Most runs by Wicketkeeper in a calendar year in Tests

Most runs by Wicketkeeper in a calendar year in Tests

Cricket history has been full of the best wicketkeepers in the world. Wicketkeepers who redefined the term wicket-keeping batsman. However as the time passes the number of such legends is gradually reducing. At first Adam Gilchrist departed, then Mark Boucher got forced to announce his retirement and more recently Kumar Sangakkara also said goodbye to the cricket fans. No doubt there are many wicketkeepers in the world and some of them are real good. But the thing is none of them comes any near to the retiring legends except MS Dhoni. The Indian limited over skipper has also seen the peak of his cricket career. So again the only young wicketkeeper enriched with some real batting talent left was Quinton de Kock until there appeared a man named Johnny Bairstow.

The English wicketkeeper batsman has proven his worth in tests as well as in ODIs. However currently he is going fluently in Test matches. Though he has been playing for England as a non-wicketkeeper batsman as well but when playing as a wicketkeeper he has been superb. The player has just become the batsman with most runs scored by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year. Johnny Bairstow overtook Matt Prior’s 777 runs record for the year 2012 to become the highest run getter English wicketkeeper in a calendar year. And for his average as wicketkeeper batsman, Bairstow has an average of 59.27 while appearing as a wicket-keeping batsman. Among all the players having scored over 1000 test runs his average is the highest.

Apart from most runs by wicketkeeper in a calendar year record, Johnny Bairstow is currently the top run scorer in Tests for the year 2016. After playing 14 innings he has scored a total of 856 runs this far this year.  Certainly he is the world record holder for England, but in most runs by wicketkeepers in a calendar year list he is not on top yet. Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower holds the record of most runs by wicketkeeper in a calendar year. And of course the full list goes as under.

Most runs by Wicketkeeper in a calendar year in Tests

Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave
A Flower (Zim)	9	16	3	1045	232*	80.38
AB de Villiers (SA)	9	13	1	933	164	77.75
A Flower (Zim)	9	14	4	899	199*	89.90
KC Sangakkara (SL)	12	17	1	891	140	55.68
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	14	19	2	870	152	51.17
JM Bairstow (Eng)	9	14	3	856	167*	77.81
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	14	25	3	837	144	38.04
Adam Gilchrist (Aus)	15	22	2	836	162	41.80
AC Gilchrist (Aus)	11	16	5	792	204*	72.00
MJ Prior (Eng)	15	22	2	777	91	38.85

Most runs by Wicketkeeper in a calendar year in Tests

1. A Flower
2. AB de Villiers
3. A Flower
4. KC Sangakkara
5. AC Gilchrist
6. JM Bairstow
7. AC Gilchrist
8. AC Gilchrist
9. AC Gilchrist
10. MJ Prior