Cricket is one of the most widely followed sports in the world. Since the start of Cricket, Cricket fans witnessed huge names of Cricket who did incredible jobs for their country. Although every player is crucial for their team in cricket but, allrounders are the most vital players in cricket. Many all-rounders ruled the cricket world, but the Top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time won many matches for team from the verge of lose. In this article, we have discussed the 10 greatest all-rounders of all time in the cricket world.
Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
Sir Garfield Sobers is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time. He debuted for the West Indies in 1954. Being a world-class bowler who can be a spinner and a pacer whenever needed, an aggressive batter, and an excellent fielder.
Sir Garfield Sobers was regarded as a “five-in-one-cricketer” by Sir Don Bradman.
He scored 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries in his career. Sobers’ most iconic performances are that he was the first player to hit six sixes in an over, and a world record of that time, unbeaten 365 runs against Pakistan in 1958. It still ranks as the fifth-highest score in test history. They captained the West Indies for many years and was an excellent fielder. He took retirement in 1974 and registered his name in the top 10 greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
South African all-rounder Jaques Kallis is the greatest all-rounder of the modern era and is highly rated in the list of greatest all-rounders of all time. He debuted for South Africa in 1995 and played till 2014. Now, he is the coach of the South African team.
With jaw-dropping records, experts debate if Kallis is a batting all-rounder or a balling all-rounder. Jacques Kallis is the only player to score over 10,000 runs and took over 250 wickets in tests and ODI history. He also had 200 test catches and 131 ODI catches, which speaks for his fielding prowess. In 2020, he was named to “The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.”
Due to extraordinary performances in the cricket world, Jacques will always be remembered as one of the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Imran Khan (Pakistan)
A true champion, Imran Khan is the one of the top 10 greatest all-rounders of all time, at number 3 in our 10 greatest all-rounders of all time. He was the winning captain of Pakistan’s only ODI World Cup in 1992 and became Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018. Began his career in 1971. He is widely regarded as the only one of the eight players who achieved the “All-round triple” of 300 wickets and 3000 runs in test format.
Imran Khan scored 6 test centuries and 18- half centuries with 362 test wickets. Kaptaan was also known for his social and political activities. He was included in the “ICC Cricket Hall of Fame” by ICC for being the greatest all-rounder. He took retirement at 39, after the World Cup in 1992. World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan achieved significant success as an allrounder for Pakistan. Therefore, Imran Khan is one of the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
Richard Hadlee was one of the greatest all-rounders of all time and the finest fast bowler. He started playing for New Zealand in 1973. Hadlee was best remembered for his record of taking 431 wickets at that time. He was a bowling all-rounder but delivered some fine knocks at lower order. Also, they contributed crucial runs whenever the team needed them, which is why he was at number 4 in our 10 greatest all-rounders. In 1990, Richard Hadlee was at the peak of his career because of breaking numerous records, notably;
- First Ever player in ODI history to score 1000 runs and took 100 wickets.
- His most iconic performance against Australia was a career-best score of 9/52
- It was a record of 36 five-wicket hauls in his career at the time of his retirement.
Sir Richard Hadlee took retirement in 1990 after serving New Zealand cricket for 17 years. In his 17 years of career, Richard Hadlee performed extraordinarily for New Zealand in his entire cricket career. Due to his success as an allrounder, Richard Hadlee is one of the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Kapil Dev (India)
Kapil Dev debuted for India in 1973. He is number 5 of our 10 greatest all-rounders of all time, as he was a consistent bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batter. His stats speak about himself; he took 434 test wickets and is the second bowler in cricket history.
He scored 8 centuries and 27 half-centuries with the bat, as he was a clear striker of the ball.
Kapil Dev became the first Indian captain to win the World Cup when India won in 1983. In the World Cup, he took 12 wickets and scored 303 runs, with his most iconic innings of 175 not out against Zimbabwe. He played till 1994, and at 35, he took retirement from cricket. Due to the majestic performance of India in the Cricket world, Kapil Dev is one of the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Sir Ian Botham (England)
Ian Botham is hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders of cricket, debuted for England in 1976. He performed with both bat and the ball routinely. His average with bat was 33.54, but Botham was capable of big innings as he has scored 14 centuries and 22 half-centuries. His average with the ball was 21 with 383 wickets.
Sir Ian Botham is greatly remembered for his 1981 ashes heroics. The test match series between England and Australia was named after him as “Botham’s Ashes,” where he performed tremendously as an all-rounder.
Botham scored 399 runs with 2 centuries and took 34 wickets, including three fifers. The legendary all-rounder retired in 1992. Ian Botham has achieved incredible success as an allrounder for England. These achievements make him among the top 10 Greatest All Rounders of All Time.
Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
Shaun Pollock was the captain of South Africa’s National Cricket team across all formats and a great all-rounder to be added to our list of 10 greatest all-rounders. He played for South Africa from 1995 to 2008, now serving cricket as a commentator. When he retired, he held the record for most wickets by a South African in ODIs and Tests, 393 and 421, respectively. Pollock also has a record for most centuries at number 9, that is 2 centuries.
Shaun Pollock was a fine batter; he scored 7836 international runs across all formats. Also known for power-hitting and hit 93 sixes in ODIs and Tests. Due to his extraordinary performance for South Africa, Shaun Pollock was named one of the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Shane Watson (Australia)
The right-handed middle-order batsman and medium pacer played for Australia from 2002 to 2015. He has occasionally captained Australia’s national cricket team. He was currently serving the cricket world as a commentator. Shane Watson was a terrific ball striker and played extremely well, especially against spinners. He contributed to crucial wins for the team. Watson took 291 international wickets across all formats. They also scored 10,950 runs for Australian cricket. Notably, one of the 10 greatest all-rounders of all time. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 winner Shan Watson deserved to be in the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time.
Andrew Flintoff (England)
Andrew Flintoff is a former England all-rounder, better known as Freddy Flintoff. He was one of the greatest all-rounder, fast bowlers, and middle-order batsmen who debuted in 1998. He is famous for his performance in Ashes 2005, when England won the series after 19 years, since 1989. He gave his best all-round performance. Flintoff scored 402 runs and took 24 wickets.
Overall, in his career, he took 226 wickets. He also played his role with bat greatly as he scored 5 centuries and 26 half-centuries, securing his spot among the 10 greatest all-rounders of all time. Flintoff’s attitude and aggressiveness make him one of the top 10 greatest All-rounders of all time.
Ben Stokes (England)
At number 10, we have New Zealand-born English allrounder, Ben Stokes in the list of top 10 greatest all-rounders of all time. Ben Stokes is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time and the modern era. He started playing for England in 2011. He faced lots of highs and lows in his career as a cricketer. Ben Stokes took his team to a brilliant victory to win the biggest cricket triumph in 2019. He scored an unbeaten 84* runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 finals. Ben Stokes won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant in the finals 2019 World Cup,
He has scored more than 10,000 international runs for England across all formats. His bowling stats are also great, as Watson took 297 wickets. Currently, he is playing for the country and will grow more until his retirement. Achievements and match-winning knocks of Ben Stokes make Ben Stokes one of the top 10 Greatest All-Rounders of All Time. Umpires also play excellent role in Cricket. Check out the list of top 10 best cricket umpires.
