100 Greatest Cricketers of All-Time

Criteria: Stats, Influence, Match-Winning Ability, Other Specialised Abilites (e.g. Captaincy, Fielding, Wicket-Keeping).

1. Don Bradman (Australia, Batsman)
2. Gary Sobers (West Indies, All-Rounder)
3. Jack Hobbs (England, Opening Batsman)
4. Imran Khan (Pakistan, All-Rounder)
5. Shane Warne (Australia, Leg-Spin Bowler)
6. W.G. Grace (England, All-Rounder)
7. Dennis Lillee (Australia, Fast Bowler)
8. Viv Richards (West Indies, Batsman)
9. Greg Chappell (Australia, Batsman)
10. Walter Hammond (England, Batsman)

11. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand, All-Rounder)
12. Brian Lara (West Indies, Batsman)
13. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
14. Graeme Pollock (South Africa, Batsman)
15. Sachin Tendulkar (India, Batsman)
16. George Headley (West Indies, Batsman)
17. Ian Botham (England, All-Rounder)
18. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, Off-Spin Bowler)
19. Sunil Gavaskar (India, Opening Batsman)
20. Ricky Ponting (Australia, Batsman)

21. Keith Miller (Australia, All-Rounder)
22. Wasim Akram (Pakistan, Fast Bowler)
23. Sydney Barnes (England, Fast-Medium Pace Bowler)
24. Allan Border (Australia, Batsman)
25. Frank Worrell (West Indies, Batsman)
26. Kapil Dev (India, All-Rounder)
27. Adam Gilchrist (Australia, Batsman/Wicket-Keeper)
28. Len Hutton (England, Opening Batsman)
29. Herbert Sutcliffe (England, Opening Batsman)
30. Clarrie Grimmett (Australia, Leg-Spin Bowler)

31. Steve Waugh (Australia, Batsman)
32. Everton Weekes (West Indies, Batsman)
33. Glenn McGrath (Australia, Fast-Medium Pace Bowler)
34. Wilfred Rhodes (England, All-Rounder)
35. Victor Trumper (Australia, Batsman)
36. Waqar Younis (Pakistan, Fast Bowler)
37. Bill O'Reilly (Australia, Leg-Spin Bowler)
38. Stan McCabe (Australia, Batsman)
39. Curtly Ambrose (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
40. Jim Laker (England, Off-Spin Bowler)

41. Denis Compton (England, Batsman)
42. Ken Barrington (England, Batsman)
43. Fred Trueman (England, Fast Bowler)
44. Barry Richards (South Africa, Opening Batsman)
45. Fred Spofforth (Australia, Fast Bowler)
46. Mike Procter (South Africa, All-Rounder)
47. Frank Woolley (England, All-Rounder)
48. Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan, Batsman)
49. Richie Benaud (Australia, All-Rounder)
50. Alec Bedser (England, Medium-Fast Pace Bowler)

51. Clyde Walcott (West Indies, Batsman/Wicket-Keeper)
52. George Lohmann (England, Fast Bowler)
53. Courtney Walsh (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
54. K.S. Ranjitsinhji (England, Batsman)
55. Joel Garner (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
56. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe, Batsman/Wicket-Keeper)
57. Jacques Kallis (South Africa, All-Rounder)
58. Michael Holding (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
59. Ian Healy (Australia, Wicket-Keeper)
60. Harold Larwood (England, Fast Bowler)

61. Andy Roberts (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
62. Javed Miandad (Pakistan, Batsman)
63. Les Ames (England, Wicket-Keeper)
64. Bishan Singh Bedi (India, Left-arm Orthodox Spin Bowler)
65. Ray Lindwall (Australia, Fast Bowler)
66. Hedley Verity (England, Left-arm Orthodox Spin Bowler)
67. Alan Davidson (Australia, All-Rounder)
68. Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan, Off-Spin Bowler)
69. Allan Donald (South Africa, Fast Bowler)
70. Rahul Dravid (India, Batsman)

71. Brian Statham (England, Fast-Medium Pace Bowler)
72. Alan Knott (England, Wicket-Keeper)
73. Wes Hall (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
74. Graham Gooch (England, Opening Batsman)
75. Zaheer Abbas (Pakistan, Batsman)
76. Peter May (England, Batsman)
77. Sourav Ganguly (India, Batsman)
78. Ian Chappell (Australia, Batsman)
79. Shaun Pollock (South Africa, All-Rounder)
80. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (India, Leg-Spin Bowler)

81. Rod Marsh (Australia, Wicket-Keeper)
82. Learie Constantine (West Indies, Fast Bowler)
83. Geoffrey Boycott (England, Opening Batsman)
84. Bill Ponsford (Australia, Opening Batsman)
85. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies, Batsman)
86. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, Batsman/Wicket-Keeper)
87. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka, All-Rounder)
88. Clive Lloyd (West Indies, Batsman)
89. Neil Harvey (Australia, Batsman)
90. Martin Donnelly (New Zealand, Batsman)

91. Warwick Armstrong (Australia, All-Rounder)
92. Colin Bland (South Africa, Batsman)
93. Mark Taylor (Australia, Opening Batsman)
94. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka, Batsman)
95. Abdul Qadir (Pakistan, Leg-Spin Bowler)
96. David Gower (England, Batsman)
97. Andrew Flintoff (England, All-Rounder)
98. John Snow (England, Fast Bowler)
99. Jack Gregory (Australia, All-Rounder)
100. Lance Gibbs (West Indies, Off-Spin Bowler)

We should probably raise Sachin Tendulkar at this point. I'd rejig the 12-15 range thus:

12. Sachin Tendulkar
13. Malcolm Marshall
14. Brian Lara
15. Graeme Pollock

thoughts?

Pollock>Tendulkar>Lara ?

It's always tough to judge Pollock against these two because of the truncated nature of his test career. I could see the order you suggest, I think basically now I would have to put Tendulkar over Lara. Pollock I could see fitting anyway in the order of 3. It's slightly arbitrary but I'd have Macko no less than 2nd adding him in and making them a group of 4. Dunno how you see it but if you want to keep with your order then, possibly:

12.Marshall
13.Pollock
14.Tendulkar
15.Lara

I would have Pollock below both Tendulkar and Lara. A few places below. Seriously, he played 23 tests. Yes he averaged 61, but so have lots of batsmen in 23 test stretches. I know the reason he only played 23 tests was out of his control, but tough luck...a lot of players careers got interrupted because of external factors (especially the world wars)...it's going to affect positions. His first class average, over a far more statistically relevant 262 matches is 54.7 ... still excellent, but similar to a whole number of batsmen. I think he's basically equal to George Headley...their test records are eerily similar, and I'm not convinced either of them deserve to be above the likes of Ponting and Murali.

I see other problems. Lillee vs McGrath is a fiercely contested argument in Australia...not here though, 7th vs 33rd!

Is this list test matches only?

Sure is, Oom.

McGrath is a bit low you're right, I feel Tendulkar should be moved up now, I still feel he should be top 10 anyway, even though RV makes some good points.

I've just had a more thorough look at Graeme Pollock's test career, and to be honest he played against about 2 good/very good test match bowlers in his 23 tests (Graham McKenzie of Australia and Richie Benaud of Australia and it should be noted that Benaud was quite possibly in his last test series and not at the peak of his powers). The England attack he faced in 8 of his tests was easily one of the worst of all time. Easily. Opening the bowling for England on the tour of SA, 64/5: Ian Thomson (test record 9 wickets @63 - he played the whole series) and at Port Elizabeth for his one solitary cap, Ken Palmer (better known for me as a county umpire and good county player in his day, 1 wicket at over 100 runs. In at first change, bowling 26 overs in the first innings, one G Boycott of Fitzwilliam, Yorkshire . Quite extraordinary and possibly the worst seam attack in England's history. Rounded out by a decent offie (Fred Titmus). But even so, a remarkably weak attack. Earlier in the series we had the goliath of bowling (by comparison), John Price (40 wickets @ 35) opening the bowling with Thomson. Return series, English Summer 1965, opening game at Lord's. England's opening bowlers: David Larter & Fred Rumsey. I hear you ask who. Yes indeed, but to be fair both bowlers had decent test records (if extremely short). Both took 20 odd wickets at 25 and 27 apiece. But make no mistake these are names that have been utterly lost in the midsts of time as far as English cricket is concerned. We move on to the Oval (last test of the 3 match series) and finally a name to reckon with: John Statham, 200 + wickets at 24 and part of one of England's greatest bowling combinations of all time with Fiery Fred Trueman. But mark this, in the final test of his career. Also playing, Ken Higgs, who was a superb seam bowler and took 70 wickets @20. Titmus continuing with the off spin duties. A very good, but not great English spinner. (Not in the first bracket of slow bowlers eg Laker, Underwood, Verity). Back come Australia to visit SA, 66/7. McKenzie again taking the new ball, a splendid bowler but not in the very highest echelons of Australian seam bowling (very close to, though and it should be noted that he was often shouldering the attack on his own in the late 60s as you'll soon see!). Partnering McKenzie, David Renneberg (who?!!) - 23 @36 Second change, IM Chappell gets through 14 overs (he of the renowned captaincy and wonderful batting on his day but with a test bowling record of 20 wickets @ 60 odd) and who is this getting through 25 overs of testing leg break bowling? Bob Simpson, another excellent batsman and captain of his country and more than useful bowler, but 70 wickets @40 don't suggest frontline to me. Later in the series we see the attack bolstered by Graeme Watson (6 test wickets @ 40). Final test series comes in 1970 again against Australia. McKenzie is there again, joined by Connolly (a good record of 100@29) and then Freeman first change (forgettable seamer - 40@35) and John Gleeson (90 odd wickets @36) a decent leggie.

.......food for thought here I think!

we need to iron this out and probably include ODIs, but on the premise that pre ODI era players are not penalised. Also when we have Barry Richards here (we should indeed have him here) then we're obviously looking at more than just test/international cricket.

To be fair he should probably be in the teens or early 20s. (McGrath)

Avery, you've got Viv Richards listed as opening batsman, which he wasn't.
Also, #80 should be Bhagwat Chandrasekhar
#66 Hedley Verity is not a fast bowler, but rather a slow left armer.
#83 Geoffrey Boycott is an opening batsman.
#88 Clive Lloyd
#74 Graham Gooch is an opening batsman.
#68 Saqlain Mushtaq
Walcott, Flower & Gilchrist should be listed as batsman/wicket-keeper.
#44 Barry Richards is an opening batsman.

Clive Lloyd should be above both Boycott & Gooch.

Avery, I agree with you re Tendulkar - I think he should be top 10. I think he's above Greg C and maybe even Viv R but I know rv and probably nick will disagree with that and I can't be bothered with another huge debate on this topic!! Don Bradman agrees with me though, so consider that when you're weighing up your decision.

And I think all cricket anyone played should be in the mix, without, as Nick said, penalising the guys who played pre-one day era. I think you can counter this somewhat by also taking into consideration first class record - the older guys generally played much more for their state or county than the current international players. I mean, there's surely no way Jack Hobbs would be 3rd if it wasn't for his first class record, which is just mind boggling.

Nick, nice analysis...Pollock should be moved down for sure.

I'll definitely move Pollock down. I still think you guys underrate Viv though.