One of the finest wicket-keepers to have graced the game, Godfrey Evans was a mainstay for Kent and England behind the stumps from just after the Second World War to the end of the 1950s.
Such was his mastery of the art that he was still giving immaculate displays in exhibition matches well into his fifties. An exuberant character, Evans had a gift for inspiring greater efforts in the field from his team-mates, and a useful knack of contributing runs from down the order, as his two Test centuries testify.
Building on the solid foundation laid by Len Hutton, Godfrey Evans came to the wicket at the start of day three with England already 57 ahead with five wickets in hand and laid waste to India’s bowlers. According to Wisden, Evans ‘hit with such abandon that although he did not offer a chance he scored 104 out of 159 put on with Graveney for the sixth wicket in two hours ten minutes.’ He narrowly missed scoring a century before lunch. England went on to win by 8 wickets.
Thomas Godfrey Evans (1920-1999)
91 Tests for England averaging 20.47 with the bat; 173 catches and 46 stumpings
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1951