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International Cricketer
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2011
I am not sure if this has already been done so far but I would like to learn who you guys think should be in an all time top 10.
Here is my list:
1.Garry Sobers: A great batsman, a great bowler and a sound fielder. The greatest allrounder who ever lived? Definitely. A Test batting average of 57, with the then world record of over 8000 test runs. He scored the highest test score of all time (at that stage in cricket history) when he was only 21. Coupled with well over 200 wickets with an average of 34, he was a match winner in every aspect.
2.Sachin Tendulkar: The greatest batsman who ever lived. To some that will be blesphamous, after all what about Don Bradman? But Tendulkar holds almost every batting record of note, with well over 30000 international runs and 99 international centuries. These are records which may never be broken, on par with Bradman's 99.94.
3.Don Bradman: An average of 99.94, possibly the most famous statistics in all of sport. Bradman is Australia's greatest ever sportsman, and in the 70 or so years since he last played cricket no one has ever come close to his stratospheric average and no one ever will.
4.Imran Khan: Imran Khan is the greatest allrounder since Sobers, period. His batting average of 37 and bowling average of 22 paint only part of the picture. Liek so many great cricketers from Pakistan, he could change the course of the game in an over or two, with both bat and bowl. Combined with his excellent captaincy, in a team famous for rebellion, he is arguably Pakistan's most important sportsman.
5.Muttiah Muralitharan: The master of the doosra, with more international wickets than anyone else. Shane Warne took over 700 wickets when Murali was still on 600 odd, but Murali smashed that world record and never looked back. Almost the perfect spin bowler.
6.Shane Warne: Murali's great rival and the most complete leg spinner to ever play the game. Not quite the inspiration in ODI cricket but in Tests there have been very few who have bowled better, especially on the biggest stage. He was soundly worked out by Kevin Pieterson and co in 2005 but came out stronger than ever in 2007. Great indeed.
7.Jack Hobbs: The most complete English batsman of all time. No one has scored as many first class runs or as many first class centuries, and no one probably will.His career was derailed by WW1 but he still managed to end with over 5000 test runs and an average of 55.
8.Wasim Akram: There are those who will say he is the greatest left arm fast bowler of all time. I would say he is the greatest fast bowler of all time, left or right is not part of the equation. Inswing, outswing, reverse swing and a dangerous bouncer, no one could and since his retirement no one has bowled them better. Until Muralitharan smashed all bowling world records he was crickets highest ever international wicket taker.
9.Vivan Richards: The most destructive test batsman of his time and definitely the coolest. His statistics are not as great as some of the other players to play the game but sometimes it is not all about the numbers. On his day he could rip apart any bowling line up in the world on any given pitch.
10.Adam Gilchrist: I was a little stuck as to who I would pick at number 10. Lillee, Marshall, Lara, Kallis?? But wicket keepers are so important to their team cause, yet so underappreciated in lists like these. Gilchrist was a great wicket keeper, unspectacular behind the stumps but 100% reliable. Add to that his batting which is up there with many of the best, he needs to be on this list.
Here is my list:
1.Garry Sobers: A great batsman, a great bowler and a sound fielder. The greatest allrounder who ever lived? Definitely. A Test batting average of 57, with the then world record of over 8000 test runs. He scored the highest test score of all time (at that stage in cricket history) when he was only 21. Coupled with well over 200 wickets with an average of 34, he was a match winner in every aspect.
2.Sachin Tendulkar: The greatest batsman who ever lived. To some that will be blesphamous, after all what about Don Bradman? But Tendulkar holds almost every batting record of note, with well over 30000 international runs and 99 international centuries. These are records which may never be broken, on par with Bradman's 99.94.
3.Don Bradman: An average of 99.94, possibly the most famous statistics in all of sport. Bradman is Australia's greatest ever sportsman, and in the 70 or so years since he last played cricket no one has ever come close to his stratospheric average and no one ever will.
4.Imran Khan: Imran Khan is the greatest allrounder since Sobers, period. His batting average of 37 and bowling average of 22 paint only part of the picture. Liek so many great cricketers from Pakistan, he could change the course of the game in an over or two, with both bat and bowl. Combined with his excellent captaincy, in a team famous for rebellion, he is arguably Pakistan's most important sportsman.
5.Muttiah Muralitharan: The master of the doosra, with more international wickets than anyone else. Shane Warne took over 700 wickets when Murali was still on 600 odd, but Murali smashed that world record and never looked back. Almost the perfect spin bowler.
6.Shane Warne: Murali's great rival and the most complete leg spinner to ever play the game. Not quite the inspiration in ODI cricket but in Tests there have been very few who have bowled better, especially on the biggest stage. He was soundly worked out by Kevin Pieterson and co in 2005 but came out stronger than ever in 2007. Great indeed.
7.Jack Hobbs: The most complete English batsman of all time. No one has scored as many first class runs or as many first class centuries, and no one probably will.His career was derailed by WW1 but he still managed to end with over 5000 test runs and an average of 55.
8.Wasim Akram: There are those who will say he is the greatest left arm fast bowler of all time. I would say he is the greatest fast bowler of all time, left or right is not part of the equation. Inswing, outswing, reverse swing and a dangerous bouncer, no one could and since his retirement no one has bowled them better. Until Muralitharan smashed all bowling world records he was crickets highest ever international wicket taker.
9.Vivan Richards: The most destructive test batsman of his time and definitely the coolest. His statistics are not as great as some of the other players to play the game but sometimes it is not all about the numbers. On his day he could rip apart any bowling line up in the world on any given pitch.
10.Adam Gilchrist: I was a little stuck as to who I would pick at number 10. Lillee, Marshall, Lara, Kallis?? But wicket keepers are so important to their team cause, yet so underappreciated in lists like these. Gilchrist was a great wicket keeper, unspectacular behind the stumps but 100% reliable. Add to that his batting which is up there with many of the best, he needs to be on this list.
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