A wicket-keeper’s role in T20s is not limited to glove work.
The benchmark set by the modern-day greats demands a wicket-keeper to be a valuable addition to the team’s batting line-up. Also, with the wide-spread fielders, the man in the middle has to be the most active person setting up things right for every ball to be bowled.
However, the primary role of a wicket-keeper is to do the basics right. The last thing expected from the men with the glove should be to grab onto every nick from the batter’s blade and be vigilant to the step-downs. In a format in which a single action can turn the game upside down, effective wicket-keeping is more than sufficient to win games.
There are 5 instances where a wicket-keeper affected 5 dismissals in a single T20 game. We will look at them in detail in the table below.
5+ dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a single T20I game
| WICKETKEEPER | DISMISSALS | CATCHES/STUMPINGS | OPPOSITION | YEAR | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan) | 5 | 3/2 | Oman | 2015 | Abu Dhabi |
| MS Dhoni (India) | 5 | 5/0 | England | 2018 | Bristol |
| Irfan Karim (Kenya) | 5 | 2/3 | Ghana | 2019 | Kampala |
| Kiplin Doriga (PNG) | 5 | 5/0 | Vanuatu | 2019 | Apia |
| Irfan Karim (Kenya) | 5 | 5/0 | Uganda | 2021 | Kigali |
Stats Insights
MS Dhoni (India), Kiplin Doriga (PNG), and Irfan Karim (Kenya) are the three wicket-keepers to grab 5 catches in a T20 international innings, whereas Dinesh Ramdin (West Indies) and Kamran Akmal (Pakistan) hold the record for the most stumpings in a T20I game – 4.
The former Indian captain, Dhoni, who holds the record for the most dismissals in T20 Internationals by a wicket-keeper, is the only cricketer to pick 4 catches in a game two times in his T20I career, in addition to his 5-catches spectacle.
Likewise, the Pakistani wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal has also affected 3 stumpings in a T20I match twice in his career.
