Godfrey Evans

Template:Infobox Historic Cricketer Thomas Godfrey Evans CBE (August 18, 1920 – May 3, 1999) 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 further 1066 in first-class matches for Kent. 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.

Test career

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 or take any dismissals. <>

After cricket

After his retirement from professional cricket Evans became a cricket expert for bookmakers Ladbrokes, famously offering odds of 500 to 1 on an England victory against Australia at Headingley in 1981, the match in which Ian Botham and Bob Willis fought back from following-on at 227 runs behind to achieve a memorably improbable victory.

External links

• Godfrey Evans at ESPNcricinfo
• David Frith, Ebullient keeper with eternal charm, The Independent, May 4, 1999
• Norman Harris, Obituary, The Independent, May 4, 1999