The 10 Best All Rounder In Cricket History
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The cricketers who contribute substantially with bat & ball are called all-rounders. A few cricketers have excelled in all the departments, i.e., batting, bowling, and fielding. They often give match-winning performances. All-rounders are priceless assets for a team. Sometimes, they win you a match single-handedly. In this article, we will be discussing the best all rounders in cricket history.
Top 10 Best All-Rounder of all time in cricket
1. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Jacques Henry Kallis is considered the best all rounder in cricket history. Because of him, test cricket is able to witness a player who has 12000+ runs and 250+ wickets as well. He made his debut in 1995. From the beginning of his career, he has played match-saving knocks. Be it a green top or a rank turner, he was up to the task. In his entire career, he has scored 25,528 runs. Not only with the bat, but he also contributed heavily with the ball, scalping a total of 577 wickets, making him one of the most valuable players of all time. He is the dream all-rounder for any country.
2. Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
Sir Garfield St Auburn Sobers, famously known as Sir Gary Sobers, is another best all rounder in cricket history. Sobers made his first-class debut at the age of 16. In his first-class career, he played 383 matches, scored 28,000+ runs, and took over 1000+ wickets. He started his career as a bowler, but his aggressive batting skill soon took the spotlight. Sobers played 93 tests for the West Indies and scored 8032 runs, averaging 57.78. He also contributed with the ball taking 235 wickets in his entire test career. He captained the West Indies cricket team from 1965 to 1972 and was a very important part of the team in the golden era of Windies cricket.
3. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is a former cricketer and prime minister of Pakistan. He is the best all-rounder in cricket history of Pakistan. This Pakistani legend was a fast bowler, and the many associated injuries made him focus more on batting as his career progressed. In his career, he scored 7516 runs and took 544 wickets. Imran had a healthy average of 37.69 in test cricket. He captained his team in the 1992 World Cup triumph. Hence, he is considered Pakistan’s most successful cricket captain.
4. Ian Botham (England)
Ian Terence Botham, also known as ‘Beefy’, is arguably one of the world best cricket all rounder all time. He was known for his fast run-scoring ability. He won the 1981 Ashes series single-handedly for England, scoring 399 runs and taking 34 wickets. In his career, he scored 7313 runs and scalped 528 wickets. Botham averaged 33.54 with the bat in his Test career, including 14 centuries.
5. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
Deshabandu Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is one of the most explosive openers in Sri Lankan cricket history. He made his debut in 1989 and didn’t look back. He was in his prime in 1996, and his exceptional performance with both bat and ball led Sri Lanka to uplift the World Cup for the first time in 1996. Jayasurya’s extraordinary performance earned him the title of the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the 1996 World Cup. He used to play all 3 formats in one way, i.e. the attacking approach. At his time, he made the record for the fastest half-century (17 balls) in ODIs, which AB de Villiers later breached. In his entire international career, Jayasuriya scored a staggering 21,032 runs and took 440 wickets.
6. Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
Shaun Maclean Pollock is admired as one of the greatest fast-bowling all-rounders in the world. Apart from his bowling abilities, he was very handy with the bat. Despite having only 2 tons, he averaged 32.31 in test cricket, which suggests his consistency with the bat. Pollock played a total of 423 international matches, took 829 wickets, and made 7286 runs. He captained the team for a few years. He retired in 2008, but his contribution to South African cricket made him to this list of the best all rounders in cricket history.
7. Kapil Dev (India)
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj, famously known as the ‘Haryana Hurricane’, is no less than a hero for Indian cricket fans. His match-winning knock of 175 against Zimbabwe, in very difficult circumstances at the 1983 World Cup, is unforgettable. Kapil is the first Indian captain to win the World Cup, beating the West Indies, in 1983. Apart from his batting ability, he is a fast bowler who contributed substantially with the ball on the spin-friendly pitches of the Indian sub-continent. Kapil scored 9031 runs in his international career and took 687 wickets. Indian cricket reached further heights under his captaincy. He won the prestigious award of India’s Cricketer of the Century in 2002.
8. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
Sir Richard John Hadlee is the best all rounder in the cricket history of New Zealand. He was more of a bowling all-rounder who was good enough with the bat, making him a handy lower-order batsman. He put up an impressive bowling display against Australia with his personal best 52/9. Hadlee played only 201 international matches, scalped 589 wickets, and scored 4875 runs with a decent average of almost 25. These statistics tell that he was a priceless gem for the New Zealand cricket team.
9. Andrew Flintoff (England)
Andrew Flintoff is the best all rounder in cricket history of England. He became famous after his stellar performance in the 2005 Ashes series. This Englishman was a batting all-rounder capable of bowling over 140 Kph consistently. Flintoff had an average of 31.07 in test cricket. He played all three formats for England and was known for his aggressive intent. In his short career, he participated in 227 international matches, scored 7315 runs and took 400 wickets. He played many match-winning knocks for his country.
10. Keith Miller (Australia)
Keith Ross Miller was a former Australian cricketer who served his nation as an Air Force pilot during World War 2. He was known for his great test match bowling with Ray Lindwall. He didn’t play much cricket because of the circumstances of that time. He played only 55 test matches for Australia, but they were enough for him to leave a mark. In these 55 matches, he scored 2958 runs at an average of 36.97, consisting of 7 centuries and 13 half-centuries, and took 170 wickets. These stats surely prove that he was the world's best cricket all rounder during the post-world war 2 era.
Conclusion
Although all bowlers need to bat when required, only a few can master the technique. It takes a lot of effort behind the screen. Being an all-rounder is not easy. To be known among the best, one should deliver their best at the top level for years.
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