Godfrey Evans
Thomas Godfrey Evans was an English cricketer who played for Kent and England. Described by Wisden as 'arguably the best wicket-keeper the game has ever seen', Evans collected 219 dismissals in 91 Test match appearances between 1946 and 1959 and a total of 1066 in all first-class matches. En route he was the first wicket keeper to reach 200 Test dismissals and the first Englishman to reach both 1000 runs and 100 dismissals and 2000 runs and 200 dismissals in Test cricket. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1951.
Early career
As a teenager Godfrey Evans was a good all-round sportsman, gaining his colours and captaining the cricket, football and hockey teams at Kent College, Canterbury. He was also a very good boxer, winning all his amateur and professional fights, but at the age of 17 was forced by the Kent committee to choose between cricket and boxing. He worked on the ground staff at Dover in 1937, operating the scoreboard on the occasion that Kent made 219 runs in 71 minutes to beat Gloucestershire.He made his Kent debut on 22 July 1939 against Surrey at Blackheath. He made 8 in the first innings as the match ended in a draw. World War II, during which he was in the Royal Army Service Corps, interrupted his career but a strong first season back in 1946 earned him a Test call-up.
Test career
First Test and tour
Evans made his Test debut in 1946 against India, when he was chosen for the third Test at The Oval, replacing Paul Gibb. In a largely rain-affected contest he didn't bat nor take any dismissals.Evans was selected as a member of Wally Hammond's side to tour Australia in 1946/47. After Gibb had played the first Test, Evans got his chance in the second at Melbourne. Australia won the match by an innings having scored 659/8 declared in their first innings, in 173 overs of English bowling Evans did not concede any byes, with Wisden commenting he 'kept wicket magnificently'. Evans did not concede a bye in Australia's first innings of 365 at Adelaide in the third Test either, this took the tally past 1,000 runs before he conceded his first bye in Ashes Tests. In the Fourth Test at Adelaide, Evans shared in a vital ninth wicket partnership with Denis Compton, England were in danger of losing the Test at 255/8 but Evans played a fine defensive innings, scoring 10 not out in 133 minutes, this enabled Compton to complete his second century of the match and Hammond the chance to declare. Evans took 97 minutes before scoring his first run, a Test record which stood until 1999 when beaten by Geoff Allott.
A short tour of New Zealand followed the Ashes series; rain heavily affected the only Test match, but in the Marylebone Cricket Club 's tour match against Otago Evans completed his maiden first-class century. His innings of 101 came from 170 runs which were scored while he was at the wicket with Jack Ikin.
Ever present
In the 1947 home series with South Africa, Evans played in all five Tests scoring 209 runs at 41.80 and taking 14 dismissals. In the first Test at Trent Bridge he scored his maiden Test fifty with an innings of 74 that contained 14 fours. In the fifth Test at The Oval, Evans had scores of 45 and 39 not out, the second innings came in 29 minutes as England looked to score quick runs before a declaration.England toured the West Indies in January 1948, Evans as first choice keeper played all four Tests scoring 128 runs at 18.28 and claiming seven victims. Of his series performance Wisden wrote: "Evans delighted the native crowds with his spectacular wicket-keeping, but as a batsman he accomplished little".
During the 1948 Ashes Evans was once again an ever-present, scoring 188 runs at 26.85 and taking 12 dismissals. His most notable act of the series were two missed stumpings as Australia successfully chased down, a Test record, 404 in the fourth Test at Headingley. The first chance occurred when Arthur Morris was on 32, the second chance when Donald Bradman was on 108; he finished with 173 not out.
Drop and return
On the tour of South Africa in 1948/49 Evans was dropped after 22 consecutive Tests, a record sequence for a wicket-keeper at that time. He did play the first three Tests but after scoring 49 runs in five innings was replaced for the final two Tests by Billy Griffith. Evans regained his place in the team for the home series against New Zealand in 1949, in the four Test series which ended 0–0 Evans scored 61 runs in four innings and took 12 dismissals.West Indies were the tourists in 1950, in the first Test at Old Trafford, Evans made his maiden Test century. He came to the wicket with England 88/5 in the first innings, but together with Trevor Bailey they recovered the innings with a partnership of 161 runs. Evans score of 104 contained 17 fours with Wisden commenting that he "neglected no opportunity to hit hard". In the third Test Evans added a fifty, his score of 68 coming from 83 added while he was at the wicket, the batting performance coming after he had conceded just two byes in West Indies' first innings total of 558. England lost the match by 10 wickets, a second successive defeat. A broken thumb stopped Evans from playing in the fourth Test of the series; his replacement, Arthur McIntyre, scored 4 and 0 as England sustained an innings defeat to lose the series 3–1.
Second Ashes tour
Evans is a grand keeper. On this tour he proved that he is the outstanding keeper in the world today. I have never seen a better keeper than Tallon as he was in England in 1948...but that time has passed. Evans is now the world best. That's the way things go and the way we Australians are supposed to like it. Evans reminds me always of a fox terrier. He simply cannot stand still whilst on the cricket field. He moves with short, quick steps, dives, literally dives, at the ball when it is returned badly out of his reach... – Bill O'Reilly
Evans was back in the England team for the 1950/51 Ashes, although McIntyre did remain in the XI, as a specialist batsman, for the first Test. In the Brisbane match Evans took two noteworthy catches, the first from a Neil Harvey leg glance off the bowling of Alec Bedser, he moved so quickly to the leg side, that according to Neville Cardus, he made the catch look easy. The second dismissal was off the bowling of Freddie Brown, a Sam Loxton cut struck Evans on the gloves and rebounded forward, Evans dived headlong catching the ball inches above the ground. In the second Test at Melbourne, England were 126/7 in their first innings in response to Australia's 194. Evans, batting at nine, scored 49 which enabled a first innings lead although he failed in the second innings as England unsuccessfully chased 179. Australia won the next two Tests so arrived back at Melbourne for the fifth and final Test with the chance of completing a Whitewash, however this was averted with an eight wicket win by England. This was, at the fourteenth attempt, Evans' first time on the winning side in an Ashes Test. It also marked Australia's first post-war defeat in their 26th Test.
The end of series report in Wisden commented that: "Evans did not miss one Test catch, but he caught some which became chances only through lightning mental reaction plus acrobatic agility" commenting on his batting added: "Evans played one praiseworthy innings in the second Test but in others inability to curb his natural ebullience caused him to do less than justice to his talents."
The tour ended with a two Tests in New Zealand, Evans played both matches his most noteworthy act occurred in the second Test at Wellington where he conceded 30 byes in New Zealand's second innings total of 189. This was, and remained, the highest number of byes he conceded in a Test innings.
1951
At the start of the 1951 season Evans was chosen as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his performances in the 1950 season, the other four recipients of the award – Sonny Ramadhin, Alf Valentine, Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell – were members of the victorious West Indian tourists.The 1951 home Test series with South Africa proved to be a poor one for Evans, who was dropped for the final two Tests of the summer having scored just seven runs in the first three Tests. His keeping was not up to his usual standards either, in the South Africa second innings at Old Trafford he conceded 13 byes, significant in a low score of 191.
An MCC 'A' team toured India that winter and Evans was approached, however he declined the invitation believing that the constant cricket of the past five years had been the cause for his drop in form.
Batting at his best
Evans would play India the following year, as he returned to the Test team for the home series between the two countries. In the first Test at Leeds, Evans scored 66 in 97 minutes, a vital innings as England were 182/5 when Evans came to the wicket responding to India's 293. England won the match by seven wickets after India collapsed to 0/4 in their second innings. The second Test at Lord's was a significant match for Evans with bat and gloves. In India's first innings Evans took what Wisden described as a "brilliant stumping off a ball which had turned sharply towards the slips", the dismissal was Evans' 100th at Test level, he became the first English wicket-keeper to reach the landmark and the second keeper after Bert Oldfield. In England's response Evans scored his second Test century, scoring 104 in 135 minutes with 16 boundaries, his scoring was so quick that he nearly reached 100 in a session, he lunched on 98 not out. He shared a 159-run sixth wicket partnership with Tom Graveney as England scored quickly to build a 302-run first innings lead. England won the match by eight wickets despite Vinoo Mankad scoring 184 in the second innings.Evans good batting form continued to the third Test at Old Trafford, where he passed 50 for a third successive Test innings. Again he demonstrated his quick scoring abilities with an innings of 71 in 78 minutes, the other England batsman were more cautious and the total progressed by only 84 while Evans was batting. England dismissed India for 58 and 82 to win the match and the series. The final Test at The Oval was a rain affected draw, Evans scored one to finish the series with an aggregate of 242 runs at 60.50, with the gloves he took eight dismissals.