Cricket is a sport that has been played for centuries and has produced some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. From Sir Donald Bradman to Sachin Tendulkar, the game has seen its fair share of exceptional players. In this article, we will be discussing the top 10 greatest cricketers of all time.

10. Adam Gilchrist: Considered one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen of all time, Adam Gilchrist revolutionized the role of the wicketkeeper in one-day cricket. His aggressive style of play and his ability to score runs quickly made him one of the most valuable players in the Australian team.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 96 287 190 356
Runs scored 5,570 9,619 10,334 11,326
Batting average 47.60 35.89 44.16 34.95
100s/50s 17/26 16/55 30/43 18/63
Top score 204* 172 204* 172
Catches/stumpings 379/37 417/55 756/55 526/65
Source: CricInfo, 4 December 2013
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Men’s Cricket

9. Garfield Sobers: Widely considered to be one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, Garfield Sobers is the only player to have hit six sixes in an over in first-class cricket. His ability to score runs and take wickets made him one of the most valuable players of his time.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 93 1 383 95
Runs scored 8,032 0 28,314 2,721
Batting average 57.78 0.00 54.87 38.32
100s/50s 26/30 0/0 86/121 1/18
Top score 365* 0 365* 116*
Balls bowled 21,599 63 70,789 4,387
Wickets 235 1 1,043 109
Bowling average 34.03 31.00 27.74 21.95
5 wickets in innings 6 0 36 1
10 wickets in match 0 0 1 0
Best bowling 6/73 1/31 9/49 5/43
Catches/stumpings 109/– 1/– 407/– 41/–
Source: Cricinfo, 13 September 2007

8. Wasim Akram: Considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Wasim Akram holds the world record for most wickets in ODI cricket. His ability to swing the ball both ways made him a nightmare for batsmen, and his performances in big matches were instrumental in Pakistan’s success.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 104 356 257 594
Runs scored 2,898 3,717 7,161 6,993
Batting average 22.64 16.52 22.73 18.90
100s/50s 3/7 0/6 7/24 0/17
Top score 257* 86 257* 89*
Balls bowled 22,627 18,186 50,278 29,719
Wickets 414 502 1,042 881
Bowling average 23.62 23.52 21.64 21.91
5 wickets in innings 25 6 70 12
10 wickets in match 5 0 16 0
Best bowling 7/119 5/15 8/30 5/11
Catches/stumpings 44/– 88/– 97/– 147/–
Source: CricInfo, 4 April 2012

7. Shane Warne: Considered one of the greatest bowlers in the history of cricket, Shane Warne holds the record for most Test wickets by a leg spinner. His ability to outsmart batsmen with his googlies and flippers made him one of the most feared bowlers in the world.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 145 194 301 311
Runs scored 3,154 1,018 6,919 1,879
Batting average 17.32 13.05 19.43 11.81
100s/50s 0/12 0/1 2/26 0/1
Top score 99 55 107* 55
Balls bowled 40,705 10,642 74,830 16,419
Wickets 708 293 1,319 473
Bowling average 25.41 25.73 26.11 24.61
5 wickets in innings 37 1 69 3
10 wickets in match 10 0 12 0
Best bowling 8/71 5/33 8/71 6/42
Catches/stumpings 125/– 80/– 264/– 126/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 29 March 2008

6. Shakib Al Hasan: One of the greatest all-rounders of all time. He is considered one of the greatest cricketers to come out of Bangladesh and one of the best all-rounders in the world. He is a left-handed batsman and a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. Shakib made his international debut in 2006 and has represented Bangladesh in all three formats of the game. He has also played for several domestic and international teams as a professional cricketer.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC
Matches 63 224 109 99
Runs scored 4,251 6835 2,243 6,166
Batting average 39.00 37.55 23.12 37.14
100s/50s 5/29 9/50 0/12 8/39
Top score 217 134* 84 217
Balls bowled 14,406 11531 2,385 20,556
Wickets 225 294 128 325
Bowling average 31.32 29.09 21.21 30.22
5 wickets in innings 19 4 1 24
10 wickets in match 2 0 0 2
Best bowling 7/36 5/29 5/20 7/32
Catches/stumpings 26/– 53/– 25/– 49/–

5. Jack Hobbs: Considered to be one of the greatest opening batsmen in history, Jack Hobbs scored more than 61,000 runs in his career. He was known for his technical proficiency and his ability to score runs in any situation.

Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 61 834
Runs scored 5,410 61,760
Batting average 56.94 50.70
100s/50s 15/28 199/273
Top score 211 316*
Balls bowled 376 5,217
Wickets 1 108
Bowling average 165.00 25.03
5 wickets in innings 0 3
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 1/19 7/56
Catches/stumpings 17/– 342/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 10 March 2017

4. Ricky Ponting: One of the most successful captains in cricket history, Ricky Ponting is also one of the best batsmen of his generation. He is the second-highest run-scorer for Australia in Test cricket and his leadership skills were instrumental in leading Australia to multiple world cup victories.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 168 375 289 456
Runs scored 13,378 13,704 24,150 16,363
Batting average 51.85 42.03 55.90 41.74
100s/50s 41/62 30/82 82/106 34/99
Top score 257 164 257 164
Balls bowled 575 150 1,506 349
Wickets 5 3 14 8
Bowling average 54.60 34.66 58.07 33.62
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling 1/0 1/12 2/10 3/34
Catches/stumpings 195/– 160/– 309/– 195/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 11 July 2013

3. Brian Lara: Widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Brian Lara holds the record for the highest individual score in a Test innings (400*). His ability to score runs in any situation made him one of the most feared batsmen in the world.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 131 299 261 429
Runs scored 11,953 10,405 22,156 14,602
Batting average 52.88 40.48 51.88 39.67
100s/50s 34/48 19/63 65/88 27/86
Top score 400* 169 501* 169
Balls bowled 60 49 514 130
Wickets 4 4 5
Bowling average 15.25 104.00 29.80
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0
Best bowling 2/5 1/1 2/5
Catches/stumpings 164/– 120/– 320/– 177/–
Source: CricInfo, 4 February 2012

2. Sachin Tendulkar: Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, Tendulkar holds several records, including the most Test and ODI runs and centuries. He is often referred to as the “God of Cricket” and is considered one of the greatest ambassadors of the sport.

Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 200 463 310 551
Runs scored 15,921 18,426 25,396 21,999
Batting average 53.78 44.83 57.84 45.54
100s/50s 51/68 49/96 81/116 60/114
Top score 248* 200* 248* 200*
Balls bowled 4,240 8,054 7,605 10,230
Wickets 46 154 71 201
Bowling average 54.17 44.48 61.74 42.17
5 wickets in innings 0 2 0 2
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling 3/10 5/32 3/10 5/32
Catches/stumpings 115/– 140/– 186/– 175/–
Medal record
Men’s Cricket
Representing  India
World Cup
Winner 2011 India–Bangladesh–Sri Lanka
Runner-up 2003 South Africa–Zimbabwe–Kenya
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 15 November 2013
  1. Sir Donald Bradman: Considered by many to be the greatest batsman of all time, Sir Donald Bradman’s Test batting average of 99.94 is a record that has yet to be broken. His performances on the field were nothing short of extraordinary, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 52 234
Runs scored 6,996 28,067
Batting average 99.94 95.14
100s/50s 29/13 117/69
Top score 334 452*
Balls bowled 160 2,114
Wickets 2 36
Bowling average 36.00 37.97
5 wickets in innings 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0
Best bowling 1/8 3/35
Catches/stumpings 32/– 131/1
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 4 December 2014

In conclusion, these are the top 10 greatest cricketers of all time. These players have left an indelible mark on the game of cricket and will always be remembered for their exceptional performances on the field.

Categorized in: