Follow UsAs hard as it might be to believe, one of the most iconic yesteryear's wicketkeepers, Jack Russell, had a terrible habit of not brushing his teeth for 2-3 days ahead of a Test so that he was able to put off batters while standing close to them.
The fact was revealed by Russell’s former teammate Phil Tufnell during a podcast recently.
“My wicketkeeper, Jack Russell, didn't brush his teeth for a couple of days. He said he wanted to put the batters off when he was standing up to the crease. Lots of little shenanigans go on there,” Tufnell was quoted as saying to the BBC by TOI.
The West Indies cricketer, famous for the ‘remember the name’ tagline because of his heroics in winning the T20 World Cup 2016 for the side, also weighed in on the tactics of wicketkeepers.
Carlos Brathwaite said, “There are some that, when you’re batting, it’s just like, shut up. But as a bowler, you just love it. It brings a different energy. When you have a quiet keeper, it feels like the game takes so long.”
While Russell played 54 Tests for England, taking 153 catches and effecting 12 stumpings, Tufnell featured in 42 Tests for the Three Lions.