{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Eight wicketkeepers who racked up the most Test caps, and one South African record no one has cracked yet",
  "summary": "Mark Boucher tops the list of wicketkeepers with the most Test appearances, while India's MS Dhoni and Syed Kirmani also feature among the eight names.",
  "content": "A wicketkeeper's job in Test cricket rarely ends at catches and stumpings behind the stumps, plenty of times the same player has had to pull the team out of trouble with the bat as well. Over the decades a handful of keepers built long careers spanning hundreds of innings and left behind batting numbers that have never been matched. At the top of that list sits South Africa's Mark Boucher, whose tally has stood untouched long after he hung up his gloves.\n\nMark Boucher's record no one has broken\nMark Boucher played across a career that ran from 1997 to 2012, appearing in 147 Test matches, the most by any wicketkeeper in the game's history. He batted in 206 innings, remained not out on 24 occasions and scored 5515 runs, with a highest score of 125. His career average read 30.30, and he struck 5 centuries and 35 half centuries along the way, though he was also dismissed for a duck 17 times. His match tally remains the benchmark no other keeper has caught up to, even years after his career ended.\n\nIan Healy, the closest challenger\nAustralia's Ian Healy played 119 Tests between 1988 and 1999, the second highest figure on this list behind Boucher. Healy batted in 182 innings, was unbeaten 23 times and finished with 4356 runs. His highest score was an unbeaten 161, and he averaged 27.39 with the bat. Across his career he scored 4 centuries and 22 half centuries, while also being known for his sharp glovework behind the stumps.\n\nAdam Gilchrist's explosive numbers\nFew names evoke aggressive batting quite like Adam Gilchrist's. He played just 96 Tests between 1999 and 2008, yet in that shorter span he scored 5570 runs across 137 innings, remaining not out 20 times, more runs than any other keeper on this list managed. His highest score was an unbeaten 204, the biggest individual innings among all eight names here. Gilchrist's average of 47.60 is the best on the list by some distance, and he hit 17 centuries and 26 half centuries in a career far shorter than most of his peers, changing how keeper batting was viewed in the process.\n\nRod Marsh and Alan Knott, stalwarts from an earlier era\nAustralia's Rod Marsh played 96 Tests between 1970 and 1984, scoring 3633 runs across 150 innings with a highest score of 132. He averaged 26.51 and struck 3 centuries and 16 half centuries. England's Alan Knott, meanwhile, played 95 matches between 1967 and 1981. Knott scored 4389 runs across 149 innings, remaining unbeaten 15 times, with a highest score of 135. He averaged 32.75 and hit 5 centuries alongside 30 half centuries.\n\nGodfrey Evans, a pillar from an older generation\nEngland's Godfrey Evans was active between 1946 and 1959 and played 91 Tests in that period. He scored 2439 runs across 133 innings, with his only century, an innings of 104, coming during that stretch. He averaged 20.49 and struck 8 half centuries over his career.\n\nWhere MS Dhoni stands on this list\nIndia's MS Dhoni played Test cricket between 2005 and 2014, featuring in 90 matches during that period. He scored 4876 runs across 144 innings, remaining not out 16 times. His highest score was 224, an innings he played against Australia in Chennai. Dhoni averaged 38.09 with the bat and scored 6 centuries along with 33 half centuries.\n\nSyed Kirmani rounds out the list\nIndia's Syed Kirmani played 88 Tests between 1976 and 1986. He scored 2759 runs across 124 innings, with a highest score of 102. He averaged 27.04 and hit 2 centuries and 12 half centuries. That leaves two Indian names on this list, and only two keepers, Boucher and Healy, who crossed the 100 Test mark. All eight of these keepers, in their own eras, ended up being as important with the bat as they were behind the stumps.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Who has played the most Test matches as a wicketkeeper?\nSouth Africa's Mark Boucher played 147 Test matches, the most by any wicketkeeper.\n\n2. How many keepers on this list crossed 100 Test matches?\nOnly Mark Boucher (147) and Ian Healy (119) crossed the 100 Test mark on this list.\n\n3. Who has the highest individual score on this list?\nAdam Gilchrist's unbeaten 204 is the highest individual score among these eight keepers.\n\n4. What is MS Dhoni's highest score in Test cricket?\nMS Dhoni's highest Test score was 224, which he scored against Australia in Chennai.\n\n5. Who has the best batting average on this list?\nAdam Gilchrist's average of 47.60 is the best among all eight keepers on this list.\n\n6. Which Indian players feature on this list?\nIndia's MS Dhoni and Syed Kirmani both feature on this list.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/cricket/viketa-ke-pichhe-se-ranon-ka-pahara-khara-karane-vale-8-diggaja-mark-boucher-ka-rikorda-aja-bhi-barakarara-28592",
  "category": "Cricket",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-06",
  "tags": [
    "Test cricket records",
    "wicketkeeper batsmen",
    "Mark Boucher",
    "Adam Gilchrist",
    "MS Dhoni",
    "Syed Kirmani",
    "Ian Healy"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}