Top 10 Greatest Cricketers of All Time That Would be Remember Forever

Which is your favorite game? It doesn’t matter if it is cricket, football, golf, baseball, or anything, sports are fun. Like in every sport, several players are recognized for contributing a lot to their country. Similarly, in cricket, there have been 100’s of players who have set the records and motivated everyone who aspired to become a cricketer.

So, if you are a cricket fan and are interested to know the records set by cricket legends, then we have compiled the list of the top best cricketers of all time. Scroll and know who all are still considered as the legends of cricket.

1. William Gilbert (W.G.Grace) (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915)

Source = Guim

William Gilbert Grace was an English cricket player who is considered the best player of all time. He was a right-handed batsman and bowler and excelled in fielding also. He was one of the most popular men in England and also famous for his gamesmanship and money-making. 

He became the first batter to score a century before lunch in a first-class match for Gentleman of the South versus Players of the South in 1873. Grace was also a medical practitioner and was called The Doctor among his cricket group. 

He represented around 28 teams in his career. Apart from England, he played for London County, South of England, Gentlemen, and others. He made his international debut in 1880 when he played against the visiting Australians at the Oval and scored 152 in the innings. He believed that cricketers were not born, but everyone has to nurture and develop themselves through practice. 

2. Jack Hobbs (16 December 1882 – 21 December 1963)

Source = Wisden

Jack Hobbs or Sir John Berry Hobbs was a professional cricketer who played for Surrey for 29 years. He was one of the greatest cricketers of all time you would ever see. He continued playing cricket till the age of 52 and made several records. He finished his first-class career with over 60,000 at 50.70. He finished with test numbers of over 5000 runs at 56.94 with 15 hundred. 

He was also the first batsman to score a thousand runs away from home. Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe are the greatest opening batsmen in history. In 38 partnerships, they scored over 3000 runs. 

After Herbert, his partnership with Wilfred Rhodes was popular. The two scored over 2000 runs. Right from childhood, he wanted to become a cricket player, but due to poverty, he never made it. His sudden improvement in cricket in 1901 attracted several local teams. In 1903, he joined Surrey and scored 88 on his debut. He was popular for his fast footwork and ability to play different shots. His average of 56.95 in test cricket was a great achievement. 

3. Geoffrey Boycott

Source = Cricketaddictor

Geoffrey Boycott is a retired Test cricketer who made his international debut in 1964 in a test match against Australia. He has a successful career as a cricket commentator and was knighted in 2019. In his 18 years of career, he scored over 8000 runs in 108 Test matches for England. Geoffrey Boycott was the first England cricket player to score over 8000 runs in test cricket. 

And as of 2015, he was the sixth player to score this many runs. He began his test career in 1964, two-years after his first-class debut against Australia. In 1996, he was accused of assault by his former lover Margaret Moore. He denied the charges and said that she injured herself. At the time of judgment, he was working with BBC Radio and BSkyB as a commentator for England’s tour of the West Indies. He was dismissed from the job. 

He worked in South Africa and even trained the Pakistan team upon request. He was also awarded as the Cricketer of the Year of 165 when he played 9 test matches and scored over 600 runs with four fifties and one century. 

4. Sir Donald Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001)

Source = Wikimedia

Sir Donald Bradman is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He was born on 27 August 1908 and started his career against England on November 30, 1928. Other than Sir Donald Bradman, he was also known by the names: The Boy from Bowral, Braddles, The Don, and the White Hedley. 

His debut was not as expected. He scored 18 runs in the first innings; only one run in the later inning. Later, his game improved, and he made several records. He scored 12 double centuries, 13 half-centuries in test cricket, and 29 centuries. 

But you would be shocked to know about the number of sixes he hit in his career. He hit only six sixes in his Test career, and the numbers of four were 680. His record is still intact. However, Srilankan batsman Sangakkara has scored 11 double centuries, and Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have scored 6-6 double centuries. 

The government of Australia honored him by issuing a postal stamp in his respect. It was on 27 August 2008, on the birth anniversary of Bradman, when the government initiated the gold currencies of $5. Sir Donald Bradman has signed more autographs than any player in history.

5. Garry Sobers

Source = Arysports

Garry Sobers, or known by his full name Sir Garfield St Auburn Sobers, is a former West Indies cricket player. He was an extremely talented bowler and a brilliant fielder. He played 93 tests for West Indies and scored over 8000 runs at an average of 57.78 and took 235 wickets. He also holds the record of having the fifth-highest batting average in test cricket with over 5000 runs. He was born with six fingers in each hand. 

When he was 16, he was chosen as the last-minute replacement against the touring Indians of 1952-1953. That was his first-class debut. From 1961 to 1968, in 33 matches, he scored over 3000 runs with nine hundred and took 125 wickets. He got engaged to popular Indian actress Anju Mahendra before tying the knot with Pru Kirby. His talent was recognized by the captain of the police team in the Barbados Cricket team, Wilfred Framer. 

When he was 15 years old, he played for the club during the 1951-1952 season. He is the youngest player to score triple centuries and also the youngest one to make an individual record in the test. That time he was 21 years and 216 days old. 

Off the field, he was a scratch golfer, and in the casino, he was a prolific bettor. Garry Sobers was considered as an all-rounder in the cricket field. He even authored a book for children, which is titled Bonaventure and the Flashing Blade. 

6. Sachin Tendulkar

Source = Cloudinary

The list of the greatest cricketers of all time couldn’t be complete without mentioning the name Sachin Tendulkar. Born on 24 April 1973, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is regarded as the God of cricket. When he was 14 years old, he was a ball boy for the match between Zimbabwe and India. 

In October 1995, he became the richest cricket player after he signed a 5-year contract with the World tel for 31.5 crores. He was the first batter to be declared out by third-empire. Sachin Tendulkar has been awarded the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. He is the only Indian player to be honored by the three. 

He aspired to become a fast bowler but was rejected by Dennis Lillee’s MRF Pace Foundation in 1987. When he debuted in the test match against Pakistan, he wore the pads gifted by Sunil Gavaskar. In 1992, he became the youngest player to reach 1000 runs in test cricket. 

Furthermore, he is the only player who has over 11000 runs in the test. He is India’s first active member to be nominated to Rajya Sabha. Not many of his fans know that Sachin Tendulkar is ambidextrous. He writes with a left hand, but bats and bowls with the right hand.

7. Vivian Richards

Source = Ibtimes

Sir Issac Vivian Alexander Richards is a retired West Indies cricket player who is regarded as one of the best players in history. He scored over 8000 runs in 121 test matches at an average of 50.23. He scored around 7000 runs in One Day international and more than 35,000 in first-class cricket. 

When he was 19 years old, he made his first-class debut. He then took part in a non-competitive match and then made his competitive debut after a few days. He made his Test cricket debut on 22 November 1974 against India. 

In April 1974, he made his county debut for Somerset. He was awarded man of the match and received an ovation from his teammates. Until 2005, he was the only player to a five-wicket haul in One Day internationals. In 2002, Vivian Richards was selected by Wisden as the greatest ODI batsman of all time.

8. Keith Miller (28 November 1919 – 11 October 2004)

Source = Imgci

Keith Miller’s father was a local cricket player who taught him every detail of this game. Initially, he aspired to become a jockey because of his short height. He felt that as a jockey, he would do better than a cricket player. 

When he was 14 years old, he was selected for the school’s first XI. He scored 44 runs. In March 1936, he played for South Melbourne against Carlton. He performed well in the match, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation. In 1936, he completed his 10th class and quit school. He took a position as a clerk. 

During the 1938 season, Miler made a debut for Victoria against Tasmania and scored 181 runs. You might not be knowing that during WWII, Flight Lieutenant Miller was a pilot and carried out raids over Germany in Mosquito-night fighters. Besides this, he also played for RAAF sides for two years in 1943-1944. He scored 185 runs at Lord’s for the Dominions.

9. Richard Hadlee

Source = Wisden

Richard Hadlee or Sir Richard John Hadlee is a former cricket player who played for New Zealand. He is considered to be one of the best all-rounders and fast bowlers in cricket history. Richard Hadlee was the first man to take 400 wickets in test cricket. 

For New Zealand, he took 201 wickets at an average of 23. He played over 145 first-class matches for Nottinghamshire and scored 5854 runs at an average of 39.56 with 11 tons, including a doubleton. 

He was knighted in 1990 for his contribution to the New Zealand team and got retired the same year. In the 1984 County Championship, he took 117 wickets and scored over 1100 runs. Hadlee was the master of swings and the Sultan of Swing. 

His bowling figures for the year 1981, 1984, and 1987, were exceptionally remarkable. In 1981, his record was of 4252 balls with 231 maidens, 1564 runs, 105 wickets for 14.89 each. In 1984, his record was of 4634 balls with 248 maidens, 1654 runs, 117 wickets for 14 each. 

And in 1987, his record was of 3408 balls with 186 maidens, 1154 runs, and 97 wickets for 12 each. In these three seasons, Richard was voted the PCA Player of the year. He also won The Cricket Society Wetherall Award for the Leading All-Rounder in English First-Class Cricket in 1982, 1986, and 1987.

10. Ian Botham

Source = Imgix

Ian Botham or Sir Ian Terence Botham is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history. He played for England in one-day and test series. He was well-known for his swing bowling, batting, and right-arm fast-medium bowling. 

He took 383 wickets, made 14 centuries, scored 5000 runs, and played 102 test matches. He was born to Violet Marie and Herbert Leslie  Botham. His parents were cricketers. When he turned 15, he decided to play cricket for the Somerset County Cricket Club. The world remembers him by the name Beefy due to his physique. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2007 New Year Honours List. 

He scored over 19000 runs, held 354 catches, and took 1170 wickets in his first-class cricket career. He, as a captain, played 12 test matches between 1980 and 1981. Unfortunately, he couldn’t win as a captain. The team lost eight matches, and four matches were drawn under his captainship. 

Final Words

If you are a huge cricket fan, then you must have heard about these greatest cricketers of all time. Tell us if we have mentioned your favorite cricket player on the list or not. 

Also, if you know other cricketers who made an impact in the cricket industry and have inspired people in the sports, then don’t forget to share their names below.