Rankings
50 Greatest Cricketers Ever
Batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders ranked across the history of the game.
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| # | Athlete | Sport | Why They Rank Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sachin Tendulkar Indian · b.1973 |
Cricket | The God of Cricket — 100 international centuries and 34,000+ international runs … |
| 2 | Sir Don Bradman Australian · b.1908 |
Cricket | The greatest statistical outlier in any sport — a Test batting average of 99.94,… |
| 3 | Brian Lara Trinidadian · b.1969 |
Cricket | Holder of both the highest Test score (400*) and the highest first-class score (… |
| 4 | Sir Garfield Sobers Barbadian · b.1936 |
Cricket | Widely considered cricket's greatest all-rounder — a Test batsman and bowler of … |
| 5 | Imran Khan Pakistani · b.1952 |
Cricket | Pakistan's greatest cricketer — World Cup-winning captain, all-rounder of except… |
| 6 | Shane Warne Australian · b.1969 |
Cricket | The greatest leg-spin bowler in cricket history — 708 Test wickets and the man w… |
| 7 | Muttiah Muralitharan Sri Lankan · b.1972 |
Cricket | The most successful bowler in Test cricket history with 800 wickets — a spinner … |
| 8 | Ricky Ponting Australian · b.1974 |
Cricket | Australia's most successful captain, winner of two back-to-back World Cups and s… |
| 9 | Virat Kohli Indian · b.1988 |
Cricket | India's modern batting icon — the most successful Test run-chaser in history and… |
| 10 | MS Dhoni Indian · b.1981 |
Cricket | India's most successful captain — winner of all three ICC trophies (World Cup 20… |
| 11 | Ben Stokes British · b.1991 |
Cricket | England's greatest cricketer of the modern era — hero of the 2019 World Cup, Ash… |
| 12 | Sir Viv Richards Antiguan · b.1952 |
Cricket | The Master Blaster — considered by many the greatest attacking batsman of all ti… |
| 13 | Michael Holding Jamaican · b.1954 |
Cricket | Whispering Death — the most elegant and terrifying fast bowler of the 1970s West… |
| 14 | Freddie Trueman British · b.1931 |
Cricket | Fiery Fred — England's most feared fast bowler of the 1950s and 1960s and the fi… |
| 15 | Ian Botham British · b.1955 |
Cricket | Beefy — England's greatest all-rounder and author of the most extraordinary indi… |
| 16 | Viv Richards Antiguan · b.1952 |
Cricket | The Master Blaster — the most dominant and feared batsman of the 1970s and 1980s… |
| 17 | Curtly Ambrose Antiguan · b.1963 |
Cricket | One of the most economical and menacing fast bowlers in cricket history — Curtly… |
| 18 | Wasim Akram Pakistani · b.1966 |
Cricket | The Sultan of Swing — Pakistan's greatest ever bowler and the most skilful expon… |
| 19 | Waqar Younis Pakistani · b.1971 |
Cricket | Pakistan's devastating reverse-swing specialist — with Wasim Akram, formed the m… |
| 20 | Graham Gooch British · b.1953 |
Cricket | England's most prolific run-scorer — Graham Gooch's 8,900 Test runs include a si… |
| 21 | Alan Knott British · b.1946 |
Cricket | England's finest ever wicketkeeper — Alan Knott's combination of extraordinary a… |
| 22 | Michael Holding Jamaican · b.1954 |
Cricket | Whispering Death — the most graceful and terrifying fast bowler in cricket histo… |
| 23 | Denis Compton British · b.1918 |
Cricket | The Brylcreem Boy — England's most beloved batsman of the post-war era, who scor… |
| 24 | Joel Garner Barbadian · b.1952 |
Cricket | Big Bird — the most destructive yorker bowler in cricket history, whose 6ft 8in … |
| 25 | Andrew Flintoff British · b.1977 |
Cricket | Freddie — England's most beloved cricketer of the modern era, whose 2005 Ashes p… |
| 26 | Kevin Pietersen British/South African · b.1980 |
Cricket | The most naturally gifted England batsman since Denis Compton — 8,181 Test runs … |
| 27 | Michael Vaughan British · b.1974 |
Cricket | The captain who ended England's 18-year Ashes wait — Michael Vaughan's tactical … |
| 28 | Alastair Cook British · b.1984 |
Cricket | England's greatest ever Test batsman — 12,472 Test runs across 161 Tests, includ… |
| 29 | James Anderson British · b.1982 |
Cricket | England's greatest ever bowler — 700+ Test wickets and the leading wicket-taker … |
| 30 | Kumar Sangakkara Sri Lankan · b.1977 |
Cricket | The most prolific batsman of the 21st century — 12,400 Test runs, four consecuti… |
| 31 | Mahela Jayawardene Sri Lankan · b.1977 |
Cricket | The most elegant batsman of his generation — 11,814 Test runs, a world record pa… |
| 32 | Rahul Dravid Indian · b.1973 |
Cricket | The Wall — the most technically correct batsman of his era, whose 13,288 Test ru… |
| 33 | Glenn McGrath Australian · b.1969 |
Cricket | The most accurate fast bowler in history — Glenn McGrath's 563 Test wickets were… |