Record-breaker Boucher on the Mark
Mark Boucher today broke the record for most Test catches, surpassing Aussie great Ian Healy with two scalps in Pakistan's first innings of the First Test at Centurion.
Boucher held on when Faisal Iqbal gloved a ball off Jaques Kallis to claim catch number 367 - one more than Healy. Including stumpings, it took the keeper's tally to 382, passing Healy's successor Adam Gilchrist into second place in the list of most prolific wicket-keepers.
To make Boucher's day complete it was also the 30-year-old's 100th Test appearance, the third keeper and fourth South African to achieve a hundred caps.
As well as being a great gloveman, Boucher also delivers in front of the stumps - over 7,000 international runs and four Test centuries - streets ahead of anything England have to offer at the moment.
posted by Shamik Das at 6:09 PM
3 Comments:
He is a quality player, always seems to chip in with the bat just when SA need him to. If these three Tests are as good as the India series just gone, we have some exciting stuff to look forward to and the perfect antidote to the hapless dross served up by England in the recent weeks. regards, nick
11 January, 2007 21:17
A solid performer but since south africa have not produced a quality spinner (other than pat symcox) in the time he has been keeping for the test team he's not really been tested standing up to the stumps.
Was having a look at the Cricinfo dismissals list for fielding. Interesting to note who holds the test record for most stumpings in their career:
Bert Oldfield : 52 stumpings in 54 matches (78 dismissals overall)
It's quite a record. I had expected it would be an Indian Keeper, so wondered who the spinner was that he took his stumpings off. The one who seems to span the most is Clarrie Grimmett. Though cricinfo's advanced filter on the stats guru isn't perfect. Grimmett was one of the early innovators of leg spin bowling including the flipper.
Back to Boucher though. He's also taken a test match wicket - and it's not against bangladesh or zimbabwe, but against the Windies on the flat track of the Antigua recreation ground - a ground which bowlers the world over will hope has been bulldozed over
I think Boucher has done well for himself to do so well in his international career when he is probably not the best keeper in South Africa. However, he has made himself into one of the best Keeper Batsmen in the world
11 January, 2007 23:31
Some great stats there!
The series in South Africa - both against India and now Pakistan - just feel so much more like Test cricket. Another fantastic day's play today at Centurion, evenly poised with both teams capable of winning.
As for England in today's ODI? Flintoff's first over went for 11 - all of them wides! It's too embarrassing!!
12 January, 2007 17:36
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