There are only a few moments on a cricket field that can captivate spectators’ attention, like a quick stumping. It is an act of precision, skill, and agility that the keeper possesses, leaving onlookers in sheer amazement and the batsman utterly bewildered. The fastest stumping in cricket history serves as proof of the remarkable reflexes and foresight exhibited by a wicketkeeper.
Imagine the tension on the field when the ball whizzes past the stump, leaving the batsman stranded on the crease. The wicketkeeper comes into action as he snatches the ball from the air and removes the bails. A great gloveman can change the course of any cricket match in an instant. Cricket has produced some extraordinary keepers who are insanely fast behind the wickets. This article will feature some great glovemen, from MS Dhoni to Brandon McCullum. You can also check out our best wicketkeeper in the world feature.
In this article, we will delve into the record books and present you with the top 10 fastest-stumping record holders.
Let’s have a look.
Stumping requires an athlete’s complete attention and anticipation. It is extremely tough to keep wickets. Wicketkeepers must be quick on their feet with incredible reflexes to remove the bails before batsmen can even think.
The greatest wicket keepers sharpened their skills for years before they could actually make a difference in the world of cricket. MS Dhoni holds the record for the fastest stumping in cricket history. With lightning-fast speed, he uprooted the stumps of Keemo Paul in just 0.08 seconds.
Here is the complete list of the fastest stumping in cricket.
Top 10 Fastest Stumping Record List:
| Position | Wicketkeeper | Team | Opposition batsman | Opposition team | Tournament | Year |
| 1 | MS Dhoni | India | Keemo Paul | West Indies | Bilateral series | 2018 |
| 2 | MS Dhoni | India | Mitchell Marsh | Australia | Bilateral series | 2012 |
| 3 | Ben Cox | Worcestershire | Callum MacLeod | Derbyshire | T20 Blast | 2018 |
| 4 | MS Dhoni | Chennai Super Kings | Shubman Gill | Gujarat Titans | Indian Premier League | 2023 |
| 5 | Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | Ricky Ponting | Australia | ICC World Cup | 2011 |
| 6 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | Jimmy Maher | Australia | VB series | 2003 |
| 7 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | Brian Lara | West Indies | Bilateral series | 2007 |
| 8 | Mark Boucher | South Africa | Marvan Atapattu | Sri Lanka | Bilateral series | 2006 |
| 9 | Adam Gilchrist | Australia | Craig McMillan | New Zealand | Bilateral series | 2005 |
| 10 | Bradley Barnes | South Africa | Saurabh Tiwary | India | U-19 World Cup | 2008 |
As mentioned earlier, former Indian captain MS Dhoni holds the record for the fastest stumping in cricket. This stumping occurred in a bilateral match against the West Indies in 2018. In the fourth ODI match of the series, MS Dhoni took just 0.08 seconds to effect the stumping of Keemo Paul. It is one of the greatest moments in the history of cricket.
Coming to the game, the West Indies were already struggling to chase a mammoth target of 377. On the second to last ball of the 28th over, Ravindra Jadeja managed to spin the ball enough for MS Dhoni to showcase his magic. Keemo Paul lunged forward and missed the delivery completely, giving MS Dhoni ample time to dislodge the bails. Everyone was stunned by the way MS snatched those bails to record the fastest stumping in cricket history. This feat is the perfect showcase of how fast MS Dhoni is. It further proves how he isn’t only one of the best cricket captains in the world, but also one of the greatest cricket players to have ever come.
In this instance, Mitchell Marsh fell prey to MS Dhoni as he tried to leave his crease and missed the ball completely. Dhoni’s exceptional skills of anticipation came into play as he removed the bails in a blink-and-miss situation.
This dismissal took place six years prior to the Keemo Paul dismissal by a young and energetic MS Dhoni. During the India tour of Australia in 2012, the second T20 match of the series witnessed something extraordinary from MS Dhoni. Off the ball delivered by Rahul Sharma, Mitchell Marsh attempted to step out of the popping crease and hit for a biggie. Unfortunately, he missed the ball completely, leaving him vulnerable to MS Dhoni’s swift hands. Displaying agility and precision, Dhoni affected the stumping in just 0.09 seconds. It became the fastest stumping in the world, and MS Dhoni became the fastest wicketkeeper in the world.
To get featured in this list of world’s fastest-stumping, Ben Cox had a stroke of luck. It was an unintentional stumping that earned him a place in the top 5 fastest stumpings in cricket.
In the first ball of the over, Ed Barnard pitched the delivery in a good length area and angled it into the batter. Macleod attempted to dab the ball for a single towards the third man. However, as luck would have it, the ball struck Cox’s pad and rebounded onto the stumps. The batsman was slightly out of the crease for a single but was declared out.
MS Dhoni is the fastest wicket keeper, period. This statement holds true because, even at the age of 41 he is executing brilliant stumpings and reminding us of the amazing reflexes of MS Dhoni.
In the final of IPL 2023, Dhoni managed to remove the bails before Shubman Gill could even react. Regarding the delivery, Gill lost his balance trying to play a ball by Ravindra Jadeja and ended up missing it. It was enough for MS to take the bails off as Gill tried his best to get back to the crease. In this case, Dhoni’s reflexes proved quicker than those of the young Shubman Gill, and he had to make his way back to the pavilion.
The final entry on our list features the flamboyant wicketkeeper-batsman from New Zealand, Brendon McCullum. Brendon assisted Southee in getting rid of Ponting during a World Cup match between New Zealand and Australia in 2011.
Ricky Ponting was struggling against Southee and McCullum noticed this. He moved closer to the stumps of a fast bowler. Southee also aided him by going around the wicket to create an angle and take the ball away from Ponting. This plan eventually worked when Ponting failed to make contact with the ball and McCullum did the rest. He was quick and spot on with a brilliant stumping. At the time, this was one of the fastest stumpings in world cricket.
It was at the Gabba when Australians were hosting Sri Lanka for a test series that we saw something remarkable from Kumar Sangakkara. Jimmy Maher, the Australian opener, tried to step down the pitch and hit a big shot against the master magician Muttiah Muralitharan but was deceived by a turning ball, forcing Kumar to grab it at extreme left while losing his balance.
Kumar Sangakkara managed to get hold of the ball and flicked his hands towards the right to affect the stumping. There was a big cheer from the crowd and Sri Lankans as they couldn’t believe their eyes. At that time, it was registered as one of the fastest stumping in world cricket.
This is another classic stumping from Kumar Sangakkara, reminiscent of MS Dhoni’s Stumping of Mitchell Marsh.
During a match against West Indies in 2007, Brian Lara tried to play an off drive on Chaminda Vaas but missed the ball completely. Sangakkara made no mistakes as he swiftly grabbed the ball and stumped Lara in a split second, marking it as one of the fastest stumpings in world cricket.
Suggested Read: Fastest Century in ODI
Fans witnessed the incredible foresight of Mark Boucher when he not only dismissed Marvan Atapattu with a catch but also executed a stumping in a single swift motion.
As Mark appealed for a catch, Marvan lost sight of the ball and inadvertently moved out of the crease. Seizing the opportunity, Mark removed the bails in quick succession to complete the stumping. This amazing foresight from Mark Boucher remains in history as one of the wittiest and quickest stumping.
Normally, we don’t see stumpings off fast bowlers but in this exceptional case, Adam Gilchrist created history. Glenn McGrath picked up a unique stumping to dismiss the New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan.
When McGrath was bowling, Gilchrist dared to stand right behind the wicket to intimidate the batsman. Unlucky for McMillan, one ball missed his bat completely as charged down the ground to tackle the ball. Gilchrist, standing next to stumps, grabbed the ball perfectly and took no time in flicking the bails off. Moreover, find the top 10 fastest ball in the cricket history and explore who tops the list.
This incident took place in the U-19 cricket World Cup in 2008 when India was playing South Africa. It was one of the most difficult dismissals in history as Saurabh Tiwary was using a runner.
The South African off-spinner Yaseen Vallie bowled a low full toss just outside the off stump. Tiwary completely misjudged the ball and South African wicketkeeper Bradly Barnes made no mistakes in flicking the bails off. The replay showed that Tiwary was well within the crease but his runner was way outside the popping crease. Furthermore, find out who is the fastest bowler in India based on their fastest deliveries.
Well, MS Dhoni features three times on this list, which is a testament to his skills, precision, and out-of-the-world reflexes. alongside many of his records like being the most successful Indian team captain, he also holds the record for the fastest stumping in the cricket world.
Ben Cox and Brendon McCullum also displayed incredible awareness and reflexes to achieve the fastest stumping in cricket history.
Don’t you love it when such exceptional cricketers showcase their skills on the field for us fans to witness? Tell us which one of these wicketkeepers is your favorite and if you would like to add another name to this list.
Do share your thoughts on this.
