the best cricketer ever

If cricket can transcend time, boundaries and generations, these players have certainly proved their mettle since the game’s inception. Though their greatness can’t be measured in numbers alone, these players have changed the course of the game almost single-handedly with their consistent performances time and again.

The absence of Len Hutton, Ricky Ponting, Virat Kohli, Sir Jack Hobbs, Adam Gilchrist, MS Dhoni, Wasim Akram, George Headley, Graeme Pollock, Malcolm Marshall and many more stalwarts just proves how good these men in this list are.

Here is a list of the top 5 greatest cricketers of all time.

1. Sir Donald Bradman (Australia)

An illustrious career spanning over two decades, ‘‘The Don’’ stood tall boasting of an astounding batting average of 99.94 after having played 52 Tests. Unarguably the best cricketer ever born, one can safely assume that his unparalleled batting average will never be broken.

2. Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Having scored a staggering 100 international centuries, “The God of Cricket” truly lives up to his title. Also known as the “Little Master,” Tendulkar was a perfect blend of finesse, balance, class, exquisite timing, placement and aggression. Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack gave him the title of ‘the second greatest Test batsman’ after Sir Donald Bradman and ‘the second greatest ODI batsman’ after Sir Vivian Richards.   

3. Sir Vivian Richards (West Indies)

Richards took the aggression to the hostile pacers of his times and often intimidated them with his fierce hitting and an aura of authority. He was one of the chief architects who shaped the West Indian era of invincibility.

4. Shane Warne (Australia)

In the 1993 Ashes, Warne had bowled the “ball of the century” and subsequently revived the art of leg-spin in international cricket. He is one of the greatest leg-spin bowlers who has taken more than a thousand wickets in international matches. Warne was also named as one of the ‘5 Wisden Cricketers of the 20th Century.’

5. Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies)

An ex-captain of the West Indies team, he was one of the greatest all-rounders in the cricket world. Gifted with shrewd cricketing brains, Sir Garfield could do everything from batting to bowling pace or even spin.