By
Nayeemuddin Mohammad
Cricket history is full of extremely talented cricketers and many
of them have been exceptional. Let us try and figure out the greatest
cricketers of all time that have graced the field of cricket. It does
not reflect on their personal greatness. It is just about how great
cricketers they were. A greater cricketer does not necessarily mean a
greater human being than a lesser cricketer in the list or vise versa.
The list is purely on cricketing skills.
1. Gary Sobers: Arguably
the greatest cricketer of all time that has ever played the game of
cricket as claimed by many related to the game of cricket and that was
what the intuition suggests if you look at his abilities and statistic.
Ability to play as long as to score 365 runs in test cricket, hit six
times over the rope in a single over, end up with a test average of more
than many of the great batsmen in the history of the game, be a fielder
of class, and then being able to contribute with bowling, and you left
wondering if there is anything in cricket that he could not do and that
is what makes him the greatest all round cricketer and the greatest
cricketer of them all. He could have earned a place in any great team
only for his batting. He was skillful and versatile as a bowler. He is
documented to have bowled pace as well slow bowling. He chipped in many
times with his bowling and fielding. The thing with all rounders is that
it is like having the privilege of playing an additional player in the
team. Just look as to how many cricketers have scored a triple hundred
in test match cricket. There are only three instances of six sixes being
hit in a single over in the history of first class and International
cricket. There have been barely a dozen of cricketers throughout the
history of the game who could be hailed as all rounder of class and
substance, and Gary is considered the best of them all. You keep on
counting. The list goes on.
2. Don Bradman: Probably as strong a
contender as Gary Sobers to be called as the greatest cricketer of all
time. Don Bradman's exceptional test average of almost 100 runs makes
him a standout cricketer. If you consider the rarity of that feat of
having an average of almost 100 runs, Don Bradman should be the greatest
cricketer of all time. Where Gary scores over him is probably being
able to contribute significantly in every department of the game.
Otherwise I do not see any gap between Gary Sobers and Don Bradman as
the two greatest cricketers of all time. But again you wonder he must be
exceptional to be able to average 100 runs per innings. All those great
batsmen throughout the history of the game who have played considerable
number of tests has not gone beyond an average of in 60s, and most of
these so called greats have averaged between 50s and 60s. So to outshine
the next best in your category by 40% is quite unimaginable in any
sport. In that sense Don Bradman can be considered not only the greatest
cricketer of all time, but also the greatest sportsman of all time. To
top it off he scored those almost 100 runs per innings in those days of
hostile pitches and raw equipments. Everyone knows how bats and other
cricket equipments have evolved over the years. The difference between
the bats of today and the bats of say about 20 years ago is quite
noticeable. What kind of bats Don Bradman must have played with. Some
people say Don played on few grounds, and thus have such record. But
even the worse of the pitches today among the many grounds on which
cricket is played must be better than the pitches on which Don played.
If that was the criteria, why none of the players of even his era could
manage an average of even into 70s. All those modern greats of 90s and
00s could manage an average in 50s with all those well developed bat and
other cricketing equipment on benign and batting friendly pitches. The
pitches one used to see even during the 70s and 80s were much difficult
to bat on compared to the pitches prepared today. If that is an
indication what kind of pitches Don must have batted on. He still
remains the only player to have scored a 300 runs in a single day of a
test match.
3. Imran Khan: If Gary Sobers could do everything in
the game of cricket then Imran could do even more as a captain. Imran
Khan could have earned a place in any leading side just as a bowler, and
is one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. In addition he was as
good as any good International batsman. He was a good fielder as well.
He could win matches with his bowling, contribute significantly as a
batsman, and could make significant contribution as the leader of the
pack. He is considered the best among the greatest all rounders of his
time who themselves are among some of the greatest cricketers of all
time. There have not been too many bowlers who were better than him, and
among the bowlers who might have been slightly better than him, not
many are known for their batting capabilities. Wasim Akram was better
bowler than Imran, but Imran was more dependable batsman than Akram, and
may be Richard Hadlee was a better bowler than Imran, but Imran surely
excelled him as a batsman, and excelled everyone in that all rounders
category as a captain. Many people will disagree with me on putting
Imran Khan ahead of Vivian Richards. My logic is if Gary Sobers could be
greater than Don Bradman, logic says Imran Khan has to be greater than
Vivian Richards as a cricketer. But it is so difficult to accurately
measure the talent of the players and their value to the team. It is
like you can put Don Bradman ahead of Gary Sobers without much fuss. You
can as well put Vivian Richards ahead of Imran Khan in the list. But
because of Imran Khan's immense contribution in every department of the
game, I opted for Imran Khan at #3 in the list of greatest cricketers of
all time.
4. Vivian Richards: Most destructive batsman of all
time, and in a time when attacking style of batting was not common. In
the modern times, we had the pleasure of watching the likes of
Gilchrist, Sehwag, Jaysurya, and occasionally Shahid Afridi destroying
the bowling attacks, but none of them are known to be as intimidating as
Vivian Richards. To have the fastest test hundred of all time with an
average of more than 50, and in one dayers, an average of 47 runs at a
strike rate of more than 90 speaks volume about the caliber of the man.
None of the above mentioned destructive batsmen have an average of more
than 40 compared to 47 by Vivian Richards. In fact many other great
batsmen have less average than Viv's 47 and far lower strike rate
compared to Viv's strike rate of 90. He never changed his batting style
irrespective of the state of the match. Without an iota of doubt there
has not been a greater batsman than Vivian Richards in one day format of
the game. In tests too, he averaged 50 runs scoring those runs at a
blistering pace. He was also an exceptional fielder and bowled
occasionally. One of the greatest fast bowler of his time Imran Khan has
said that Vivian Richards is the only batsman who has frightened him.
Nobody else in the history of the game could play like Vivian and hence
is probably the greatest batsman of all time save Don Bradman and thus
he deserved fourth place in the list of the greatest cricketers of all
time.
5. Adam Gilchrist: As a batsman, Adam Gilchrist was almost a
Vivian Richards. In addition he would double up as a wicketkeeper. In
that sense I was tempted to put Gilchrist ahead of Vivian Richards, but
Viv being such an intimidating batsman and in those times when attacking
style of play was not so common, I went with Viv at #4. Nonetheless,
Adam Gilchrist is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Adam
Gilchrist has one of the highest strike rates in both forms of the game
and has an average to match the greats of the game. Adam Gilchrist was
one of the main reasons for the domination of the Australian cricket for
the last decade and half. Adam Gilchrist was one of the three key
players in the talent-laden Australian team. As a wicket-keeper batsman
if someone can bat like Adam Gilchrist, he is definitely going to add
substantially to the strength of the team. He played some of the
breathtaking innings in his career. His blistering hundred against Sri
Lanka in the 2007 World cup, which Australia eventually won, the innings
he played in the semi-final of the IPL edition that his team eventually
won, the innings at Mumbai in the first edition of the IPL, and his
fastest test hundred off 57 balls, which is the second fastest hundred
in the history of the game behind the ultimate Vivian Richard's 56 ball
hundred, and many such innings make you wonder if the Gilchrist was the
greatest cricketer of all time.
6. Wasim Akram: Wasim Akram is one
of those dream cricketers that even the great cricketers would like to
reborn as a cricketer. Wasim is considered as the most naturally
talented bowler by many former greats like Allan Donald and Mohammad
Azharuddin. It is said that he could bowl six different types of balls
in one over. With the bat he was capable of turning the game with his
explosive batting. Those two wickets on successive deliveries in the
1992 world cup final against England at a very important stage of the
game pushed England totally out of the game. What an occasion to produce
probably the best two deliveries of his entire career. You can expect
the greatest cricketers to rise to the occasion at the greatest stage.
You see a player like Adam Gilchrist playing those extraordinary knocks
on big stages like the World cup 2007 against Sri Lanka and sealing the
win for his team. Wasim Akram is also the only bowler in the history of
the game to have captured hat-tricks as many as four times in his
International career. Wasim Akram has often won games for Pakistan
singlehandedly. He formed a threatening bowling combination with Waqar
Younis, and they together tormented many a batting line-ups. He was
probably the greatest bowler of his time with the other one being
McGrath. McGrath himself described Wasim Akram as a greater bowler than
himself. If he was as great a bowler as McGrath and if you consider what
he could do with the bat, and you know the value of Wasim Akram as a
cricketer. In the 1992 World cup final before turning the match with his
two magic balls, he was instrumental in setting a challenging total
with his timely and explosive batting when he scored 33 runs off just 19
balls coming towards the close of innings. What a grand occasion for
man of Wasim's caliber to rise for his team and his country. Many people
might not know Wasim also hit a timely six to win the Nehru cup for
Pakistan. Many people knew about Miandad hitting a six off the last ball
to win when four runs were required off the last ball of the innings.
In the Nehru cup final, Pakistan required six runs to win from the last
two balls, and Wasim Akram hit a six off the first of those two balls
and won the cup for Pakistan.
7. Richard Hadlee: Inarguably the
greatest of all New Zealand cricketers till date. One of the greats of
all time who could make the grade to any great XI only for his bowling.
New Zeeland had a very few match winners in their ranks when Richard
Hadlee was around, and it was more often than not that Hadlee was their
match winner. Richard Hadlee brought as many laurels to New Zeeland
cricket as any of the other greatest cricketers of all time have brought
to their own country. One of the ten greatest bowlers of all time.
Plus, he was also more than handy with the bat, and perhaps one of the
better batsmen in that New Zeeland team. One of the four great all
rounders of 70s and 80s. Richard Hadlee was considered by many as the
best bowler among the four great all-rounders of his time. Richard
Hadlee was capable of creating havoc with his bowling. He also won and
saved matches for New Zeeland with his batting. Overall, a very capable
match winner.
8. Jacques Kallis: Some consider him to be the
greatest cricketer of all time ahead of Gary Sobers, and there are
others who rate him as the greatest cricketer from South Africa. Kallis
is like a Rahul Dravid and Srinath combined into one unit. Besides being
a technically sound, dependable batsman and a useful bowler, Kallis is
an excellent fielder. Kallis gives South Africa an additional fast
bowler besides being the lynchpin in the batting line up. Kallis has
carried the South African team quietly and steadily for around
decade-and-half and looks good enough to continue for at least another
two to three years. By the time he retires his statistics could be
monumental. To give a more significant picture one statistic that could
more vital is that he has a higher average in both test and one day
cricket than Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar. Given that Sachin bats as
an opener in one dayers and Kallis bats in the middle order, and for
Kallis to have a greater average than Sachin Tendulkar is quite
remarkable. Kallis though lacks on the flair aspect one day game, but
has played crucial role in success of their one day unit. Jacques Kallis
is also an outstanding fielder. He is a regular slip fielder for South
African and I still remember his catch in Sharjah playing against
Pakistan running from somewhere near extracover to almost near the
boundary and then actually having to jump at the last minute to cover
the distance with the ball and hold onto it. A Gary Sobers of different
type.
9. Kapil Dev: Kapil Dev was the greatest cricketer that
India has ever produced. He was equally good with both bat and ball. He
was probably the best batsman among the great all rounders of his time.
In fact it was his batting that carried India through most part of the
1983 world cup. Kapil was also first genuine fast bowler of Independent
India considering Mohammad Nissar's test career ended before
independence, although he continued playing first class cricket for
sometime after independence. Kapil Dev was very impressive as a hard
hitting batsman and was the leader of India bowling attack for almost a
decade-and-half.
10. Walter Hammond: Walter Hammond was an
attacking batsman with rare ability to play long innings consistently.
He is among those batsmen who consistently scored big and at an
impressive strike rate. He almost had every shot in the book. To add to
his batting skills, he was also a handy bowler who could make
breakthroughs when required the most. A test average of 58.45, 167 first
class hundreds, and two five wickets hauls in test cricket prove that
he was one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
11. Brian Lara:
Brian Lara is easily one of the five greatest batsmen of all time.
Scores of 500, 400, and 300 are no ordinary feats. Not many cricketers
compiled such huge scores as Brian did. That itself proves his
outstanding abilities as a batsman. Probably Brian underachieved because
he was part of a weaker West Indian team. Team's strength and
performance often has a bearing on an individual batsman's performance. I
can prove that. Look at Ponting's performace when the Australian team
was the strongest team, and now look at Ponting's performance with a
declining Australian team. Similarly with overall improvement in the
Indian team and with the likes of Viru at the top, Sachin's performance
has improved remarkably this year. Being the only player to have scored
500 runs in first class cricket, and to be the only player in the
history of the game to score 400 runs in a single innings of test, and
to be one of those players to have scored most number of double hundreds
makes Brian Lara one of the most outstanding batsmen of all time, and
easily the greatest batsman of his time. Brian Lara also to his credit
has a couple of entries at around the top of the list for the most
number of runs scored in an over. No other batsmen in the history of the
game has as many big scores as Brian has to his credit.If you compare
his big scores to his contemporaneous rival Sachin Tendulkar, you will
find that Sachin despite playing much more cricket has never scored a
400, which Lara did twice, once in test, and his 500 in first class.
Brian Lara has significantly more number of double hundreds than Sachin
Tendulkar despite playing lesser number of games. Sachin Tendulkar has a
better record in one day International because he opened the innings
and every time had the opportunity to play all 50 overs.
Shane
Warne: The greatest slow bowler of all time. The best exponent of leg
spin bowling. Shane Warne most often did magical things with the ball.
His famous ball to Mike Gatting that came in sharply from out of the leg
side to turn in sharply and dislodge the bail is regarded as the ball
of the century. He has often provided the crucial breakthroughs for
Australia when they needed the most. The Semi-final game against South
Africa in 1999 was one such instance. Chasing Australia's total, South
Africa was one course with The South African openers off to a flying
start, and particularly Gibbs was going strong. Shane Warne was brought
into the attack, and he immediately got Gibbs with a peach of a delivery
that bamboozled Gibbs and dislodged his stumps. From there on, South
Africa was on a downslide. Shane Warne was one of the top three
cricketers in that Australian invincible team of his time with Adam
Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath being other two of the three.
13.
Sanath Jaysurya: It was Sanath Jaysurya's promotion to the opening slot
during the 1996 World cup that transformed the Sri Lankan cricket team
from a mediocre side to one of the best sides in the world. Even though
Jaysurya failed in the semi-finals and finals of the 1996 world cup, it
was his exploits during the earlier part of the 1996 World cup that
provided Sri Lankan team the momentum and confidence that they could win
the World cup. Since then Sri Lanka has remained one of the strongest
teams in the world. Jaysurya was an attacking and productive batsman,
besides being a potent spin bowler, and an exceptional fielder.
14.
Muthiah Muralitharan: The best off-spinner the game has ever seen and
the greatest slow bowlers of all time with Shane Warne. Muthia
Muralitharn can bamboozle most of the batsmen with his wily deliveries.
Murali has most number of wickets by any bowler in both forms of the
game. He is one of the three greatest Sri Lankan cricketers that
actually defined Sri Lankan cricket.
15. Virender Sehwag: The main
reason why India is #1 in ICC rankings. He should be able to climb up
this list by the time he is finished as an International cricketer. He
has left Sachin Tendulkar behind as a batsman and as the second greatest
cricketer of all time behind Kapil Dev. By the time he finishes his
career he may end up in the top 10 greatest cricketers of all time. He
can hit the ball so consistently that very few could do even on the
docile pitch and against a mediocre bowling. He is rated as the best off
spin bowler in the current Indian team by Bishen Singh Bedi.
16.
Glenn McGrath: Watching Glenn McGrath bowl, I often got the impression
that Glenn McGrath was more difficult to play than Wasim Akram. That
itself speaks volumes about the abilities of the man. Glenn McGrath was
all about line and length. One of the three key players of the dominant
Australian team of the late 90s and most part of the 2000s. McGrath was a
difficult bowler to bat against, and he completely destroyed the lesser
oppositions. One of the main reasons why Australia won three world cups
on trot.
17. Sachin Tendulkar: If Sunil Gavaskar was the first
Indian batsman who could look into the eyes of fastest bowlers in the
world, Sachin Tendulkar is probably the first Indian batsman who could
consistently dominate the the fast bowlers. Sachin Tendulkar is arguably
one of the best batsmen that the world has ever seen. Sachin Tendulkar
was a child prodigy who captured the imagination of the cricketing world
when he burst on the International scene at the tender age of 16. He
owns many batting records in both forms of the game. Some people may say
that Tendulkar was a better player than some of the above in this list,
but I think the people above Tendulkar are either more talented than
him or more effective than him. Sachin Tendulkar for all his talent has
failed when it mattered the most. He is one the greatest batting talent,
but cannot handle the pressure according to his ability as a cricketer.
For all his batting talent, get struck in 90s whenever approaching a
100 most of the time. I witnessed the entire series between Sri Lanka
and India when Tendulkar was around 100 runs short of Brian Lara and the
entire focus was on Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar failed the in
the entire series. Sachin Tendulkar played exceptionally well throughout
the 2003 world cup, but failed in the final when everyone expected him
to rise to the occasion. He owns many batting records in cricket, which
is a tribute to his batting talent and longevity, but if you look at his
average in winning matches he is far behind the likes Bradman, Inzimam,
Steve Waugh, Viv Richards, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis to name a
few. Moreover if we do not consider the minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe
Sachin Tendulkar's average down even further when compared to other
great batsmen of his time. He has fared best in the first innings of a
test match, but has not lived up to the expectation in the third or
fourth innings and his average in the third and fourth innings does not
compare favorably with other modern batting greats.
18. Malcolm
Marshall: He is considered by the likes of Wasim Akram as the greatest
fast bowlers of all time, but McGrath came ahead of him in this list
because of pin-point accuracy with which McGrath bowled. Unlike the
other West Indian fast bowlers, he was short, but was the quickest of
them all. He was almost unplayable when he bowled on the stumps. He ran
through the opposition batting line up many times, and might have ended
up with more wickets if he did not have to share the wickets with as
many as three other great fast bowlers in that great West Indian team of
1980s.
19. Javed Miandad: Javed Miandad was the toughest player
on the cricket field. His never-to-say die attitude makes him an
standout cricketer. Javed Miandad has an excellent technique as a
batsman and could play long innings. He is among those players to have
scored most number of double hundreds. Javed Miandad is perhaps the only
player throughout the history of test cricket to have maintained a test
average of more than 50 runs throughout his career. Javed Miandad also
has an average of more than 41 runs in one day format of the game
batting in the middle. He played a key role in many of Pakistan
victories. He made significant contribution in Pakistan winning the 1992
World cup. Javed will be always remembered for his last ball six to win
the game against India when four runs were required to win off one
ball. Any all time list or a World XI without Javed Miandad is
incomplete.
20. Ian Botham: Ian Botham is one of the four great
all rounders of 1970s and 1980s. He is arguably one of the three
greatest England cricketers of all time. Ian Botham is still the leading
wicket taker for England in test cricket. At his best, he has produced
some of the greatest performances of all time, both with the bat and the
ball. Botham's career can be divided into two halves. In the first half
of his career he matched the performances of the three other great all
rounders of his time or might have even excelled them, but in the later
half of his career he ended up at the bottom of the four great all
rounders of his time. Nevertheless he was very capable with both bat and
the ball.
21. Jack Hobbs: One of the greatest batsman of all
time, and probably the greatest that England has produced alongside
Walter Hammond. He has a test average of 56.94 and has amassed mountains
of runs in first class cricket. He just fell short of a double hundred
of 100s in first class cricket. One of the most prolific batsmen of all
time. He was voted among the Top Five Cricketers of All Time by leading
cricket magazine Wisden.
22. Keith Miller: Keith Miller is the
greatest and the only all-rounder that Australia has ever produced.
Keith Miller was the only one or one of the few all rounders who has
almost the same skills in both batting and bowling. He was equally
effective with both bat and ball. He was very good bowler and a very
good batsman making him a great all round cricketer.
23. Dennis
Lillee: Dennis Lille was furiously fast and one of the fastest bowlers
of all time. He formed one of the most lethal bowling attacks of all
time with Jeff Thompson. He also shares a world-record partnership with
wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh for affecting most number of dismissals
through bowler-wicketkeeper dismissals for caught by a keeper and bowled
by a bowler. He was included in Bradman's all-time XI and ESPN
cricinfo's all time World XI. But I would have rather preferred a
Richard Hadlee or an Imran Khan instead of Dennis Lillee in all time XI.
24.
Greg Chappell: Greg Chappell was one of the greatest batsmen of all
time. As a batsman, I would rate Greg Chappell just slightly behind
Vivian Richards and Brian Lara and on par with Sachin Tendulkar. Greg
Chappell mastered at playing pace as well as spin bowling on both sides
of the wicket. He produced some of the finest performances against
possibly the finest attack in World Series Cricket. If that is any
indication he is second to none. Greg Chappell was also a useful medium
pace bowler who could contribute with the ball.
25. Sunil
Gavaskar: Probably the first megastar of Indian cricket. He must have
been the inspiration for many Indian batting superstars that emerged
during 80s and 90s. He is Dilip Kumar of Indian cricket. He was the
first Indian batsman who could look into the eyes of the fast bowlers.
His best innings came against the best fast bowlers of his time. He has
an impressive record against West Indies, Australia, and Pakistan, the
three teams that had the best fast bowlers in the world at that time.
His feats against the West Indian team are legendary. His test debut was
against West Indies on bouncy tracks of West Indies, and he emerged as
find of the tournament. To face Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding as
opener and score back to back hundreds speaks volume about caliber of
Sunil Gavaskar as a batsman. He is rated quite highly by the other
greats like Gary Sobers, Vivian Richards, and Imran Khan. If that is an
indication he should be higher in the list. A technician rather than a
stroke player, he would not have been able to meet the requirement of
modern day one dayers and would not have suited for T20. And that is
exactly the reason why he is at 25 and not at 10 in this list.
