Top 10 Most Stumpings By A Wicketkeeper in Test Cricket (2026 Upd)

Stumping is one of the sharpest and most exciting dismissals you’ll ever witness in Test cricket.

It takes a fraction of a second — the wicketkeeper has to read the spin, move his feet, and break the stumps before the bat comes back. One tiny mistake and the chance is gone forever.

These performances are incredibly rare in today’s game. Modern batters play cautiously, and spin bowling doesn’t get as much playing time as it used to.

That’s precisely what makes the all-time records so extraordinary — and why so few keepers have ever come close to matching them.

Most Stumpings By A Wicketkeeper in Test Cricket

This article walks you through every name on the list, the pitches that made it possible, and exactly why these feats still deserve attention from cricket fans around the world.

Top 10 Most Stumpings by a Wicketkeeper in Test Cricket

Most Stumpings by a Wicketkeeper in a Test Match – Top 10

1. Kiran Shankar More — 6 Stumpings (All-Time World Record)

• Record Summary: More pulled off six stumpings during the 1988 Chennai Test against the West Indies. That’s a number nobody else has ever reached in the history of Test cricket — not even close.
• Match Conditions: Chepauk in Chennai was a spinner’s dream that day. India’s spin attack had the West Indian batters completely on edge, and More was in the perfect spot every single time the ball turned.
• Why This Record Matters: Six stumpings in one Test match has stood as the world record for over 35 years now. It’s the clearest example of what happens when a keeper and a spin unit click perfectly together on a turning pitch.

2. Prabir Sen — 5 Stumpings

• Record Summary: Prabir Sen grabbed five stumpings in the 1952 Chennai Test against England. It remains the second-highest stumping haul ever recorded in a single Test match, and it was earned on a surface that gave India’s spinners everything they wanted.
• Match Conditions: Chennai was spinning from the word go. England’s batters kept overstepping and coming out of their crease looking for the turn — and Sen was waiting behind the stumps every time they did.
• Why This Record Matters: Sen’s haul put India’s spin-keeping partnership on the global map. It also cemented Chennai’s reputation as one of the world’s great spin venues — something the ground has carried with pride ever since.

3. J.M. Blackham — 4 Stumpings

• Record Summary: Jack Blackham — widely known as the “Father of Wicketkeeping” — took four stumpings in the 1888 Lord’s Test against England. This was one of cricket’s very earliest Test matches, which makes the achievement all the more jaw-dropping.
• Match Conditions: Pitches in the 1880s were raw, unpredictable, and nothing like what we see today. Equipment was basic, and there were no guides or coaching manuals to learn from. Blackham relied purely on instinct and fast hands.
• Why This Record Matters: Setting a benchmark like this in cricket’s infancy is remarkable. Blackham didn’t just play the role of wicketkeeper — he helped define it for every keeper who came after him.

4. A.H. Jarvis — 4 Stumpings

• Record Summary: Arthur Jarvis completed four stumpings in the 1895 Sydney Test against England. Australia were building a serious reputation in early Test cricket, and Jarvis played a quiet but crucial role in that rise.
• Match Conditions: Sydney’s pitch in the 1890s was a tough place to bat. The surface favoured bowlers more than batters, and Jarvis brought sharp anticipation and quick reflexes to finish off the English innings behind the stumps.
• Why This Record Matters: Jarvis’s performance added weight to Australia’s early Test dominance. It showed that the country’s wicketkeeping quality was already a genuine strength — even before the game had fully matured.

5, 6 & 7. Bert Oldfield — 4 Stumpings (Three Separate Times)

• Record Summary: Bert Oldfield is the only keeper in history to record four stumpings in a Test match on three different occasions — Melbourne in 1925, Sydney later that same year, and Adelaide in 1930. He also tops the all-time list with 52 total Test stumpings across his career.
• Match Conditions: Every one of Oldfield’s three four-stumping hauls came on pitches that gave the spin bowlers serious assistance. Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide each handed him perfect conditions — and he made the most of every single one.
• Why This Record Matters: Pulling off this feat once is impressive. Doing it three times across five years? That’s something no other keeper has come remotely close to. Oldfield’s understanding of spin and his fearless technique made him a true pioneer of the craft.

8. R.A. Saggers — 4 Stumpings

• Record Summary: Ray Saggers collected four stumpings during Australia’s 1950 Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. It was a sharp, disciplined performance that showed just how clean his technique was behind the stumps.
• Match Conditions: The Port Elizabeth pitch offered decent turn for the spinners on that occasion. South Africa’s batters found themselves under real pressure from Australia’s attack, and Saggers was set up to capitalise on every error that came his way.
• Why This Record Matters: Saggers proved that Australia’s wicketkeeping went far deeper than just one or two star names. His four stumpings added a fresh chapter to an already impressive Australian keeping legacy.

9. G.R.A. Langley — 4 Stumpings

• Record Summary: Gil Langley took four stumpings in the 1951 Brisbane Test against the West Indies. Brisbane’s pitch offered more spin than usual that day, and Langley brilliantly made the most of it.
• Match Conditions: Australia’s spin attack was firmly in charge throughout the match. The West Indian batters were on the back foot from the start, constantly being drawn out of their crease — and Langley was sharp enough to punish every slip.
• Why This Record Matters: Langley’s haul is a perfect example of how a strong keeper-spinner partnership can completely shift the momentum of a Test. Australia in the early 1950s was a dominant side, and Langley was a key piece of that puzzle.

10. V. Rajindernath — 4 Stumpings

• Record Summary: Vijay Rajindernath took four stumpings in the 1952 Mumbai Test against Pakistan. A solid, well-executed haul that brought India’s spin-keeping tradition back into the spotlight.
• Match Conditions: Mumbai has always been a spin bowler’s playground. India’s spinners were at their clinical best during this match, and Rajindernath was perfectly in tune with their bowling — executing four clean stumpings without drama.
• Why This Record Matters: Rajindernath’s performance placed him among India’s best wicketkeepers of that generation. It was another clear reminder that Indian home grounds have always been fertile ground for spin dismissals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Who holds the record for the most stumpings in a single Test match?

Kiran Shankar More of India holds the all-time record with 6 stumpings in a single Test against the West Indies at Chennai in January 1988.

• Which country dominates the top 10 stumping records in Tests?

Australia leads with 7 out of 10 entries on the list. Their spin-friendly home pitches and deep wicketkeeping talent have kept them at the top for over a century.

• Why have big stumping hauls become so rare in modern Test cricket?

Modern batters play far more carefully, the Decision Review System has changed how dismissals work, and spin bowling doesn’t feature as heavily as it once did — making multiple stumpings in one match extremely difficult.

• Who is the greatest wicketkeeper for stumpings in Test cricket history?

Bert Oldfield of Australia is widely regarded as the best. He holds the record for the most total Test stumpings (52) and is the only keeper ever to take 4 stumpings in a match three separate times.

• Can a pace bowler create stumping opportunities in Test cricket?

Yes, but it happens far less often. Almost every record-breaking stumping performance in history has come off spin bowling — the turn and bounce make it much easier for batters to be drawn out of their crease.

Conclusion:

The records in this list stretch back more than a century — from the bare, unpredictable pitches of the 1880s to the spin-heavy surfaces of India and Australia in the 1950s.

What connects every single one of these performances is simple: a wicketkeeper who was perfectly in step with his spin attack.

These feats are rare for very good reasons. They demand timing, trust, and a level of skill that very few keepers can pull off, even once, let alone match after match.

What the all-time list tells us:

• Era dominance: Australia and India own this record. Their home pitches have long been breeding grounds for spin bowling, and their keepers have thrived because of it.
• Role of spin bowling: Not a single entry on this list involves pace bowling. Stumpings at this level are almost entirely a spinner’s game.
• Rarity in modern cricket: DRS, more cautious batting, and fewer spin-friendly pitches have made big stumping hauls almost impossible in today’s Tests.
• Why these records still matter: They set the gold standard for what a wicketkeeper can achieve. Every keeper playing today still measures himself against these performances.

Cricket is a game built on split-second moments.

Every stumping on this list was one of those moments — a keeper’s gloves hitting the stumps just a heartbeat before the bat landed.

These keepers didn’t just play the game. They redefined what it means to keep wicket.

So the next time you’re watching a Test and a stumping flashes across your screen, take a moment. Appreciate it.

Because you’re watching something genuinely rare — and these legends showed us, long before anyone else, just how beautiful that dismissal can be.

Also Check:

• Players with Most Test Centuries Against One Country

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