Standing up to be counted: Tom Blundell leads brave new brand of wicketkeepers

Tom Blundell and Matt Henry bask in a plan well executed as Joe Root is dismissed in England’s first innings at the Oval. Photograph: Philip Brown/Getty Images

They say the best wicketkeeping performance is the one you don’t notice. But that’s not entirely true. Take Tom Blundell’s masterclass at the Oval this past week. Standing up to the stumps against New Zealand’s opening bowler Matt Henry, the Black Caps gloveman was impossible to ignore.

Henry’s 11 for 109, and tons from Glenn Phillips and Henry Nicholls, have been recorded in the scorebooks for posterity, but those who witnessed the lightning-quick hands and immense courage shown by Blundell will know that his contributions were just as integral to the fabric of New Zealand’s 253-run win.