When Marcus Trescothick took over wicketkeeping duties for England in the practice match against Bengal Cricket Association on Thursday, he unwittingly joined an illustrious list of players who have temporarily donned the short pads for club or country. Mark Greatbatch, Mike Gatting, Graham Gooch, Allan Border, Jimmy Adams, Javed Miandad, Salim Malik and even Robin Smith have all been called into service following injury to the No. 1 keeper - with variable levels of success.

The regulations regarding substitute fielders acting as wicketkeeper were tightened in 1986 following the Lord's Test between England and New Zealand, when the injured Bruce French was replaced first by Bill Athey, then Bob Taylor, and then Bobby Parks of Hampshire; neither Taylor or Parks was in the starting XI. Since then, substitute fielders in international matches haven't been allowed to keep wicket, and traditionally it has always been the more reliable slip catchers who have been given the honour.

The ultimate match for substitute keepers was in the summer of 1976, when Middlesex played West Indies and no fewer than five keepers were used, three by Middlesex (including Mike Brearley) and two by West Indies. And, following two early catches by the West Indian keeper Mike Findlay before he got injured, they didn't achieve a single dismissal between them.

Perhaps the most unique occurrence, however, was in the final of the indoor one-day series in Melbourne in 2000. South Africa's captain Shaun Pollock asked Gary Kirsten to take the gloves for one over while Andrew Hall, the incumbent keeper, had a bowl from the other end. Hall then resumed keeping duties for the next, and final, over of the match.

Substitute keepers don't always find the ball to be like a bar of soap. Pakistan's Mohammad Wasim, covering for the injured Moin Khan, took two stumpings in 1997-98 - Curtly Ambrose and Pat Symcox - and he's not the only stand-in keeper to make a Test stumping. Miandad, Sanjay Manjrekar and Aamer Malik have all done so, and they had some credible victims: Allan Border, Carl Hooper and Richie Richardson.

But while Trescothick did well against Bengal, claiming a stumping and a catch as James Foster looked on approvingly, England will still feel a lot more secure if the only gloves he is forced to wear on this tour are for batting.

Andrew Losowsky is a freelance writer and a Yorkshire fan who lives near The Oval.

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