Top 10 Batsman in Cricket History

Cricket is a very popular game to nearly 2 billion people in the world. Cricket has now turned into a billion dollar sports industry. This beautiful game has produced some great batsmen over the years. I have made a list of the ten of the greatest batsmen in the world. Well, it is a very tough thing to do. For doing this, I had to leave so many other great crickets. Still, I think that this list will satisfy most of the readers.

1. Sir Don Bradman (AUS) - Fitting that the greatest batsman of all time belongs to the greatest cricketing nation. "The Don" had a remarkable career and, like Lara, had a tragic end to it. With an unprecedented batting average of 99.94, had he just got a four in his last innings, he would have made it 100. Unfortunately he get bowled for a duck, a terrible end to the greatest career. To put that batting average in perspective, second place on this list Brian Lara's Test match average was 52.88. The fourth member of this list to be included in the top five of Wisden Cricketers of the Century.

2. Brian Lara (WIN) - The greatest run scorer in Test match history, with an unparallelled 11,953 runs, Brian Lara is a personal favourite of mine, as is Sachin Tendulkar. His 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham and his 400 not out for West Indies against England are stuff of legend, and remain unbeaten records and perhaps unbeatable records. His retirement game didn't do justice to his career, being run out on just 18, but throughout his career he wowed crowds around the world.

3. Sachin Tendulkar (IND) - "The Little Master" has a claim to be up in at least second in this list, with many regarding him to be the best of all time. If this list was exclusively for ODI batsmen, he would probably be in number one. A true legend of the game already, Tendulkar is looked upon with almost god-like status in India. He is only one of three men to score over 11,000 Test match runs.

4. Sir Viv Richards (WIN) - Despite not really being classed as an all-rounder, Richards could deliver a ball as well as knocking it out of the park. The third man on this list so far to be named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, his swagger when at the crease has become legendary. Often chewing gum and opting to where a cap instead of a helmet, Richards seemed to banish some of the best bowlers of his generation without much effort.

5. Sir Garfield Sobers (WIN) - Widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder the game has ever seen, Sobers became the first ever player to hit six sixes in an over. Another one voted as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, it was easy to see why he was regarded so highly. His records of over 8,000 Test match runs as well as 235 Test match wickets, coupled with over 28,000 First Class runs and over 1,000 First Class wickets, show what a great all-rounder he was.

6. Allan Border (AUS) - Former captain of the mighty Australia, Border still holds the record for amount of consecutive Test appearances (153). He, again held numerous World Records at the time of his retirement. One of which was the most Test runs ever, with 11,174, a record since passed by number two on this list.

7. Sir Jack Hobbs (ENG) - Jack Hobbs was often referred to as "The Master", and it's easy to see why. Widely regarded as the greatest opening batsmen of all time, he was voted as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. Playing in the early 1900s, Hobbs didn't get a huge amount of Test runs, but was still seen as a formidable force. His records in First Class cricket still remain, where he scored over 60,000 runs, and took 108 wickets, a phenomenal record.

8. Sunil Gavaskar (IND) - Gavaskar is one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history. Although he played during a time when the Indian team weren't hugely successful, especially when he was captain, he stood out as a great batter. Another one of the handful to have achieved over 10,000 Test runs.

9. Ricky Ponting (AUS) - The captain of the dominate force in world cricket, Ricky Ponting has been consistently putting in match winning performances for the Aussies, helping them to Ashes victories and a World Cup victory, and that's just on the Test scene. He holds numerous records and is one of a handful of people to reach over 10,000 Test match runs.

10. W.G. Grace (ENG) - Playing in the 1800s, William Gilbert Grace was the first star of cricket, putting it on the map. His displays are stuff of legend, and, although his average seems worse than others, that may be because he played well into his fifties in a 44 year career. Immediately distinguishable by his bushy beard, he played in an era without the high tech bats and the protective gear in use today. He's the type of player we may never see again in the game.

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Top 10 Batsman in Cricket History

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Top 10 Bowlers in Cricket History

It has been said that a good bowler can single-handedly make his entire team win. There have been a number of excellent bowlers in cricket history, the following are the top 10s:

1. Glenn McGrath-Australia

Possibly the best bowler in cricket history, Glenn McGrath was persistently accurate when it came to taking wickets. He played for 14 years and has taken over 550 wickets. He is undoubtedly deserving of the number one spot in this list.

2. Courtney Walsh-West Indies

Walsh bowled his way till the top in this field and made it look so easy. His success is further consolidated by the fact that he was at the top for 17 years. This legend has taken over 500 Test wickets which was a record at one point.

3. Wasim Akram- Pakistan

This left-handed bowler is considered to be among the fastest in the field. His is fondly referred to as the Sultan of Swing and has taken over 350 Test wickets. Akram has also recorded two hat-tricks in both ODI and Test cricket.

4. Kapil Dev- India

Kapil Dev was definitely the best in the game during his time and is said to be an all-rounder. He gave his all no matter what the stakes were and he would deserve a mention even if he was terrible with the bat. However, both his batting and bowling were exceptional and he has taken over 430 Test wickets during his career. Last but not the least; he was also given the title of the “Cricketer of the last century”.

5. Allan Donald

Since his nickname was “White Lightening”, it goes without saying that he is among the top 10 bowlers in cricket history. Since South Africa was excluded from cricket, Donald gave his all at the age of 26 when he finally got his chance. His excellence in the field was proven when he took over 300 wickets.

6. Sir Richard Hadlee

New Zealand’s first few years in cricket were undoubtedly tough. However, Sir Richard Hadlee played the game well even during these years. At 22 he had taken over 430 wickets. It has been said that he could have won a game single-handedly any day.

7. Jeff Thompson

Along with Dennis Lillee, his team-mate, Jeff Thompson is said to have ‘terrorized’ the opposing team’s batsmen when it was his chance to bowl. Because of injuries, he could not take more than 200 wickets. However, he is still among the best and a few have been able to match his speed and precision.

8. Dennis Lillee

This bowler had a short temper and was fearsome when it came to bowling, to say the least. During the 1980’s, he set a record by taking over 350 test wickets and along with an average of 23.92, he was definitely among the best. Batsmen that were faced with Lillee knew that they would not walk away unscathed!

9. Michael Holding

This bowler was aggressive and single-minded when it came to bowling. He was passionate about taking wickets and took 248 during his career. While these statistics are impressive, what is even more remarkable is his nickname. “Whispering Death” is what his team-mates called him which explains more than enough about his abilities!

10. Malcolm Marshall

It has been said that Marshall had the ability to make batsmen very nervous. His pace was fast, his swing was ‘deadly’ and his accuracy was radar-like. He took over 370 Test wickets and is among the most phenomenal bowlers in cricket history.

Adapted From Top-Ten-List

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