Ranking Healy/Gilchrist Celebrations of Warne Wickets

Who celebrated better?

With Shane Warne’s birthday having recently passed, as it so annually does, a one-minute montage from Cricket Australia of some of his bowled dismissals began circulating on social media once more.

And, yes, yes. Warne was a leg spinning genius. No news there.

But it occurred to me that this is also a montage of Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist celebrations. So, instead of paying attention to boring old Warne, let’s score how the two keepers did, celebration-wise, shall we?

Dismissal 1: Healy goes to glove the ball, then after it hits the top of middle stump raises his arms straight up, then around and down as he starts searching for the ball. Unremarkable. 4/10

Dismissal 2: A lovely pirouette from Healy who, after the ball hits the stumps, immediately turns 360 degrees before he heads off to celebrate, almost as if he doesn't want to ever look again at this stupid batter who left a ball that was going to rip back into his stump. Superb. 9/10

Dismissal 3: A leap, a clap and then laughter directed at the batter who has been bowled around his legs. This is followed by another clap as he does a second little jump. What is more contemptuous? A refusal to look at the batter or outright derision of them? Answer this question and you will know the relative disdain held by Healy for misjudged leaves vs the insufficient coverage of one's leg stump. 8/10

Dismissal 4: Healy is utterly delighted by the success of the flipper here, bouncing up and down on the spot a couple of times, arms raised high in the sky. There's a purity in the joy that a flipper can invoke that is perhaps missing from a standard leg break. 8/10

Dismissal 5: In contrast, this is run of the mill, and Healy's response reflects that. Feet planted firmly on the ground, no leap anywhere to be found, arms barely bothering to be raised. A look to the square leg umpire for some reason. Dull. 2/10

Dismissal 6: Gilchrist carefully watches the ball hit the stumps - a fate in which he was so confident that he didn't even pretend to try to glove it. No leaping, just fists cocked as he charges out from behind the stumps to celebrate with Warne, the tiniest of claps as he passes the batter. Slightly more guttural tone to his roar of celebration. 5/10

Dismissal 7: Back to Healy, keeping in sunglasses and swooping up in the air, arms raised high, seemingly simultaneous to the ball hitting the stumps. Outstanding celebrating to be so in sync with the ball removing the bails. A secondary one-handed punch of the air is unnecessary, but forgivable. 7/10

Dismissal 8: Gilchrist is up in a flash, hands high, then bringing them down to a single gloved clap. A cameo flash of Mike Hussey racing past the dismissed batter is the kind of celebratory support work you'd expect from Mr Cricket. A bonus point also on offer for the way KP instantly marches off, bat under the arm. 7/10

Dismissal 9: Healy utterly bored by Warne's bamboozling brilliance by now. Hands up in the sky, barely registered leap, before immediately exiting frame. He'd be disappointed with this. 3/10

Dismissal 10: Even the flipper doesn't seem to bring the joy it once did, although there is an admirable verticality to Healy's celebration, standing very straight, arms raised straight above his head. 6/10

Dismissal 11: This is more like it. Healy's smile at this dismissal is a gorgeous thing. Unfettered joy all over his face at the amount of turn Warne achieved. A jump, a secondary punch of delight. Mark Taylor swooping in from slip to retrieve the ball is a commendable show of neatness but adds no extra points. 8/10

Dismissal 12: Another flipper, and Healy's response is classic delight. A jump, a wide smile, and precise armwork with gloves moving from the top of the stumps straight up for the initial celebration before circling out wide as he runs past the batter to celebrate. 7/10

Dismissal 13: Poor from Gilchrist. No jumping, no clapping, just the bare 'oh, yes, Warney' as he leaves the scene of this barely celebrated crime. Frankly, not good enough. 1/10

Dismissal 14: The flipper again elicits cheer from Ian Healy, whose arms whip above his head. Once more, tremendous verticality from Healy (although, if I’m being picky, the slightest lean to his right) before he brings the gloves down for a clap and a charge to the bowler. Not quite at the level of some other flipper celebrations, but Richie Richardson's hat earns this one an extra point. 7/10

Dismissal 15: Just a split-second of Gilchrist's celebration here, but it's a good one, as he moves in one motion from attempting to cleanly glove the ball to bringing both arms out to his right side then a kind of scrunched leap of celebration angled towards mid-wicket before he charges off in pursuit of the celebrating Warne. Unorthodox, but effective. 7/10

There we have it. Which keeper celebration is your favourite?