some of the best wicketkeeper batsmen in Test cricket today.
Jos Buttler (England)
Jos Buttler is one of the most explosive batsmen in all formats of the game. If he didn’t keep wicket for England, he would be in the team as a specialist batsman. It is a huge bonus then for them that he is able to field as their wicket-keeper, a role he has grown into.
Buttler has 17 half-centuries for England in Test cricket. He is able to provide quick runs for his team if required to do so.
Although his form has not been great in 2020, he is a very dangerous batsman, as he showed against India in 2018 when he scored 106 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
Buttler will be hoping he can play a big part in helping regain the Ashes Down Under in 2021. England are 11/4 in the cricket betting for the 2021/22 Ashes series so they need their best players to step up in what is going to be a tough challenge for them.
Tim Paine (Australia)
Australia have had a lot of success over the last couple of years in Test cricket and a large amount of credit has to go to their captain, Tim Paine. The 35-year-old wicketkeeping batsman has not only done a great job of leading the team, he has been very consistent with the gloves and bat.
Although he is not as explosive as Gilchrist, Paine has proved to be a big asset for Australia in the middle order. The Aussie skipper has so often been able to steady the ship for his side when needed.
His best score so far in Test cricket is 92, which came against India in Mohali in the First Test of that overseas series in 2010.
Rishabh Pant (India)
The youngest player on this list is India’s Rishabh Pant. The 22-year-old is one of the most exciting young stars in world cricket.
Pant took over the wicketkeeping role from MS Dhoni so he has had big gloves to fill, but he has got off to a fantastic start.
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In the series against West Indies in 2019, Pant became the fastest wicket-keeper to pick up 50 dismissals in Test cricket, beating the previous record set by his predecessor, Dhoni.
Pant’s batting average is currently 44.35 which says a lot about his form with the bat. If he continues on the projection he is going, he has a great chance of becoming the undisputed number one wicket-keeper batsman in world cricket over the next couple of years.
All three of the above batsmen will be in contention for being named in the ICC Test team of the year at the end of 2020.