Greatest Cricketers of All Time
Top 10 Greatest Cricketers The Game has Ever Seen
Cricket is a sport to which many players have dedicated their lives. Regardless of their role as a batsman or bowler, or wicketkeeper, their primary purpose is to play incredible shots and achieved the milestone, in addition to making their country and fans proud of them. Numerous players in cricket thrived their careers and engraved their names in crickets history. Let’s lookup for the ten greatest cricketers of all time:
1. Sir Donald George Bradman — Right Handed Australian Batsman
Years Active: 1928 to 1948
Sir Donald George Bradman, popularly known as Don Bradman, is one of the most prominent cricketers of all time who holds the historical record of 99.94 average test and scored 6996 runs, and no one ever beat that to date. In 52 Test Matches, Don hit 29 centuries where 10 were doubles, and 2 were triples.
During the Test matches between 1928–1948 against England, Don reckoned 19 centuries. In 1930, Don scored 334 runs in England, and again, in 1934, he scores 303 runs. Don captained the Australian team in 1948, and it was a historic moment for Australia as the team won four matches.
Throughout his cricket life, Don hit 117 centuries — 234 matches, 338 innings. No cricket player in history has ever come close to this score. However, his battling style was slightly different; thus, his batting technique was adopted in the field and named after him.
2. Sir Richard Hadlee — Right Handed New Zealand Fast Bowler and Left Handed Batsman
Years Active: 1973 to 1990
One of the greatest cricket players of New Zealand for almost two decades, Sir Richard Hadlee, practically took the New Zealand cricket game to the next level.
Richard’s debut was at the age of 22 in 1973 against Pakistan. In 1976, his bowling skill was one of the eye-pleases when he smashed seven wickets of the Indian team. Soon his blazing talent made him the first cricket player to hit 400 wickets in a Test match. Along with the most prominent bowler, he was an aggressive batsman as well.
In 1978 against England, she knocked off ten wickets brilliantly, in which 6/26 in the second innings. During the 1980s era, Richard was among the top 4 greatest all-rounder players along with Imran Khan (Pakistan), Kapil Dev (India), and Ian Botham (England).
In 1990 against England, Richard set a record of 5/53, including the last ball delivery wicket. After the match, Ricard got his knighthood and retired from cricket with glorious 431 wickets — 86 Test. However, his retirement created a little havoc as he was the gem of every match.
Post-retirement briefly, he was one of the sports media people, and then he served as a New Zealand’s selector chairman.
Also See: 5 Cricketers Who Represented Two Countries
3. Sir Vivian Richards — Right Handed West Indies Batting All-Rounder
Years Active: 1974 to 1991
Sir Vivian Richards, also famously known as Viv Richards, is one of such legendary cricket players that makes the crowd walk with him. He never wore the helmet, but the cap and all you can hear are loud cheers when he walks towards the cricket ground.
Viv made a debut in India in 1974, scored 192 runs. In 1976, he scored smashing 170 runs — 7 centuries in 11 Test matches at an average of 90. Viv has scored 8540 runs in 121 Test matches with 24 centuries shot at an average of 50+. He hit five more centuries during the World Cricket Series.
For 30 years, Viv was the highest record holder until, in 2006, Mohammad Yousuf, Pakistani cricketer, broke his record. Viv Richards’s unique playing skills contribute to West Indies winning not just one but two World Cups in 1975 and 1979.
In 1999, the Antiguan Government made him a National Hero — Knight of the Order. The following year, Viv’s name was printed in Wisden Cricketers, the top 5 players of the century. In addition, a cricket stadium was built in Antigua to honor his name, where the Cricket World Cup 2007 was played.
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