Identifying the Best Cricket Players of All-Time is no small task. With so much variance between the greatest batsmen, openers and number 4’s, as well as the differences between spinners, seamers and swing-bowlers, it’s better to look at those individuals who would make up the greatest team of all time.
Opening Batsman: Jack Hobbs
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Known as “The Master”, Hobbs is universally regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in the entire history of cricket. He revolutionized the game with his pad-play and leg-side play of spin and all other forms of bowling.
Opening Batsman: Leonard Hutton
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Leonard Hutton’s 364 run’s in an innings against Australia stood as a record for 20 years. Opening as a batsman for both Yorkshire and England, he proved himself as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the sport. His cautious and defensive style suit his position perfectly and is why his Test statistics still reflect well against modern contemporaries.
Number 3: Donald Bradman
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Sir Donald Bradman, also known as The Don, is considered by most experts as the greatest batsman ever. His batting average in test cricket was a staggering 99.94, an achievement that is unmatched to this day. The Don has 29 Test cricket centuries and 117 First Class cricket centuries to his name. His top score in Test cricket is 334.
Number 4: Sachin Tendulkar
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Sachin Tendulkar is considered as among the finest batsmen of all time. The right-handed, Indian batsman is the highest run scorer in International cricket. Interestingly, the legend made his cricket debut at the age of 16. Also referred to as the “Master Blaster” or “God of Cricket”, Tendulkar is the only cricketer to have scored 100 international centuries. There are dozens of records to his name that have not been equaled so far in cricket.
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All-Rounder: Jacques Kallis
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The only reason that Jacques Kallis makes this list ahead of the legendary Garry Sobers is due to Kallis’ superior bowling form. With lesser peers (and a less dominant batting lineup) Sobers would be our choice, but coming at number 5 we have to go with Kallis. In both forms of the game, Kallis has amassed over 10,000 runs and taken over 250 wickets, making him an invaluable asset to any team.
All-Rounder: Viv Richards
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Sir Vivian Richards is a former West Indies right-handed batsman who is also regarded as among the greatest batsmen of all time. The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack recognized Richards to have played the best ODI innings ever. Wisden also recognized him as the best ODI batsman and the 3rd best Test Batsman of all time.
He played 187 ODI and 121 Test cricket matches with average of 47 and 50.23, respectively. His highest scores are 189 not out and 291 in ODI and Test cricket.
Wicketkeeper-batsman: Adam Gilchrist
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With strike-rates of 81.98 in Tests, 96.94 in ODIs, and 141 in T20Is, Gilly is considered to be one of, if not, the most destructive batsmen of all time. He powered Australia to several wins across all formats with his breath-taking hitting with the bat and skilfull mastery behind the wickets. Gilchrist holds second place in the list of most ODI dismissals as a keeper with 417 catches and 55 stumpings. If not for Gilchrist, Dhoni would be our definitive choice for this position.
Spinner: Shane Warne
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Shane Warne is a former Australian cricketer, widely regarded as the greatest leg spinner in the history of cricket. He was the leading wicket taker (708) in Test cricket, until December 2007, when the throne was usurped by another all-time spinning legend Muttiah Muralitharan. His ball which bamboozled Mike Gatting in 1993, is regarded as the greatest bowling delivery ever by popular discretion.
Pace Bowler: Malcolm Marshall
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Malcolm Denzil Marshall is a former cricketer from West Indies who is regarded as one of the finest pacemen to have ever played the game. Among the bowlers who have taken more than 200 wickets, Marshall had the lowest average.
Seamer: Wasim Akram
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Wasim Akram, popularly known as the Sultan of Swing, is a former Pakistani international cricketer. Akram was the first bowler to take 500 ODI wickets and still holds the record for claiming the most ODI wickets as a seamer.
Fast Bowler: Dennis Lillee
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Lillee holds the record for most Test wickets (355) by 1984, the year he retired. He firmly established himself as one of the most unforgettable and famous Australian sportsmen in history. Lillee captured eight wickets in just five matches during the first ever Cricket World Cup in 1975. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in December 2009. Dennis Lillee has an international reputation as a fast bowling coach.
In the end there are far too many cricketing greats to choose from. If this list could be longer, we’d add the likes of Sehwag, Sangakkara, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Allan Border to this list.
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