Today we rank the salary of cricketers (men) from each Test playing nation.
Trent Boult’s shock yet understandable decision to leave the New Zealand contract has put the cricket world into frenzy. This begs the question of how much do cricketers from each country earn from a national contract.
The salary of cricketers in Australia from central contracts and match fees is the most lucrative between $362,500-1.75 million with England & India close behind with salary up to $1.5 million & 1.295 million respectively. Afghanistan, $20,000-40,000 and Zimbabwe at $4,000-90,000 rank at the bottom of the spectrum. New Zealand, South Africa, and West Indies players earn somewhere in the middle, which is why several of them have to go to England, Australia, and India to ply their trade to earn a bit more.
We present a complete breakdown of the earnings and rank each nation’s central contract strength from lowest to highest.
Salary of Cricketers from Each Nation – The Complete List (Lowest to Highest)
For the sake of this analysis, we will only consider the 12 Test playing nations.
How Did We Calculate the Estimated Salary Ranges?
We have done a bit of research based on annual reports, press releases, and trusted sources from each national board. We arrived at estimates for player salaries based on retainer central contracts and match fees. Brand endorsements, sponsorships, team/board bonuses, and match awards are not taken into consideration.
All of our sources are listed below each nation’s analysis for your reference.
Afghanistan Cricket National Contract Estimated Salary
Estimated Salary Range:$20,000-$40,000 (which may vary depending on the contract grade)
In 2023, government changed hands in Afghanistan. According to the Guardian, their cricket board paid the players around $1,000-$3,500 monthly salary.
Highest Paid Afghanistan Player Breakdown: England captain Rashid Khan earns around $2.2-3.36 million annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
$2.14 million (INR 18 Crore): IPL
$40,000: Afghanistan central contract
$29,953 (£22,800 – £2,850/match): ICC World Cup match fees
The variability depends on the number of leagues Rashid Khan plays in a year subject to availability. In the past, Rashid Khan has also played in the following leagues:
$340,000 (ILT20), $164,216 (£125,000, The Hundred), $220,893 ($340,000 AUD, BBL), $110,000 (SA20), $75,000 (MLC), $160,000 (CPL), and $80,000 (BPL)
*Note: Match fees is not publicly disclosed for Afghanistan cricket.
Afghanistan Cricket Board Annual Report Analysis
Since data is not widely available on Afghanistan central contracts, we make an educated estimate based on their annual report. As per ACB’s 2020 Annual report, the ACB had a revenue of $7.15 million and expenses around $6.76 million (images attached below). From the expenses, $1.71 million was administrative cost, while $5.05 million was technical cost.
Around $1.937 million was spent on international cricket, $1.44 million accrual of 2020 (or prior) overall, and $ 883,000 was spent on HR activities. Although it is not stated what portion of this money was allocated for player salaries, we can estimate that around $1 million were spent on salaries of players, coaches, support staff, etc. Currently, there are 34 centrally contracted players (listed below). Hence, we came up with the above estimate for the Afghanistan cricketer salary.
List of Afghanistan Centrally Contracted Cricketers
Grade A: Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi
Match fees information is not available for Afghanistan cricket.
*Note: The annual report is from 2020, prior to the Taliban takeover. No official data is available since the political situation changed in Afghanistan. For example, 25 centrally contracted women’s cricketers were added in 2020 and several development programs started. This is, most likely, no longer the case.
According to Zimbabwe’s 2020-21 Annual Report, they had allocated $659,827 for statutory obligations and salaries, $788,891 for salaries in domestic cricket, and $1,620,326 for HR-related activities in international cricket.
Highest Paid Zimbabawe Player:Sikandar Raza plays in multiple leagues around the world. His annual income before sponsorships can range from $122,000-$516,000 depending on how many T20 leagues he plays in.
In 2023, he was picked up for the IPL for $57,123 (50 Lakh INR)
He has also played in MLC, the Hundred, PSL, and ILT20. Since his draft signing price was not publicly available, we take the average salary of these tournaments: $60,526 (MLC), $117,000 (Hundred), $77,206 (PSL), $138,888 (ILT20), which totals about $393,620.
Raza played 16 ODIs and 11 T20Is in 2023, adding about $21,600 in match fees.
In 2017, Graeme Cremer was the highest earned Zimbabwe cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $90,000.
Zimbabwe Cricket National Contract
Based on Cricket Monthly, in 2017 Zimbabwe’s players earned:
Top Tier:$66,000
Middle Tier:$48,000
Bottom Tier:$36,000
What Are Match Fees for Zimbabwean Cricketers?
Test:$2,000
ODI: $1,000
T20I: $500
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), Zimbabwe played a total of 15 ODIs ($15,000), and 16 T20Is ($8,000).
Zimbabwe cricket has faced lots of contract negotiation issues over the years, but it seems like not much as changed since 2013. In 2013, ESPNCricinfo reported Zimbabwean domestic cricketer’s salary as follows:
Highest Paid Irish Player Breakdown (2023):Josh Little was picked up in the IPL 2023 auction for about $500,000 (4.4 Crore INR). He also played 14 ODIs and 14 T20Is in 2023, earning about $21,700 in match fees.
Altogether, his annual on-field salary was in the range of $600,000-$800,000 in 2023.
He has also had stints in the Hundred, MLC, CPL, and PSL, which could potentially add a further $100,000-$300,000 if was available for all tournaments in a season.
Ireland Cricket National Contract
Central Contract: $75,000
According to Ireland’s 2019 Directors’ Report and Financial Statements, the wages and salaries amounted to $3.7 million (3,690,196 euros), from which $1.57 million (1,557,584 euros) was allocated for high performance player contracts & match fees distributed among 25 centrally contracted players.
What Are Match Fees for Irish Cricketers?
ODI: $1,100
T20I: $450
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), South Africa played a total of 9 ODIs ($9,900), and 22 T20Is ($9,900).
A player who played all three formats in this time period would have earned $19,800 in match fees alone.
Maximum Possible Salary:$211,950 (Top Tier Contract + 3-format Maximum Match Fees)
Minimum Possible Salary:$54,950 (Bottom Tier Contract + T20Is only)
Highest Paid Bangladesh Player Breakdown (2024): In 2024, Mustafizur Rahman earned around $390,000-$410,000 excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
$240,000 (2 Crore INR): IPL
$58,800: Bangladesh Central Contract
$49,122 (60 Lakh BDT): BPL
$43,200: Match Fees (4 ODIs, 15 T20Is)
In 2017, Shakib Al Hasan was the highest earned Bangladesh cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $140,000.
Bangladesh Cricket National Contract
Grade A+: $98,400 (BDT 12,000,000 BDT)
Grade A: $79,200 (9,600,000 BDT)
Grade B: $58,800 (7,200,000 BDT)
Grade C: $39,600 (4,800,000 BDT)
What Are Match Fees for Bangladesh Cricketers?
Test:$6,600 (800,000 BDT)
ODI: $3,300 (400,000 BDT)
T20I: $2,000 (250,000 BDT)
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), Bangladesh played a total of 10 Tests ($70,000), 12 ODIs ($42,000), and 17 T20Is ($39,950).
A player who played all three formats in this time period would have earned $151,950 in match fees alone.
Estimated Average Range: $72,300–145,350 (with some players with higher salaries due to negotiations)
Highest Paid Pakistan Player Breakdown: Captain Babar Azam earned around $756,385 million annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
~$277,985 USD ($420,000 AUD): BBL
~$220,000: PSL
$190,800: Pakistan Central Contract
$67,600: Match Fees (5 Tests, 17 ODIs, 4 T20Is)
In 2017, Sarfaraz Ahmed was the highest earned Bangladesh cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $270,000.
Pakistan Cricket National Contract
Category A: $190,800 (54 Million PKR)
Category B: $127,200 (36 Million PKR)
Category C: $63,600 (18 Million PKR)
Category D: $31,800 (9 Million PKR)
This overhauls the earlier contract system based on red ball – $56,400 (12,600,000 PKR) vs white ball – $51,600 (11,400,000 PKR) split.
What Are Match Fees for Pakistani Cricketers?
Test:$4,500 (1,200,000 PKR)
ODI: $2,300 (650,000 PKR)
T20I: $1,500 (420,000 PKR)
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), Pakistan played a total of 7 Tests ($26,600), 9 ODIs ($20,700), and 24 T20Is ($41,640).
A player who played all three formats in this time period would have earned $88,940 in match fees alone.
Pakistani players named in PCB central contracts 2022-23 will be paid 838,000 PKR per Test match, 515,000 PKR for an ODI and 372,075 PKR for a T20i match. There is 10% increase in salaries.
Maximum Possible Salary: $351,000 (A1 Contract + 3-format Maximum Fees)
Minimum Possible Salary: $65,000 (D3 Contract + ODI Player Only)
Highest Paid Sri Lanka Player Breakdown:Matheesha Pathirana earned around $1.6-$1.82 million annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
$1.55 Million (INR 13 Crore): IPL
$50,000-$100,000: SL National Contract
$72,000: Match Fees (18 T20Is in 2024)
$10,000-$100,000: SA20 (Wildcard Pick)
In 2017, Angelo Matthews was the highest earned Sri Lankan cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $320,000.
Sri Lanka Cricket National Contract and Player List
A1: $100,000, A2: $80,000, A3: $70,000
B1: $65,000, B2: $60,000, B3: $55,000
C1: $50,000, C2: $45,000, C3: $40,000
D1: $35,000, D2: $30,000, D3: $25,000
*there are additional bonuses for team victories against top opponents ($150,000 for series victory vs #1 team, $125, 000 vs #2 team, etc. till $30,000 bonus for series win vs #7 team)
What Are Match Fees for Sri Lankan Cricketers?
Test:$7,500
ODI: $5,000
T20I: $4,000
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), Sri Lanka played a total of 10 Tests ($75,000), 8 ODIs ($40,000), and 17 T20Is ($136,000).
A player who played all three formats in this time period would have earned $251,000 in match fees alone.
In 2017, Faf Du Plessis was the highest earned South African cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $440,000.
South African Cricket National Contract
Top Tier: $363,000
Medium Tier: $221,000
Bottom Tier: $145,000
What Are Match Fees for South African Cricketers?
Test:$6,925
ODI: $1,900
T20I: $911
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), South Africa played a total of 10 Tests ($69,250), 13 ODIs ($24,700), and 13 T20Is ($11,843).
A player who played all three formats in this time period would have earned $105,793 in match fees alone.
“The cricketers are in South Africa’s highest tax-paying band, 45% and 45% of a million US dollars is a lot more than 45% of a million Rand. So if money is what matters, then it all adds up.”
In 2017, Jason Holder was the highest earned West Indian cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $270,000.
West Indies Cricket National Contract (2017)
Top Tier: $140,000
Mid Tier: $120,000
Bottom Tier: $100,000
According to CWI’s 2021 Financial Statements, overall international retainers added to $2,248,583 and match fees amounted to $3,454,310. Including captain’s allowances, players insurance, injury payments, incentives, franchise retainers, etc., the total payment to players totaled a whopping $8,758,878.
Overall, WI have 18 contracted players for the men’s team & 19 for the women’s respectively. Assuming the men & women early equally, on average retainer + match fee is about $236,726.43 per West Indian cricketer.
What Are Match Fees for West Indian Cricketers?
Test:$5,750
ODI: $2,300
T20I: $1,735
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), West Indies played a total of 7 Tests ($40,250), 21 ODIs ($48,300), and 24 T20Is ($41,640).
A player who played all three formats in this time period would have earned $130,190 in match fees alone.
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), New Zealand played a total of 9 Test matches ($59,400), 13 ODIs ($32,500), and 14 T20Is ($22,498).
A New Zealander men’s cricketer playing all three formats would have earned up to $114,398 in match fees in the 2021-22 season. Hence, Trent Boult is trying to make the most of this match fee while giving up his $300,000+ retainer.
We look at Rishabh Pant’s 2024 season. In 2025, he has only played 6 Tests so far and not featured much in limited overs cricket.
In 2017, Virat Kohli was the highest earned Indian cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $1,000,000.
What are Match Fees for Indian Cricketers?
For a player in the XI for these formats, an Indian player earns
Test: Rs. 15 Lakh ($18,800)
Test Cricket Initiative Scheme: Rs. 30 Lakh ($37,600) if the player plays more than 50-75% of Tests in a season.
ODI:Rs. 6 Lakh ($7,524)
T20I: Rs. 3 Lakh ($3,762)
*However, the fee is deducted 50% if the player is in the squad but not playing in the XI. The corresponding figures are $9,400 (Tests), $3,762 (ODIs), and $1,881 (T20Is).
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), India played a total of 8 Test matches ($150,400), 18 ODIs ($135,432), and 35 T20Is ($131,670).
For someone who played all three formats and every game in this time period, that player had the potential to earn up to $417,502 in match fees on top of their annual contract.
Maximum Possible Earnings: $1.51 million (Full Contract + Maximum Fees for 3-format player)
Minimum Possible Earnings: $349,500 (White Ball Only + 1-format ODI player only)
Highest Paid England Player Breakdown:Jos Buttler earns around $3.5-$3.85 million annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
$1.88 Million (INR 15.75 Crore): IPL
$1.04 Million (£800,000): England central contract
~$500,000 (SA20)
$260,930: £200,000: The Hundred
$165,000: Match Fees (15 ODIs, 15 T20Is)
In 2017, Joe Root was the highest-paid cricketer from England (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $1,380,000.
England Cricket Central Contracts
Full Contract (Max): $1.125 million (£925,000)
*Between 2016-2021, contracts were separated based on formats (figures below)but now aredivided between central contracts, increment contracts, and pace bowling development contracts.
Red Ball Only: $790,000 (£650,000)
White Ball Only:$300,000-365,000 (£250,000-300,000)
What Are Match Fees for England Cricketers?
Tests:$17,600 (£14,500)
White Ball: $5,500 (£4,500)
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), England played a total of 15 Tests($264,000), 9 ODIs ($49,500), and 13 T20Is($71,500).
For someone who played all three formats and every game in this time period, that player had the potential to earn up to $385,000 in match fees on top of their annual contract.
Maximum Salary Estimate: $1.75 million (Negotiated Contract + All 3-formats Maximum Match Fees)
Minimum Salary Estimate: $362,500 (Minimum Contract + Home Test matches only)
Highest Paid Australian Player Breakdown: Australian captain Pat Cummins earns around $3.6-4.5 million annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
$2.14 million (INR 18 Crore): IPL
$1.2-2 Million ($2-3 Million AUD): Australian central contract
$159,150: Match Fees (7 Home Tests, 2 Away Test, 2 ODIs, 7 T20Is)
In 2017, Steve Smith was the highest earned Australian cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $1, 470,000.
Australia Cricket National Contract
Minimum Contract: $300,000
Average Contract: $951,000
It is reported that players like David Warner and other prominent Australian cricketers may earn upwards of $1.5 million based on the final negotiations. The average men’s Australian cricketer is earning around $600,000.
What are Match Fees for Australian Cricketers?
For a player in the XI for these formats, an Australian player earns
Home Test Fees: $12,500 USD ($18,000 AUD)
Away Test Fees: $17,725 USD ($25,000 AUD)
ODI Fees: $4,800 USD ($7,000 AUD)
T20I Fees: $3,800 USD ($5,500 AUD)
Estimated Match Fees: Between November 2021 and October 2022 (between the two consecutive T20 World Cups), Australia played a total of 10 Test matches (5 Home – $62,500, 5 Away – $88,625), 14 ODIs ($67,200), and 17 T20Is ($64,600).
A player who played all formats during this time period could have earned match fees alone up to $282,925.
*My deepest condolences to India’s legend Lata Mangeshkar, Nightingale of India, who unfortunately passed away this morning at the age of 92. Rest in peace. Here are some her greatest hits.
That’s right—Time for another World XI with Twists – Musical Cricketers Edition.
@robelinda2@cricket_broken@Fancricket12@bertyashley Cricketers who were good with musical instruments as well 🤔 John Wright was an able strummer apparently 🎸 Dale Steyn & Ambrose did have a go at🎶 🎹🪗🎺🎻🪕🥁🎤🎶 Leaving it to a set of fanatics to have a go at it : )
My process was a bit different this time around, driven by the tweet above. As a violinist-slash-mathematician-in-training-slash-dude-attempting-to-write-about-cricket, this topic attracted me immediately. Here is my interpretation of “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic.
With ideas from other individuals in the Twitter thread, we were able to find several cricketers who played musical instruments. Due to COVID induced lockdown and the growth of Instagram and other social media handles of various teams and cricketers, we are slowly beginning to see the inner life of these cricketers.
Today I bring to you a compilation of musician cricketers. Videos and musical bits are attached with every nominee in the list. Wait till the end to see my XIs.
After we list the cricketers with musical talent below, the goal is to make a few playing XIs out of all the options. Here are the rules:
Make an XI such that each cricketer:
Either plays a musical instrument
Or has sung in a professional music video/major stage
This XI needs to have a wicketkeeper
5 bowling options are necessary
*Note: This list only contains men’s cricketers, but another list can be created for women’s cricket (Jemimah Rodrigues, Laura Wolvaardt, etc.)
The Catch
We usually like to take the challenge to another level with these additional tasks:
Make a Versatile XI that can withstand anytime or format from the Bodyline series to the IPL.
Can you make a professional band or orchestra out of this XI? Try to create your list with as many different instruments in the XI as possible (There are several guitar options so try to limit them to 3-4).
Music has no language. Take it up a notch and see if you can involve players from as many nations in the XI if possible
Before you check out the cricketers with musical talent list, consider subscribing below and following Broken Cricket Dreams’ other social media platforms. It will be a big boost to us so we can continue to create this type of content. All you need to do is to type your email address below and hit subscribe.
Here is the list of cricketers with musical talent. We will use this list of 22 players to come up with some XIs. The options are divided intl (1) Openers, (2) Middle Order Batters, (3) Wicketkeepers, (4) All-Rounders, (5) Spinner, and (6) Fast Bowlers.
There is probably a correlation between fast bowlers and innate musical genius. So many options….Prepare to be surprised. Some pretty great music below in a variety of genres.
** DRUM ROLLS PLEASE ** (See what I did there? Okay just kidding, let’s get started)
Major Teams: New Zealand, Canterbury, Northern Districts, Auckland, Derbyshire, India (Coach)
Years Played: 1978-1993 (International), 1975-1993 (Overall)
Key Stats: 82 Tests, 5334 runs, 12/23 (100s/50s), best of 185, 149 ODIs, 3891 runs, 1/24 (100s/50s), best of 101
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
“Music and sports seem to go together,” says John Wright in this Cricinfo interview, where he shares the connection between music & cricket over the years.Going to university in the 1970s, the Beatles and Rolling Stones were the talk of the town which prompted him to play music alongside cricket & rugby.He has now gone pro and converted his hobby into a few albums. Here is “Christmas Away Blues” from his album Red Skies.
Major Teams: Australia, Australia A, Australia U-19, New South Wales, Queensland, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings (IPL), Brisbane Heat, Sydney Thunder, Syndey Sixers (BBL), St. Lucia Zouks, Dhaka Dynamites, Rangpur Rangers, Quetta Gladiators,
Years Played: 2002-2016 (International), 2000-2020 (Overall)
Key Stats: 59 Tests, 3731 Runs/75 Wickets, 4/24 (100s/50s), best of 176 & 6/33, 190 ODIs, 5757 Runs/ 168 Wickets, 9/33, best of 185* & 4/36, 58 T20Is, 1462 Runs/ 48 Wickets, best of 124* & 4/15
Achievements In Cricket: Player of the Tournament (T20 WC 2012, IPL 2008, IPL 2012), 2007 & 2015 World Cup Winner
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
The IPL was a key part of Shane Watson’s cricketing career. The 2008 IPL revived his international career, and he did not look back ever since, becoming a modern Australian legend. The IPL also gave him a platform to fulfill his musical desires. Most of his guitar & singing clips can be found via the Rajasthan Royals or Royal Challengers Bangalore handles, where he has performed in several team events.
Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, South Australia
Years Played: 1928-1948
Key Stats:99.94 average, 6996 runs, 29/13, best of 334, 52 Tests (First Class: 28, 067 runs, 117/69, best of 452* at a relatively poor average of 95.14, 234 matches)
Instrument Played: Piano
Musical Claim to Fame:
Sir Donald Bradman has the honor of both playing music & have music written on him. He was a pianist and in 1930, wrote & published “Every Day is a Rainbow Day for Me.” John Williamson, Paul Kelly, and Jack O’Hagan have written some memorable pieces on him. Below is a recording of Don Bradman’s piano work as well his granddaughter, Greta Bradman, a famous opera soprano, singing Don Bradman’s composition.
Major Teams: England, England Lions, England U-19s, Essex
Years Played: 2006-2018 (International), 2003-2021* (Overall)
Key Stats: 161 Tests, 12472 Runs, 45.35 Average, 33/57, best of 294, 92 ODIs, 3204 runs, 5/19, best of 137
Instrument: Clarinet, Saxophone, Piano
Musical Claim to Fame:
From a cricketing point of view, Alastair Cook might not be termed an ‘all-rounder,’ but in real-life, he definitely is one. Turns out, England’s greatest opener (a rarity in the England circuit these days) also has a few hidden talents. He grew up going to boarding school and explored his musical side. He was in a choir (video below) and learned how to play the clarinet (from the age 8-13).Later he added piano and saxophone to his repertoire.
No wonder he can focus in tough batting conditions for hours and hours.
Years Played: 1997-2004 (International), 1992-2009 (Overall)
Key Stats: 71 Tests, 4288 runs, 8/23, best of 173*
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
If you YouTube Mark Butcher right now, it is likely you will see more of his music videos than cricket even though he is an Ashes hero and has played 71 Tests. His musical career came to the public’s eye when he sang You’re Never Gone on cricketer’s Ben Hollioake’s funeral, who died in a car crash at the age of 24. Since his retirement, he has released multiple albums. Apart from his commentary stints, he regularly tours around England and performs. Here is just one of his videos. His passion for music really shines through.
The Fabulous Middle Order Strummers
Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Steve Smith are not only competing in the Fab 4/Fab 5 best-batters-of-the-generation debate, but they are also fighting out for a spot in the Musicians XI.
6. Kane Williamson (Guitar/ Ukulele)
Major Teams: New Zealand, New Zealand A, New Zealand U-19s, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Yorkshire, Barbados Tridents
Years Played: 2010-2022* (still playing), 2007 – domestic debut
Key Stats: 86 Tests, 7272 runs, 53.47 average, 24/33, best of 251, 151 ODIs, 6173 runs, 13/39, best of 148, 74 T20Is, 2021 runs, best of 95, 32.59 average
Cricket Achievements:World Test Champion, Player of the Tournament (2019 CWC), Finalists – 2015/2019 CWC, Most Runs IPL 2018 (735)
Instrument: Guitar/Ukulele
Musical Claim to Fame:
Social Media, Instagram, and YouTube is the reason we know about Kane Williamson’s musical talent. Here are a couple of his video below.
Major Teams: England, England Lions, England U-19s, Yorkshire, Trent Rockets
Years Played: 2012-2022* (still playing), 2009 – domestic debut
Key Stats: 114 Tests, 9600 runs, 23/53, 49.23 average, best of 254, 152 ODIs, 6109 runs, 16/35, best of 133*, 51.33 average
Instrument: Ukulele
Musical Claim to Fame:
Before the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Joe Root started to learn the ukulele on the side to ‘unwind‘ from cricket. First because he does not consider singing his strong suite and because the ukulele is more portable for overseas tours than a guitar.
Major Teams: Australia, Australia A, Australian XI, New South Wales, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiants, Pune Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Barbados Tridents
Years Played: 2010-2022* (still playing), 2007 – domestic debut
Key Stats:59.87 average (just dropped below 60) 82 Tests, 7784 runs, 27/33, 128 ODIs, 4378 runs, 43.34 average, 11/25, best of 164
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
Steve Smith posted the video below during IPL 2020 in Dubai. He is trying to pick up this new hobby and has worked with Australian singer Guy Sebastian on his music skills.
Years Played: 1987-1996 (International), 1984-1998 (Overall)
Key Stats: 37 Tests, 2043 runs, 37.14 average, 4/9, best of 218, 74 ODIs, 1994 runs, 1/15
Musical Claim to Fame:
Sanjay Manjrekar’s musical claim to fame is actually releasing an Indie pop album in 1994 called ‘Restday.’ He revisits some old classical Bollywood songs and gives it his own interpretation. Listen to his collection below. Pretty neat voice.
10. Sir Richie Richardson (Guitar)
Major Teams: West Indies, West Indies B, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands,
Years Played: 1983-1996 (International), 1981-2001 (Overall)
Key Stats: 86 Tests, 5949 runs, 44.39 average, 16/27, best of 194, 224 ODIs, 5248 runs, 5/44, best of 122
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
Sir Richie Richardson has been in his several roles with West Indian cricket, but when he is not in the cricket world, he is in his music world with Sir Curtly Ambrose (see below). They have a band named ‘Spirited’ and have been performing locallysince 2009.
Scores runs, keeps wickets, plays instruments, middle school scientist, in one word—genius. A fan favorite. We all know his deep roots with Royal Challengers Bangalore, but over the years he has jammed casually alongside his wife, Danielle de Villiers. Here is one of those videos.
Major Teams: Pakistan, Quetta Gladiators, Islamabad United, Barbados Royals
Years Played: 2021-2022* (still playing), 2018 – domestic debut
Key Stats: 67 T20s, 145.70 SR
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
Azam Khan is the free-spirited finisher every T20 team needs in their lower order. Definitely a bright star for Pakistan in the coming years, he is also a great guitarist. The bubble life and PSL has helped the world see his inner talent.
The first player from Anguilla to play for the West indies, Omari Banks has had quite an interesting life so far. He comes from a musical family (His father is Bankie Bankx – the Anguillan Bob Dylan). Post cricket, he has become a professional entertainer, touring around the world with his music. His genre is a mix of reggae music & blues, and Bob Marley is one of his inspirations.
In his own words, “I want people to enjoy the music and to be able to dance to the music” with the message of “peace, love, togetherness.”
14. Dwayne Bravo (Singer/Rapper – Music Video)
Major Teams: West Indies, Trinbago Knight Riders, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, ICC World XI, and a million more
Years Played: 2004-2021 (International), 2001-2022 (Overall)
Key Stats: 517 T20s, 563 wickets/6685 runs, 20 fifties, best of 5/23 & 70*, 40 Tests, 86 wickets/2200 runs, 3-100s/13-50s, best of 6/55 & 113; 164 ODIs, 199 wickets/2968 runs, 2/10, best of 6/43 & 112*, 91 T20Is, 78 wickets, 1255 runs, best of 4/19 & 66*
Cricket Achievements: 2012 & 2016 T20 World Cup Winner, Most T20 Championships around the world (Pollard 2nd), 167 wickets in IPL (2nd Best), Purple Cap (2013, 215 – CSK)
Musical Claim to Fame:
With 122 million views, I am sure you already know the ‘Champion,’ DJ Bravo. Not only did it take Bravo’s image as an entertainer to the next level, it also became the main theme song synonymous with the great World Cup winning T20 generation of the 2010s for the West Indies.
15. Corey Anderson (Guitar)
Major Teams: New Zealand, NZ A, NZ U-19, Auckland, Canterbury, Northern Districts, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, Lahore Qalandars, Barbados Tridents, Somerset, singed with US Major League Cricket
Years Played: 2012-2018 (NZ International Career), 2007-2020 (Overall – might still lay in the United States; only 31 years old)
Key Stats: 49 ODIs, 1109 runs/ 60 wickets, 1/4, best of 131*, 31 T20I, 2-50s, best of 94*, 13 Tests, 1-100/4-50s, best of 116
In our squad, we already have Omari Banks as an off-spinner with Joe Root-Kane Williamson-Steve Smith can turn the ball as well, but here is our lone spinner with some degree of international bowling experience.
The spinner in England’s golden generation of Test cricket (before Mitchell Johnson ended half their careers in 2013), his career post cricket seems to have taken off in the media industry—commentator, dancer in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, and is the lead singer in a band. He is in a band called Dr. Comfort And The Lurid Revelations and has performed several times. In this interview with the Guardian, it is revealed that he taught Jimmy Anderson how to play the guitar (and Timmy Ambrose is another teammate with some guitar talent).
Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney Sixers, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Otago, Wellington
Years Played: 1999-2012 (International), 1997-2015 (Overall)
Key Stats: 76 Tests, 310 wickets, best of 5/30 (inns) & 9/171 (match), 17 – 4w/10 -5w, 221 ODIs, 380 wickets, best of 5/22, 14/9
Instrument Played: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
Brett Lee ruled the 2000s with his lightning bolts but later in the decade, he captured the imagination of the Indian audience with this music video along with Asha Bhosle below. Beautiful song and with catchy beats. He has a nice voice and plays guitar in his free time.
18. Henry Olonga – This Is the Moment (Singer/Opera on the VOICE)
Years Played: 1995-2003 (International), 1993-2003 (Overall)
Key Stats: 30 Tests, 68 wickets, best of 5/70, 50 ODIs, 58 wickets, best of 6/19
Musical Claim to Fame:
This is my favorite music of the list. Tookme by complete surprise.Henry Olonga, the youngest player and the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, he came to the fore in the 2003 Cricket World. He had to flee to England after his open protest against his country’s dictator. He auditioned for the Voice Australia in 2019 with his deep operatic voice, was selected, and went through to the next couple of rounds as well.
Major Teams: West Indies, Leeward Islands, Northamptonshire
Years Played: 1988-2000 (Interntaional), 1985-2000 (Overall)
Key Stats: 98 Tests, 405 wickets, 21-4w/22-5w/3-10w, best of 8/45 (inn) & 11/84 (match), 176 ODIs, 225 wickets, best of 5/17, 239 FC, 941 wickets
Instrument: Bass Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
Bowls with menace & plays music in style, the complete West Indian package.With Richie Richardson, he headlines the band, Spirited, of about 11 musicians and is the bass guitarist. The genre is reggae music.
20. S Sreesanth (Drums)
Major Teams: India, Kerela, Asia XI, Warwickshire, Kings XI Punjab, Kochi Tuskers Kerela, Rajasthan Royals
Years Played: 2005-2011 (International), 2002-2021 (Overall)
Key Stats: 27 Tests, 87 wickets, best of 5/40 (inn) & 8/99 (match), 53 ODIs, 75 wickets, best of 6/55
Instrument: Drums
Musical Claim to Fame:
Sreesanth is known for dancing on the field, but he is pretty handy with the drums off the field. He has also come in a few reality TV shows. Entertainer for sure.
21. Trent Boult (Guitar)
Major Teams: New Zealand, NZ A, NZ U-19s, Northern Districts, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians
Years Played: 2011-2022* (still playing), 2008 – domestic debut
Key Stats: 75 Tests, 301 wickets, best of 6/30 (inn), 10/80 (match), 17-4w/9-5w/10w-1, 93 ODIs, wickets 169, best of 7/34, 44 T20I, 62 wickets
Instrument: Guitar
Musical Claim to Fame:
Trent Boult has been central to New Zealand’s progress over the last 5-10 years, but the victory song after the World Test Championship is his claim to fame in his musical life. Great guitar skills right there.
22. Rubel Hossain
Major Teams: Bangladesh, Bangladesh A, Bangladesh U-19s, Chattogram Challengers
Years Played: 2009-2021* (still playing), 2007 – domestic debut
Key Stats: 104 ODIs, 129 wickets, best of 6/26, 27 Tests, 36 wickets, best of 5/166, 28 T20Is, 28 wickets
Musical Claim to Fame:
Rubel Hossain, one of Bangladesh’s pace spearheads in a predominantly left-arm spinning country, he also seems to have sang on the stage in TV show. Very sweet voice.
Honorable Mentions
23. Hardavinder (Harrdy) Sandhu (Singer)
Major Teams: India U-19, Punjab
Year Played: 2005
Key Stats: 3 FC matches, 12 wickets, best of 3/62
Musical Claim to Fame:
You might have seen him playing the role of Madan Lal in the ’83 movie, but did you know, he was actually a cricketer? He was selected alongside Shikhar Dhawan, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, and Suresh Raina, VRV Singh, and RP Singh. Unfortunately he suffered a career ending elbow injury a couple of years later and his cricket dream was broken. Since 2011, he is a full time professional musician. The video below has 611 million views…maybe things happen for a reason.
According to the Guardian, Parr joined the Merseysippi Jazz Band in 1949 and after his cricketing career, in 1956, he joined the Mick Mulligan band. By the end of the 1960s, his musical career had come to an end. Later, he tried acting and picked up a role in TV series Psychoville (2009) and the acclaimed movie The King’s Speech (2010). He still had cricket in his life and captained a team called the “Ravers,” other cricket team made entirely out of jazz musicians.
Other Members of the Ravers: Ray Smith (Ray’s Jazz Shop, Essex), Jim Godbolt Campbell Burnap (Omega Jazz Band, Derbyshire)
Cricketers With Musical Talent – The XIs
An all-rounders list without Jacques Kallis or Garfield Sobers, who would have thought?
No violinists among these cricketers unfortunately, but we have plenty of options to cricket a band out of an orchestra as well as teams that would do well in any T20 league, ODI World Cup, or World Test Championship.
A Bit of Philosophy Of Course – What Can We Learn from Them?
We can learn various valuable life lessons from these multidimensional cricketers.It is never too late to pursue your dreams as Omari Banks and Henry Olonga have shown with their lives.
There is no one path—try a few things out, invest in different experiences, take risks. It is completely okay to change careers and hit restart on your life.
Finally spend some time for yourself. Learn a new hobby—dancing, music, reading, gardening, anything. The pandemic hit pause in everybody’s lives and the grueling pace of the 21st century. We have been given some time to reflect what is important. Time will pass, things will change, but you can always rely on your family, friends, and a hobby to fall back upon to give you a peace of mind. I will leave you with this one final thought from Dead Poets Society:
“Poetry, beauty, romance, love—these are what we stay alive for….’That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.’ What will your verse be?”
Other Cricketers Singing Videos
Although we had to restrict the singers to the ones that had performed at a semi-professional level, there are still several cricketers who like to sing. Here are some videos of them.
And finally, the West Indies Cricket Team surely knows how to celebrate. Full of singing, dancing, and more! Gangnam Style in 2012 and Champion in 2016.
More World XI with Twists
If you enjoyed this World XI with Twists about cricketers with musical talent, be sure to check out some of my other articles in this category.
Cricketers With Musical Talent – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which Cricketers Are Also Singers?
Henry Olonga, Harry Sandhu, John Wright, Alastair Cook, Mark Butcher, Sanjay Manjrekar, Omari Banks, Dwayne Bravo, Graeme Swann, Brett Lee, and Rubel Hossain are cricketers who can also sing.
Which Cricketers can play musical instruments?
Sir Donald Bradman (piano/songwriter), Alastair Cook (saxophone, clarinet, choir), Joe Root (ukulele), S. Sreesanth (drums), and Frank Parr (Jazz Trombone) are some of the many cricketers with musical talent.
Who are the most gifted and talented cricketers outside of cricket?
John Wright, Shane Watson, Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Alastair Cook, Mark Butcher, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, Steve Smith, Sanjay Manjrekar, Sir Richie Richardson, AB De Villiers, Azam Khan, Omari Banks, Dwayne Bravo, Corey Anderson, Graeme Swann, Brett Lee, Henry Olonga, Sir Curtly Ambrose, S. Sreesanth, Trent Boult, Rubel Hossain, Harry Sandhu, and Frank Parr are all cricketers with musical talent.
Which Cricketers Can play the guitar?
Shane Watson, Mark Butcher, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Sir Richie Richardson, AB De Villiers, Azam Khan, Corey Anderson, Brett Lee, Sir Curtly Ambrose, Trent Boult are cricketers who can also play the guitar.
In 1900, German mathematician David Hilbert proposed a list of 23 unsolved mathematics problems that would keep mathematicians busy for the next century.
And indeed, they did. Over the next hundred years, several of these challenging problems were either completely answered or partially solved. However, some of these problems remain unsolved even after a few centuries and failed attempts by great mathematicians.
So, at the turn of the 21st century, the Clay Institute of Mathematics put a $1 million reward (the hardest way to get a million dollars, I would say) for anyone who would solve any of the 7 proposed problems, known as the legendary Millennium Prize Problems [Millenium Maths Problem Explained in 90 Seconds].
So far, only one of them has been successfully solved (and the mathematician Grigori Perelman rejected the monetary award).
At this point, you must be thinking, “Why I am reading four paragraphs of math when I signed up for cricket?”
Don’t worry. Here comes the cricket.
2021 had a fair share of its problems for cricket—The Azeem Rafiq scandals, Tim Paine’s sexting exit, Thailand women losing a spot in the World Cup due to a flawed system, Glenn Maxwell, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Tom Banton taking time off due to mental health, Quinton de Kock’s kneeling issue in the T20 World & then retiring from Test cricket at the age of 29, the dissolution of the ODI Super League, New Zealand & England pulling out of Pakistan, the Afghanistan crisis, The Hundred Vs County Cricket debate, and just a general overdose of the IPL & cricket.
For a full read on these issues, check the following articles out:
Today I propose a list of 15 problems that will keep the cricket community (ICC, administrators, and cricketers themselves) busy for the next decade.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Neither do I have any monetary reward for you. I offer possible solutions—some of them you might like. Others? Not so much. So, then what is the point of all this?
The point is to churn up debate and conversations in the cricket community so eventually some of these solutions reach the upper echelons of the cricket boards and ICC. Comment below on your thoughts and ideas. Who knows, your idea might one day change cricket altogether.
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1. Need for a Global Cricket Calendar and T20 Leagues
The Problem: How can the cricket calendar provide space to the three international formats—Test, ODI, and T20I—as well as the growing T20 leagues?
These days, cricket is here, there, and everywhere. Today, we have the BPL, PSL, IPL, Global T20 Canda, T20 Vitality Blast, The Hundred, CPL, Shpageeza Cricket League, T10 League, SLPL, MSL, Super Smash, and the Big Bash running from January to December.
Cricket will hit its ceiling in the next 5-10 years. With new T20 leagues growing around the world, IPL becoming a 10-team venture (twice a year IPL also proposed), T10 leagues, The Hundred, a ‘Ninety-90 Bash’, & other retired professional leagues adding to the calendar, what is the limit?
And don’t get me wrong. Leagues are not necessarily a bad thing—more opportunities for Associate cricketers, professional life for players who cannot make their international XIs, and more match practice & auditions to make comeback cases, but it does threaten the existence of international cricket as a whole.
Two-Three month reservation for the pinnacle of international cricket (T20/ODI WC, WTC Final), without T20 leagues during this period.
Reinstatement of the Champions League as the center of the T20 yearly calendar.
Enforcement of maximum of 3 leagues per year for a nationally contracted player.
Eventually, cricket may need to adopt the soccer (European football) model.
International games reserved only for ODI World Cup qualification, WTC matches, and some friendlies/warm-ups. As many have suggested, bilateral T20Is should be scrapped totally.
Players contracted by year-long leagues. They take leave to play a couple of international games every now and then until the World Cup, which dominates the summer every couple of years.
Experimental formats like T10 cricket and ‘Ninety-90’ Bash should end. Who knows, we might be playing a Super Over league at this rate.
Possible Pitfalls
The Indian Premier League and the BCCI holds a bit of influence over the cricket finances. If they reject any of the calendar limits, that may the end of any negotiations even though all the other cricketing nations might agree.
2. Decisiveness and Pathways on Olympics
The Problem: The ICC on cricket’s inclusion in the Olympics—Yes, No, maybe so?
For too long, cricket has dabbled with the idea of being in the Olympics and are closer than ever in making a decision. The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games will include a women’s 8-team T20 tournament. USA Cricket hopes for the inclusion of cricket in the 2028 LA Olympics and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics being ICC’s long-term goal.
However, what format will it be? T10? T20? If it is T10, does that mean cricket will have a fourth international format? How will qualification work? At this point, there are way too many questions and zero details on a path forward.
If cricket is serious about being in the Olympics, the administrators need to get their acts together. One or two meetings a year just doesn’t cut it.
Possible Solutions
It is worth a try regardless of the format. Ideally T20 cricket, starting from the 2028 LA Olympics (building upon USA’s Major League Cricket) would be great for the game.
The format of soccer’s 4 group of 4 is a good template (16 teams in the Olympics instead of 32 in the FIFA World Cup to keep the WC as the pinnacle product). If the T20I WC expands to 16-24 teams (both men/women) in the next decade, the Olympics can start with 8-12 teams with the best 2-3 teams qualifying from each region.
Not every country has cricketing infrastructure. To create a consistent following, cricket at Olympics can only succeed if it is at every iteration. Unless cricket stadiums are built in every nation on earth, the ICC will have some complications in the early years at the Olympics.
Another tricky slope to navigate is the West Indies. Since each nation like Jamaica and Barbados will play the Olympics as its own nation, those teams will be significantly weaker in strength than the West Indies cricket team.
3. Expansion of the Women’s Game and Need for WIPL
The Problem: Women’s cricket is now mainstream, but is the structure in place to take the game forward?
Between 2017- March 2020, women’s cricket enjoyed a sort of golden era. The quality of cricket and broadcast in the 2017 ODI World Cup brought new fans to the game, and a record 86,174 attendance at the MCG for the 2020 WT20 Final proved that women’s cricket was on the rise.
However, the pandemic has exposed several gaps in the women’s game. For almost 12 months, women’s international cricket was largely halted around the world while the men’s IPL happened twice. Several smaller boards like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have not seen much gameplay. Although India have played a few internationals, there does not seem to be a plan for women’s domestic cricket. And a request for the women’s IPL is falling on deaf ears.
Add to that, the crisis faced by Thailand, one of the rising teams in women’s cricket. When omicron abruptly cancelled the qualifying tournament, it was tough to not see them qualify for the ODI World Cup despite being #1 in the group since their ODIs were not given ODI status.
Surely the structure and expansion in women’s cricket needs more thought, structure, and investment.
Multi-format series have been a brilliant idea but should become the standard across all teams.
The Hundred was a huge success for the women’s game in terms of awareness and equal split of men’s/women’s game. Each top league needs to adopt the same structure.
In order for the multi-format series to become the standard, more Test cricket and 3-day practice matches have to become the norm, which will take time.
4. Planned T20 Exposure for Cricket’s Growth
The Problem: Roadmap and resource management needed for the rapid growth of T20I cricket in emerging markets.
While women’s cricket and the Olympics are avenues to cricket’s global expansion, the ICC is utilizing T20 cricket for the spread of the game. In 2018, T20I status was granted to every cricket team (As of January 2022, 91 men’s teams and 53 women’s teams are in the T20I rankings). Further, a regional qualifier structure was provided for future T20 World Cups, which will be held every two years.
All this is good, but how are the resources going to be divided among these nations? Will they get professional international stadiums, broadcasting rights, DRS, and facilities? Will they be able to host tournaments? (like the earlier ICC Knockout tournaments). Step in the right direction, but a lot of work to do in the decade ahead.
Possible Solutions
Just like a major Asia Cup tournament, each continent should set up their own major tournament (separate from the regional qualifiers). This will ensure that there is a systematic ranking/room to grow for the newer teams in each continent, and they are not here just to make up the numbers.
Possible Pitfalls
If teams ranked at the very bottom continue to lose, they might leave the game altogether. Some sort of incentive needs to be provided to these lower ranked newer cricketing nations.
II. Standard of Cricket
5. Standardization of Pitches in Test Match Cricket
The Problem: How Can We Balance Pitches to Minimize Boring Draws and 2-Day Tests?
In the 2000s, stellar middle orders and flat pitches combined for some high scoring matches and boring draws. Over the last 5-10 years, a great crop of fast bowlers (and spinners in the subcontinent) combined with pitches suited to the home side has made 2-day and 3-day Tests a recurring event.
Possible Solutions
Keep the pitches suited to home teams with 4-Day Tests (more on this later)
Preparing pitches suited to overseas conditions in domestic cricket (example: More spin tracks – weather permitting – in England’s county circuit) or encouraging/funding spin from an age group level (How India progressively became a better fast bowling nation, England can do that in the long run).
ICC standardize the pitches across the globe.
Possible Pitfalls
The beauty of Test cricket is in its variety. If the batters cannot overcome the challenge, so be it. That is life.
6. The Toss
The Problem: Is the toss leading to too many predictable results?
It was clear in the IPL and the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE that teams winning the toss and batting second had a higher probability of winning.
The beauty of the toss is in the uncertainty, and when things start to get predictable, innovation becomes the need of the hour.
Possible Solution
Tosses impact T20Is and Test cricket more than ODIs. So, one thought is to start experimenting with various ideas (listed below and more) in T20 leagues or domestic 4-day cricket, while leaving ODI cricket the same as it is now.
Each team alternates decision to bat/bowl in a series. (If an odd number, last match is decided by a coin toss…)
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Cricket is already complicated, why make it more complicated?
7. Bat Vs Ball Debate
The Problem: The Eternal Debate—How Can We better balance bat vs ball advantage?
This is the Riemann Hypothesis of cricket. A seemingly intuitive problem that is always up for discussion, has never been solved, and is the unproven underlying assumption that is the basis of strategy for the rest of cricket.
In limited overs cricket, the bat dominates (bigger bats, flat pitches, stronger players, etc.). In Test cricket over the last decade, the ball has dominated.
Possible Solutions
I have a truly marvelous solution to this, but the margins are too narrow to contain for my answer [Fermat’s Last Theorem].
Just kidding! Here they are:
Abolish wide behind leg side in limited overs. Small margins really do hurt the bowlers.
In Test cricket, one more review to the batting side instead of the bowling side.
In limited overs, one bowler can bowl a couple of overs more than the maximum limit of 10 overs (ODI) or 4 overs (T20I)
Possible Pitfalls
As players get physically stronger and technology increases, the balance will always remain one side or another. However, as spinners have shown in the middle overs in a T20 or fast bowlers during the death with the slower balls, adaptation of skill is required, not so much the mechanics of the bat and ball.
III. Survival of Test & ODI Cricket
8. Disparity Between Level of Performance in Test Cricket
The Problem: How can the gap between top and mid-tiered teams be reduced?
The gap between top and mid-tiered Test nations is gradually eroding confidence in Test cricket. Even though some spectacular matches in the last five years have reinvigorated Test cricket, gaps in skill level between the top sides and mid-tiered/bottom ranked teams makes for a boring viewing on the other end of the spectrum.
Social media’s pendulum swings from “Test cricket is the best format” claims to “Is Test cricket dying?” every few months.
Case and point: Men’s Ashes 2021-2022. Except for Jonny Bairstow’s 4th Test, there was absolutely no resistance. There have been several subsequent calls for the 5-Test Ashes to be reduced to a 3 or 4 match affair. If England, who play 10-15 Tests a year, are not properly utilizing resources and are behind the golden standard, how can we expect the likes of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan to compete?
Possible Solutions
Regularized international schedule should dominate bilateral agreements. Australia’s refusal to host Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and now Afghanistan (for other reasons) does not help smaller teams get the experience. The more the Top 4 countries play the mid-tiered teams, the better they will get in the long run.
Prioritizing domestic funding over white ball funding (County cricket vs white ball dominance)
Abolishment of two-Test series (The smaller countries only get to play 2 Tests while the Big 3 and South Africa gets 4-5 matches per series).
Relegation-Promotion system (details outlined below) in three brackets: Bracket A (#1-6), Bracket B (#7-12), and Bracket C (non-Test playing nations)
Money, money, money. Even the World Test Champions like New Zealand cannot afford to host more than two Tests due to finances. Ideally, we would like an equal distribution of Test match cricket, but if there are no finances, there is no cricket.
9. Associate nations, the ODI Super League, and the Expansion of Test Cricket
The Problem: Lack of clarity is hurting the survival of Associate nations, the backbone of global cricket.
The ODI Super League provided Ireland and Netherlands much needed game time against the top eight teams. Ireland actually has done a pretty decent job and Netherlands’ cricketers received much needed stability, but the inexplicable cancellation of the ODI Super League has stumped many. The World Test Championship has flaws, but the ODI Super League was a step in the right direction.
Yes, T20I is the right vehicle for growth in globalization of cricket, but should teams like Ireland be alienated, who have invested in ODI cricket and want to play Test cricket?
Possible Solutions
The ICC suggested that they may trial teams like Scotland and Netherlands into Test cricket as a temporary Test status. That might be a good move if it actually happens, but here are some other solutions:
Touring Associate and new Test nations before embarking on a 4-5 Test tour (playing ODIs/T20Is vs Scotland/Netherlands & 1-off Test vs Ireland before a series in England, vs Afghanistan before India, vs PNG before NZ & Aus, Namibia/Zimbabwe vs SA). This is happening more and more with Ireland’s progress, but it is only the beginning.
Revival of the Tri-Series? Similar idea as above, but to reduce logistic and travel issues, two full members plus an Associate nation for an ODI tri-series in a common location.
Mandatory 1-2 Associate players per squad per T20 league. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Tim David, and Sandeep Lamichanne are great templates. These players will be a boon for the franchises, not a burden.
Possible Pitfalls
10. 4-Day Tests for Men, 5-Day Tests for Women?
The Problem: Making Test cricket accessible for spectators without jeopardizing the game.
The Decision Review System (DRS) and pink-ball day-night Tests have now been adopted as major innovations in the game which had resistance in the early days. In the age of technology and innovation, cricket has to find ways to re-invent itself and stay relevant every 5-10 years.
One such suggestion is 4-day Tests (plus a 5th day for rain affected games) for men’s cricket, while expanding to 5-day Tests in women’s cricket, especially since they do not play as many Tests.
Possible Solutions
Just like D/N Tests were tested one Test per series every now and then, similarly one of the Tests can be scheduled as a 4-day game (and vice-versa for women)
Possible Pitfalls
Draws. One of the major drivers for 5-matches in women’s Tests are the number of draws. This forces teams to declare early (even when they are trailing) and enforce follow-on more often. If men’s game introduces 4-day Tests, then strategies will similarly begin to change and/or draws will increase.
11. Fixes to the World Test Championship
The Problem: Test matches are now better contextualized, but a lot is still left to be desired in achieving a better system.
We have already provided several solutions for World Test Champions in our earlier articles (shown below), so here is a summary:
Number of Tests Played is uneven: In the first WTC cycle, England played 21 Tests, while West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand played 11 each. Marquee series like Ashes, Border-Gavaskar, Basil D’Oliveira Trophy, etc. are 4-5 Tests each while SL & NZ only play 2 Tests regularly.
Currently no distinction is made for Home/Away advantage: Bangladesh winning in NZ, West Indies winning in Bangladesh, India winning in Australia, or Australia drawing in England should be worth more than home wins.
All-or-Nothing System:Test matches occur over 5 days or a max-of-15 sessions. One session can have a huge impact on the series. Yet, the points are awarded on an all-or-nothing basis.
No system is every going to be perfect, but at least more of an attempt can be made. One of the other pitfalls is the pandemic. This has severely restricted travels between countries and longer, more straining quarantine rules. Hence, even more uneven number of Tests are begin played.
IV. Other Concerns
12. Mental Health Support & Overkill of Cricket
The Problem: Mental Health Awareness A Necessity in Today’s sport
Non-stop cricket alongside heavy quarantine is changing the commitments of a professional cricketer. Itis no longer feasible to play three international formats, travel around the world, away from family, and still have a sane mental health.
Marcus Trescothick, Glenn Maxwell, and Ben Stokes are some of the many high-profile players who have taken time off the game to focus on their health. They have paved a way for many others in the future to follow. The real question is, does the cricket fraternity have the support each player needs and deserves?
Possible Solutions
Support Groups/Staff, Paid Leave
Separate teams for separate formats (Maximum of two formats per player)
Possible Pitfalls
Mental health is still looked as taboo in many cultures. Even though awareness is increasing, some players may still keep things to themselves, which is detrimental.
In addition to mental health, physical health is also a concern as more research is done on concussions in general. Concussion substitutes were a great innovation to the game, but it took the death of Phillip Hughes for the radical change. Let us make sure to be proactive before any such incidents. Injury prevention and player health should be duly monitored.
13. Spot Fixing and Associate Nations
The Problem: Match-Fixing for the Next Decade
Brendan Taylor’s story illustrates that even in the year 2022, match fixing & spot-fixing is still an issue cricket needs to be careful against. After the spot fixing that emerged from Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 and the growth of T20 leagues, there is a lot more education and maturity in ICC’s anti-corruption unit.
However, teams like Zimbabwe and Associate nations, whose players do not earn a survivable income or cash flow from leagues, are easy targets for corruptors (as seen in the UAE). So the nature of match fixing might have changed since the 1990s, but it is still a problem that threatens the core fabric of the sport in one way or another.
Possible Solutions
The structure of the ICC anti-corruption unit and education before every major tournament shows that cricket has already matured in most of this regard. The real responsibility now lies on the players for self-reporting such approaches.
Healthy compensation for Associate players can also prevent such instances.
Possible Pitfalls
In the age of technology, new forms of corruption might appear (cyberattacks, ransomwares, NFTs?) ICC needs to be proactive and take actions earlier.
The Problem: ICC and cricket boards’ philosophical stand on the Afghanistan women’s team and the status of the men’s team.
Post the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in September, cricket’s stakeholders have been sending mixed messages. Australia rescinded their invitation to Afghanistan for a Test match due to a lack of a women’s team/Taliban’s stance on women. However, requirement for a women’s team was waived off when Afghanistan became a Full member four years ago.
The ICC allowed Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup at UAE and many Afghani players are contracted around the world despite the drama. On the other hand, Zimbabwe was not allowed to qualify for the 2019 ODI World Cup due to crisis in the Zimbabwean government.
Why are players/ sports’ teams penalized for government interference? Why is different approach taken against different countries? Who sets the precedent?
Possible Solutions
Afghanistan is a cricket-loving country, and we should not stop its growth despite political tensions. They have now qualified for their 2nd U-19 semi-finals in the last three attempts. Let the men’s team continue to blossom while promoting cricket in age levels for women’s cricket if situation allows.
Possible Pitfalls
Each country might have a different political relationship with Afghanistan, which may mean a conflict of interest. As a byproduct, the relationship between other cricket boards can get strained.
15. Player Behavior
Problem: Similar Player Behavorial Issues, Different Consequences
As players gain more power over administrators due to financial security and unions, there have been some side-effects. Players have been acting up a lot lately.
Shakib Al Hasan’s antics (not much backlash), Ollie Robinson’s tweets (socially alienated), Alex Hales & Joe Clarke (not selected in the national side), Sri Lanka’s players in England (suspended for six months), Steven Smith, David Warner, & Cameron Bancroft’s sandpaper gate ball tampering scandal (banned by Cricket Australia for 1 year), Netherlands’ ball tampering (4 matches ICC), Quinton de Kock defying teammates (kneeling and not playing) and Virat Kohli shouting at the stumps (no consequence).
Possible Solution
Digging up old tweets should be removed as a cultural practice.
For major offences, a uniform code of conduct that applies to every player regardless of the cricket board they are playing under.
An impartial body assigned to monitor and judge player behavior for uniform convictions
Possible Pitfalls
Each circumstance is different. Uniform offences might not be ideal. On the other hand, ICC vs national boards hierarchy will become muddled if ICC centralizes power.
This is not the end. More avenues and ideas to explore for sure. Please bring in your comments. Would love to hear YOUR opinion. Thanks everyone for reading ❤ Anyway, time to go the duel or swim across the shores of France…
*Thank You Credit: In conversation with my friend, Vandit. Thanks for listening to my ideas and engaging in meaningful discussion.
A simple word that carries immense burden. What defines greatness in sports? Statistical brilliance, nostalgia, longevity? In cricketing terms, 99.94, memories like Brett Lee vs Sachin Tendulkar, 100 Tests, or 15 years+ career?
Legacies are largely depended on the final days in the international arena. Retirement has always been a tricky issue in cricket.
Sourav Ganguly’s Ian Chappell saga tarnished his otherwise positive legacy. A poor 2007 Cricket World Cup ended dreams for Brian Lara & Inzamam ul-Haq. Simon Jones’ career ended before it could start due to injuries.
Some overstay and risk going out on a low. Others like German soccer captain Philipp Lahm retired internationally at the age of just 30 after winning the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
The Lost Generation
Today we dive deep into the careers of the lost generation of 2005—Alastair Cook, AB De Villiers, Michael Clarke, and Hashim Amla, all of them would retire prematurely.
With the triple retirement of Dale Steyn, Brendon Taylor, and Lasith Malinga, the legendary class of 2004-06 is coming to a close. Only Broad-Anderson & Ross Taylor remain from the greats of this era.
Sandwiched between the 90s golden generations of Sangakkara-Jayawardene-Muralitharan, Tendulkar-Laxman-Ganguly-Dravid, Kallis-Pollock-Boucher-Ntini, Inzamam-Yousuf, Ponting led Australia, & the Fab 4 (Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Steve Smith), there was the class of 2004 & 2005.
Why did these cricketers retire so soon? How does the future look like? Read till the end for our in-deptj analysis & final thoughts.
11 Cricketers Who Retired Too Early
While legends of the past played 12-15 years, the cricketers in this list only had about 9-12 years of international cricket. The fact that they followed the golden generation lead to slightly later debuts and hence, even shorter careers.
One of the clear indications of the early retirement for the batters is the statistics. Most did not cross 10,000, their averages fell below 50, and the centuries hovered between 25-27 (although at one stage it seemed each of these players would break them all).
Anderson’s long career seems like he is on another level (which he is) but in all reality, at one stage, all of these players would have careers as long as Jimmy Anderson.
The players in this list were not dropped. They retired on their own terms or because of other circumstances. Hence, we exclude players like Ian Bell, Virender Sehwag, Umar Gul, Suresh Raina, and Gautam Gambhir who were available for selection but were unfortunately dropped from the team plans later in their career.
Retiring on a high is every cricketer’s dream. Captaining Australia to a victory at home in front of the MCG crowd must have been a surreal experience. A few months later, the Ashes would be his final appearance. One of the bests #4 batters of all-time with a godly conversion rate in Tests. The 2012-13 season would always be remembered as Clarke’s year, the only batter to score 4 double centuries in a year.
Harris’ career was a classic cases of fast bowling injuries. Whenever he was fit, he bowled his heart out and made an indelible impact. Could not make the XI in Australia’s golden generation and had to leave early due to chronic knee injury. Retired 3 days before the Ashes because he could not recover even after surgery. Will always be remembered for the ball of this century to dismiss Alastair Cook.
“I played 27 more Tests than I ever thought I would and I have relished every single moment of them.”
At one point in time, he was touted to overtake Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer and century maker having scored 5000 runs at 26. Will always be remembered for the 2010-11 Ashes series down under. However, loss of form and inconsistency creeped in. Tougher playing conditions, 159 Tests in a row, and the KP saga probably got to him. Century in his first and last Tests against India showed that he still had it in him. Still the best opener in England?
Due to his late debut, it was inevitable that Strauss would not have an extremely long career, but England fans learned how great Andrew Strauss was after his retirement, for both his captaincy & batting. Since the Cook-Strauss partnership ended, England could not find a stable partner for Cook (and Cook’s effectiveness also decreased). KP himself said in an interview that the text-messaging scandal on the eve of Strauss’s 100th Test was one of his biggest mistakes, which tarnished Strauss’ last match. Later became ECB’s Director of cricket and subsequently received knighthood for his service to English cricket.
See Strauss above. Jokes aside, KP’s career had always been hampered by controversies. Although he had to leave South Africa and debuted relatively late, he quickly established himself as one of the greatest in his generation. Key contributor to the 2005 Ashes, 2012 India series, and 2010 T20 World Cup victories, he was a key component of driving English cricket forward. Although he was England’s highest scorerin the Mitchell Johnson 2015 series, he was a casualty of the 5-0 defeat. Poor relationship with Strauss & coach Andy Flower did not help as the management decided that KP’s career is over.
KP might have been controversial off the field, but there is no doubt he changed cricket for the better. Fast forward 15 years, everybody has an inner KP with the switch hits & aggressive mindset. Paved the way for English cricketers to join the IPL & other T20 leagues, thereby moving England one step closer to their eventual 2019 World Cup winning campaign.
T20Is: 39 Matches, 51 wickets, 16.84 average, 3/13 best
T20s: 80 Matches, 98 wickets, 18.88 average, 3/13 best
Cricketers Who Retired Trivia
Debut: January 22, 2000 (ODI), December 10-14, 2008 (Test)
Last Match: December 12-16, 2013 (Test)
Age Debuted: 29(Test), 20 (ODI)
Age Retired: 34
Why Did He Retire?
Statistically, Swann does not make the best bowlers of all-time list, but what he did in his 5-year Test career was continued the art of off-spin. After T20 cricket & ODI Powerplay rule changes, leg spinners flourished in the 2010s. Except for Daniel Vettori, finger spin was a dying art. Swann took off-spin forward and became a cog of the famed 2010-11 English lineup. Late Test debut, an elbow injury, and Johnson 2013 ensured that he retired mid-series (after the 3rd Test).
T20Is: 64 Matches, 85 wickets, 17.83 average, 4/19 best
T20s: 195 Matches, 271 wickets, 17.36 average, 4/14 best
Cricketers Who Retired Trivia
Debut: July 1, 2008 (ODI)
Last Match: April 23, 2015 (T20I)
Age Debuted: 31
Age Retired: 37
Why Did He Retire?
Another one who debuted late, but made an immediate impact. From the cricketers who retired too early, Saeed Ajmal’s ending was probably the saddest. During Pakistan’s toughest days, Saeed Ajmal & Umar Gul took Pakistan to great heights, especially in T20 cricket. However it was his action that was his downfall. Unlike Mohammad Hafeez & Sunil Narine, Ajmal’s remodeled action was not effective enough without the doosra. Will definitely go down as a Pakistani great.
T20Is: 44 Matches, 47 wickets, 25.34 average, 4/17 best
T20s: 190 Matches, 207 wickets, 25.29 average, 4/17 best
Cricketers Who Retired Trivia
Debut: December 25-29, 2006 (Test)
Last Match: March 29-April 2, 2018 (Test)
Age Debuted: 22
Age Retired: 33
Current Age: 36
Plays with Brisbane Heat in the BBL; Was at Surrey from 2018-2020
Why Did He Retire?
When Morne Morkel left international cricket after that Australia series for the Kolpak deal in England (with Surrey), it signaled the beginning of the end of the great 2008-2015 South Africa generation. From 2015-2019, each one slowly retired, and it was painful to watch South Africa collapse to new lows. What was not painful, however, was Morne Mornel’s bowling. High arm action, pace & bounce, & most importantly, consistent line & length. Dale Steyn would not have been as successful had he not had Morne on the other end as the ideal foil. Morkel, in his own right, will go down as a South African great. With 309 wickets at age 33, who knows, he could have gone past Steyn himself. Now a resident of Australia and plays in the BBL as a local cricketer.
Fastest to 10, 15, 16,17, 18, 20, 27 centuries & 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, and 7000 ODI runs, he was the only contemporary of Virat Kohli who could challenge him. South Africa’s fall from grace was confirmed in the 2019 Cricket World Cup, and it was especially painful to watch Amla being hit in the head by Jofra Archer and retiring hurt. He would retire at the end of the tournament. Sublime cricketer, wonderful human being, he still architects blockathons on the County Circuit. You just help but wonder if South Africa should have persisted a year or so more for his form to come back.
Will he? Won’t he? Speculation about AB De Villiers’ retirement has been as spicy as Hollywood gossip. It all began with the ghost of 2015 semi-finals loss, which he captained. He would then get the Test captaincy job, a dream for a long time. However, workload management & administrative struggles became a hassle. Picking & choosing on a series-by-series basis followed by an indefinite break was a sign of what was to come. He came back in brilliant home with Test series against India and Australia.
However a video retirement a year before the ODI World Cup took everyone by surprise. Since then, he has been in multiple conversations about coming for the 2019 ODI World Cup or 2021 T20 World Cup, but those conversations have not gone too far. He can still be seen smashing it out of the park in the IPL. He is still fit, takes mind boggling catches, and plays match changing innings even after no game practice for a year.Although ABD & Amla played 14 years, they could have been Tendulkar-esque with a career of 17-21 years in another era.
The best batter of the generation and the face of “Cricketers Who Retired Too Early.”
Given captaincy at a young age, Smith began the rebuilding of a squad that would take South AFrica to #1 Test rankings. One of the best openers of this era, his courage & leadership came to the fore. Batting with a broken hand to save a Test will in fans’ memories forever. Now the director of cricket for South Africa.
Plays for RCB in the IPL, SKNP in CPL, and the West Indies
*subject to change. He is selected in West Indies’ 2021 T20 World Cup squad
Surprised? Well, you should be.
Chris Gayle is the antithesis to the 2005 generated. Debuted in 1999, and he is still playing at the age of 42. 100 Test matches, a triple century, an ODI double century, 10000 ODI runs, 14000+ T20 runs (with 22 100s!), he is a legend. So how did he survive so long even though he can barely run?
The answer is enough breaks. While the 2005 generation succumbed to continuous burnout, Gayle was in-and-out of the international side, played T20 leagues around the world, and gave up first class/Test cricket in 2014 to prolong his career. A couple of World Cup wins also helps keeping the fire going.
Here is an exhaustive list of players that served between 12-15+ years in international cricket. Notice that as we get further along, the list gets smaller.
Late 90s Generation: Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid (India), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Ricky Ponting (Australia), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
2004-07 Generation: Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Brendon Taylor (Zimbabwe), Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa)
The Surviving Outliers
The main point to notice here is that those who played continuous cricket from 2005-2015 retired too soon.
However, there are plenty of cricketers who did not get a chance early on or were in-and-out of their national sides, but are still available for selection today. These players include Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, and the 2004 U-19 Cricket World Cup class of Shikhar Dhawan, Fawad Alam, Mahmudullah Riyadh, Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Tim Paine, Moises Henriques, William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, Wahab Riaz, who are still playing competitively and are available for international selection.
Since they did not get a chance earlier or play for lower-ranked teams, they are making the most of it now when opportunities finally came their way.
Hunger for success have caused these batch of cricketers to elongate their careers. To prove themselves as long as they are fit. Or to be a part of that elusive World Cup winning team.
Why Did The 2005 Generation Fall So Quickly?
Transition Periods
If we analyze these 10 cricketers who retired too early a bit more closer, we notice they mostly feature from England, South Africa, or Australia.
All of these teams went through a traumatic transition period. The 2013-15 period was especially stressful for England. While Mitchell Johnson dismantled the entire 2013 Test generation, forcing retirements of Trott, Pietersen, & Swann, the sacking of Cook in ODIs before 2015 World Cup would usher a new era in English cricket.
For South Africa, Grant Elliot’s semi-final six broke the gem of that South African team. AB De Villiers, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, & Vernon Philander were never the same again.
Finally, although Australia did not have it that rough, they have not really gotten back to the Warne-McGrath days. The Clarke era was the short transition between the longer lasting, Ponting & Steve Smith eras.
Frequency of World Cups
Before the 2007 T20 World Cup, world championships only happened once every 4 years. A decade earlier, we only had the 2003/2007 ODI World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup, and 2002/2006 Champions Trophy.
Teams were built on the premises of four-year cycles. With England & Australia, the Test Teams were formed with the next Ashes cycle in mind. Then followed 2009 (CT), 2010 (T20 WC), 2011 (CWC), 2012 (T20 WC), 2013 (CT), 2014 (T20 WC), 2015 (CWC), 2016 (T20 WC), 2017 (CT), 2019 (CWC), 2021 (World Test Championship).
Frequent trophies meant teams did not have to carry players for 4 years. An in-form player could be drafted while seasoned cricketers could be dropped with the upcoming ICC trophy in mind. Hence teams started to experiment more and started taking bold calls.
Case and point 2013 Champions Trophy—India dropped Sehwag, promoted Rohit Sharma, and went with an in-form Dhawan (seems like a history repeat itself moment with Dhawan in the 2021 T20 WC team).
These cricketers who retired too early were raised on the backs of Test & ODI cricket. Almost everyone from the 90s era played both formats if they were good enough. With the entrance of T20 cricket, cricket began to be played all year long instead of season to season.
If you add captaincy to the 3 formats, that takes pressure & mental exhaustion to another level.
Openers Struggle
This still does not explain why Cook & Amla retired. They had given up captaincy towards the end, did not play all formats, and did not have new players vying for their spots either.
The obvious answer to this is form. Both Cook & Amla suffered drastic loss of forms, but so did openers worldwide.
Cook himself concluded that batting in England became tougher towards the end of his career. We can see from the Burns-Sibley partnership that it has not gotten better any since. It was not necesesarily that they were worse players, just that the conditions had become more difficult.
Kohli Shows The Way Forward
Three format players like KP and ABD prospered for a while, but it caught up with their health & form.
A decade later, it is clear that separate teams are now being picked for the 3 vastly different formats. Mental health conversations are in place. Fitness, physiotherapy, and analytics have jumped to another level altogether. Rest & rotation have been employed by certain teams to prolong the careers of cricketers.
This means that the current generation of the Fab 5 & Buttler-Stokes-Cummins-Rabada-Starc-Hazlewood-Bumrah have a better chance for longer careers and go back to the 15-year norms of the 90s. Who knows the COVID break might even have re-energized some to extend their careers.
However balance is key. Virat Kohli has already lead the way and given up IPL/T20I captaincy to manage workload and focus on other formats. If this generation of players have to survive, they might have to give up at least one format, release captaincy pressure, take mental health and paternity breaks, and keep up their fitness.
Greatness Achieved Nevertheless
Although Amla, Smith, Sehwag, Clarke, de Villiers stopped agonizingly close without reaching the coveted 10000 run-mark, it does not take away from the genius of these men.
Numbers are not everything. Although their tenure was short, their impact was not. They changed cricket for the better, and that is all that matters.
There are some players who will always give a sense that they left too early. Fans are left asking, ‘What If they had stayed on for a couple of years?’, ‘Maybe one more World Cup?’
We should just be grateful enough we witnessed some of the greatest cricketers of all time.
There are numerous scenic venues in world cricket, but if you had to choose the most beautiful cricket stadium from each country, what would they be?
Novelist Margaret Wolfe Hungerford penned the famous idiom “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
Everyone has their own definition of beauty. How would you define the most beautiful stadium in cricket? Would you choose the one with scenic backgrounds, largest capacity, the environment & fans, or history?
We choose the #1 international stadium from each country and state why we chose it. We will also list the stadiums that narrowly missed out.
And if you were wondering about the largest cricket stadiums in each country, which country has the most stadiums, the oldest venues to have hosted Test cricket, and the list of international stadiums in each country, we got you covered as well.
Earlier this year, the picturesque Gwadar Stadium in Balochistan (Pakistan) was inaugurated and immediately social media went viral. Playing cricket with white clays of Koh-e-Mehdi Hills in the background is just breathtaking.
At about the same time, England toured Sri Lanka for a Test series. The aerial view surrounding the stadium was magnificent.
This got us thinking—Choose the most beautiful stadium from each country but the catch is—the stadium has to have hosted at least one international match in any format. Without further ado, here is our list.
Lots of images head! Make sure to swipe right under each section to get a glimpse of all the stadiums in our shortlist.
*Note: Afghanistan is not considered since it plays its home matches in India. Also, the UAE is considered since international cricket is played there frequently.
List of Most Beautiful Cricket Grounds in the World
1. Melbourne Cricket Groud (MCG), Australia
Location: Jolimont, Melbourne (Victoria), Australia
Capacity: 100,000, Year Established: 1853
Home Teams: Australia, Victoria, Melbourne Stars
Why Is it the Most Beautiful Stadium in Australia? The second largest stadium by capacity now, the MCG has everything. The ideal place for an Ashes Test, a World Cup Final, or a Women’s T20 World Cup Final, the atmosphere at the MCG is electric. Each clap is heard, the Barmy Army is never too far away, and even the batters have to utilize the 90 meter boundaries by running the twos and threes.
Australia’s Top 3
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), New South Wales – The iconic green roof & Sydney’s skyline with the Sydney Opera house in the background seals the deal for me.
The Bradman Oval*, Bowral, New South Wales – Home of Sir Donald Bradman, the ground captures the imagination of any cricket fan. With the Bradman Museum and white fence in the background, what’s not to like? And yes, Bradman’s ashes were sprinkled on the ground as well to add to the history.
*Note, Bradman Oval has hosted a women’s Test (Australia Vs England) along with a few other women’s ODIs. Check out MCG, SCG, and Bradman Oval’s picturesque images below.
Pictured Below (In this order): (1) MCG, (2) SCG, (3) Sydney, (4) Bradman Oval, (5) Sir Donald Bradman
2. Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh
Location: Sylhet, Bangladesh
Capacity: 13,533, Year Established: 2007
Home Teams: Sylhet Division Cricket Team, Sylhet Sixers, Bangladesh
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in Bangladesh: Lush forests in the background to go along with the contrasting red roof—lovely scenery.
Bangladesh’s Top 3:
Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
Sher-e-Bangla Stadium (Mirpur), Dhaka
Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, Khulna
Pictured Below: Sylhet
3. Lord’s Cricket Ground, England
Location: London, England
Capacity: 30,000, Year Established: 1814
Home Teams: Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Middlesex, England
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in England: Home of cricket, the iconic Lord’s pavilion, the balcony, the honors board, J.P. Morgan Media Centre, and the long room. Historic. Aesthetic.
England’s Top 3:
Lord’s
Old Trafford (Manchester) – The shining red pavilion gives Old Trafford its unique look.
Riverside Ground (Chester-le-Street, Durham): Nothing better than a castle in the background.
Consolation: The Oval (Kennington, London) New Road (Worcester), County Ground (Taunton)
Pictured Below (In this order): (1) Lord’s stadium, (2) Lord’s balcony, (3) The Long Room, (4) Old Trafford, (5) Riverside Ground
4. Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, India
Location: Dharamsala, India
Capacity: 23,000, Year Established: 2003
Home Teams: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Team, Kings XI Punjab, India
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in India: Backdrop of the snow-capped Himalayan range, it is a wonderful attraction all around. Home to the Dalai Lama, it also has a spiritual overtone to it.
India’s Top 3:
Dharamsala
Eden Gardens (Kolkata) – One of the most animated sporting crowds in the world. The place of the 2001 Test against Australia feat VVS Laxman’s magical 281 and Brathwaite’s carnage in the 2016 T20 World Cup final. Also the venue of the infamous 1996 World Cup semi-final, where the match was abandoned due to the enraged spectators.
Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai) – Another one due to the atmosphere. After India’s 2011 World Cup victory, it was an ideal place to party.Just listen to this when Dhoni finished it off in style.
Consolation: Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad), Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium – Dehradun (host for Afghanistan team)
Pictured Below (In this order): (1) Dharamsala, (2) Dehradun, (3) Wankhede, (4) Eden Gardens, (5) Ahmedabad
5. Malahide Cricket Club Ground (The Village), Ireland
Location: Malahide, Ireland
Capacity: 11,500, Year Established: 1861
Home Teams: Ireland Cricket Team
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in Ireland: Hosted Ireland’s only Test at home (along with a few ODIs, and women’s fixtures). The venue gives away a calm aura with trees right behind the sight-screen.
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in New Zealand: New Zealand is the ideal place to watch cricket. You can choose any stadium here, and it will be scenic. Add to that the grass banks and the casual, party-mood culture, and you have a perfect atmosphere for cricket. Mount Maunganui’s aerial view makes it my #1 in New Zealand—The hill, beaches, and a sandbar connecting the mainland to the island.
New Zealand’s Top 3:
Bay Oval
Queenstown Events Centre (Queenstown, Otago) – Queenstown is a resort town, known for its tourism. And why not? The mountain range overseeing the cricket ground is literally called The Remarkables. Lake Wakatipu nearby as well.
Basin Reserve (Wellington)
Consolation: Pukekura Park (New Plymouth, Taranaki), Eden Park (Auckland), Saxton Oval (Nelson), University Oval (Dunedin)
Pictured Below (In this Order): (1) Bay Oval, (2) Mount Maunganui, (3) Tauranga Aerial View, (4) Queenstown, (5) The Basin Reserve
Home Teams: Northern Cricket Team, Islamabad United, Pakistan
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in Pakistan: An aerial view of ‘Pindi’, as it is usually known, will give you a glimpse of the mountain resort town of Murree along with historic neighborhoods and mosques.
Pakistan’s Top 3
Rawalpindi
Bugti Stadium (Quetta)
Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore)
*Bugti Stadium hosted an ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in 1996.
Now here is where we diverge a little bit. Apart from Gwadar stadium (at the top of the article), we have also included a couple of pictures of stadiums that have not hosted an international fixture but are just too good to ignore—namely Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium and Chitral Cricket Ground.
Pictured Below (In this Order): (1) Muzaffarabad, (2) Quetta, (3) Rawalpindi, (4) Chitral, (5) Lahore
8. Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka
Location: Galle, Sri Lanka
Capacity: 35,000, Year Established: 1876
Home Teams: Galle Cricket Club, Sri Lanka
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in Sri Lanka: Galle’s harbor, Indian Ocean, and the Galle Fort to watch cricket from. The England-Sri Lanka series was basically just 3 parts: Joe Root, Lasith Embuldeniya, and multiple aerial views of Galle.
Top 3 in England:
Galle
Dambulla
Kandy
Consolation: Welagedara Stadium (Kurunegala)
*Welagedara Stadium has hosted a couple of women ODIs
Pictured Below (In this Order): (1) Galle by the ocean, (2) Dambulla, (3) Kandy, (4) Kurunegala, (5) spectators from Galle’s hill/fort, (6) English super fan Rob Lewis from Galle stadium who had stayed in Sri Lanka for 10 months after the England-Sri Lanka tour was delayed due to COVID.
Home Teams: Western Province, Cape Town Blitz, South Africa
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in South Africa:
South Africa’s Top 3:
Newlands
Boland Park (Paarl)
New Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg) – AB De Villiers. Pink ODI. 149 (44). The atmosphere. Enough said.
*Also pictured – Ellis Park – hosted Tests between 1948 and 1954, but now only used mainly for Rugby and soccer (2010 FIFA World Cup). Red roof and about 65,000 capacity, it is a South African special.
Pictured Below (In this Order): (1) Newlands, (2) Boland Park, (3) Paarl landscape, (4) Wanderers, (5) Ellis Park
10. Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, West Indies
Location: Gros Islet, St. Lucia
Capacity: 12,400, Year Established: 2002
Home Teams: Windward Islands, St. Lucia Zouks
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in West Indies: Most places in the Caribbean are amazing by default—beaches, hills, and the weather.St. Lucia’s ambience and the effervescent Daren Sammy cheering at almost every game just edges out Arnos Vale and Queen’s Park.
West Indies’ Top 3:
Daren Sammy (formerly Beausejour Cricket Ground)
Arnos Vale Stadium (St. Vincent)
Queen’s Park Oval (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
Windsor Park (Dominica)
Pictured Below: Windsor Park
11. Sheikh Zayed Stadium, U.A.E.
Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.)
Capacity: 20,000, Year Established: 2004
Home Teams: UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan, PSL/IPL Teams
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in UAE : The roof and the lighting are spectacular in day-night matches.
UAE’s Top 3:
Sheikh Zayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi)
DubaiInternational Stadium (Dubai)
SharjahCricket Ground (Sharjah)
Pictured Below (In this Order): (1) Abu Dhabi, (2) Dubai, (3) Sachin Tendulkar & Shane Warne after ‘Desert Storm’ in Sharjah
13. Al-Amerat Cricket Stadium (Oman Cricket Academy Ground), Oman
Location: Muscat, Oman
Capacity: 3,000, Year Established: 1900
Home Teams: Oman
Why Is it the Most Beautiful in Zimbabwe: The Al-Hajar mountains overseeing the stadium are absolutely majestic. The 2021 T20 World Cup brought the beauty of this small cricketing nation to the rest of the world.
Do you have other suggestions for the most beautiful cricket stadiums? THEN COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW!
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Which country has the best cricket stadiums in the world?
New Zealand probably has the best cricket stadiums. Seven of their international stadiums can vouch to be in the most beautiful category. Bay Oval (Mount Maunganui), Queenstown, Basin Reserve (Wellington), Pukekura Park (New Plymouth), Eden Park (Auckland). Saxton Oval (Nelson), and University Oval (Dunedin). Sri Lanka and West Indies are not too far behind in terms of scenic views. Australia (MCG/SCG) and India (Eden Gardens/ Wankhede) have the most grand and fan-fueled stadiums, while England have the most historic and mellow cricket grounds.
Which is the World’s Largest Cricket Stadium by country?
1. Narendra Modi Stadium (132,000) – Ahmedabad, India 2. Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,000) – Melbourne, Australia 3. Eden Park (41,000) – Auckland, New Zealand 4. R. Premadasa Stadium (35,000) – Colombo, Sri Lanka 5. National Stadium (34,000) – Karachi, Pakistan 6. Lord’s (30,000) – London, England 7. Wanderers Stadium (28,000) – Johannesburg, South Africa 8. Kensington Oval (28,000) – Barbados, Bridgetown 9. Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium (25,000) – Dhaka, Bangladesh 10. Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground (20,000) – Kirtipur, Nepal 11. Central Broward Park (20,000) – Ft. Lauderhill, United States 12. Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium (20,000) – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 13. Sophia Gardens (15,000) – Cardiff, Wales (U.K.) 14. Guanggong International Cricket Stadium (12,000) – Guangzhou, China 15. Malahide Cricket Club Ground (11,500) – Dublin, Ireland 16. Harare Sports Club (10,000) – Harare, Zimbabwe 17. Gymkhana Club Ground (7,000) – Nairobi, Kenya 18. Maple Leaf Cricket Club (7,000) – King City, Canada 19. The Grange Club (5,000) – Edinburgh, Scotland
Which cricket ground has the highest capacity?
Here are the top 10 largest cricket stadiums by size:
1. Narendra Modi Stadium (132,000) – Ahmedabad, India 2. Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,000) – Melbourne, Australia 3. Eden Gardens (80,000) – Kolkata, India 4. Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium (65,000) – Raipur, India 5. Perth Optus Stadium (60,000) – Perth, Australia 6. Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (55,000) – Hyderabad, India 7. Greenfield International Stadium (55,000) – Thiruvananthapuram, India 8. Adelaide Oval (54,000) – Adelaide, Australia 9. M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, JSCA International Cricket Stadium, Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari 10. Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium (50,000) – Chennai/Ranchi/Lucknow, India 11. Docklands Stadium, Sydney Cricket Ground (48,000) – Melbourne/Sydney, Australia
Which country has the most stadiums?
Here are the number of international cricket stadiums by Test playing country:
India (53) Australia (22) England (21) Pakistan (18) South Africa, West Indies (16) New Zealand (14) Sri Lanka (10) Bangladesh (8) United Arab Emirates (6) Zimbabwe (5) *Note, we only consider countries with Test status
Which Is the Oldest Cricket Stadium in the World?
We will organize this when their first Test match was hosted.
1. Melbourne Cricket Ground – Melbourne, Australia (15 March 1877) 2. The Oval – London, England (6 September 1880) 3. Sydney Cricket Ground – Sydney, Australia (17 February 1882) 4. Old Trafford – Manchester, England (10 July 1884) 5. Lord’s – London, England (21 July 1884) 6. Adelaide Oval – Adelaide, Australia (12 December 1884) 7. St. George’s Park – Port Elizabeth, South Africa (12 March 1889) 8. Newland’s – Cape Town, South Africa (25 March 1889) 9. Old Wanderers – Johannesburg, South Africa (2 March 1896) 10. Trent Bridge – Nottingham, England (1 June 1899)
England, Australia, and South Africa lead the oldest stadiums to host Test cricket, between 1877 and 1899. New Zealand and West Indies would host their first Tests in 1930 with India following suit in 1933. Post-Partition of British India, Bangladesh & Pakistan hosted their fist Tests in 1955. Sri Lanka (1982), Zimbabwe (1992), UAE (2002), and Ireland (2018) would host much later.
Which country has the most beautiful cricket stadiums?
Here are the most beautiful cricket stadiums from each of the Test playing nations.
1. Australia (Melbourne Cricket Ground) 2. Bangladesh (Sylhet International Cricket Stadium) 3. England (Lord’s Cricket Ground) 4. India (Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium) 5. Ireland (Malahide Cricket Club Ground) 6. New Zealand (Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui) 7. Pakistan (Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium) 8. Sri Lanka (Galle International Stadium) 9. South Africa (Newlands Cricket Ground) 10. West Indies (Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium) 11. United Arab Emirates (Sheikh Zayed Stadium) 12. Zimbabwe (Harare Sports Club)
Image Courtesy: Getty Images, Sylhet – Facebook by Nahian Chowdhury, Dharamshala – by TheSereneRebel CC 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, Galle – by Sergie Gussev via CC 2.0, Eden Gardens – JokerDurden, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, Wankhede – Anand Desai, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Bugti Stadium – Facebook, Chitral – Altamish Azhar, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, Rawalpindi – Facebook @mehmoodyousafzaii, Gaddafi Stadium – Younisjunejo, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, Daren Sammy – Timothy Barton (timtranslates.com), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Queens Park Oval – Dominic Sayers from London, England, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, Arnos Vale – AFP PHOTO/Greg WOOD (Photo credit should read GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images), Windsor Park – SDGibbons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, Narendra Modi Stadium – Gujarat Cricket Association, Dehradun Cricket Stadium – Facebook
At least 62 South African born cricketers have played for other countries—Kevin Pietersen, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Marnus Labuschange, Neil Wagner, Andrew Strauss, Tony Greig, Basil D’Oliviera, Jason Roy, David Wiese, Grant Elliot, and Kepler Wessels are some of the prominent South African cricketers who played cricket abroad.
21 have already retired and 41 are still playing. 20 South African born players played for England (5 current, 15 former), 10 for Ireland (4 current, 6 former), 10 for New Zealand (7 current, 2 former, 1 U-19), 9 for Netherlands (8 current, 1 former), 6 for Scotland (3 current, 3 former), 3 for Australia (2 current, 1 former), and 5 for other nations (Zimbabwe, Namibia, Ireland, and USA)
In this article, you will learn about all the South African born cricketers who emigrated to other nations to pursue their dream of playing cricket, most notably in Australia, England, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. We will learn about their birthplaces, why they moved, and what age they moved from South Africa.
*Note: Underlined & Bolded links are videos. Underlined without bold are links to other articles.
South African Born English Cricket Players
Here is a list of all England cricketers who were from a South Africa origin and played international cricket.
England Cricketer
Birthplacein South Africa
Keaton Jennings
Johannesburg
Jason Roy
Durban
Tom Curran
Cape Town
Brydon Carse
Cape Town
Andrew Strauss
Johannesburg
Craig Kieswetter
Johannesburg
Jonathan Trott
Cape Town
Kevin Pietersen
Pietermaritzburg
Matt Prior
Johannesburg
Basil D’Oliviera
Cape Town
Tony Greig
Queenstown
Jade Dernbach
Johannesburg
John Turner
Johannesburg
Allan Lamb
Langebaan
Stuart Meaker
Durban
Ian Greig
Queenstown
Michael Lumb
Johannesburg
Nick Compton
Durban
Chris Smith
Durban
Robin Smith
Durban
*Note, Dawid Malan was born in England and grew up in South Africa, so he is not included in the lists below.
South African Born New Zealand Cricket Players
New Zealand Cricketer
Birthplace in South Africa
Devon Conway
Johannesburg
Colin Munro
Durban
Glenn Phillips
East London
BJ Watling
Durban
Neil Wagner
Pretoria
Grant Elliot
Johannesburg
Chad Bowes
Benoni
Bernadine Bezuidenhout*
Kimberly
*Note: Bezuidenhout is a South African-born New Zealand cricketer in the women’s game. She has played for both the South African & New Zealand women’s national team.
South African Born Australian Cricket Players
Australian Cricketer
Birthplace in South Africa
Marnus Labuschagne
Klerksdorp
Michael Neser
Pretoria
Kepler Wessels*
Bloemfontein
*Wessels is one of the few cricketers who has played international cricket for two nations, South Africa and Australia.
Today’s Twist
South African born cricketers have had a good time recently. Marnus Labuschagne just scored a Test century at the Gabba, Neil Wagner picked up key wickets with a broken toe, and the Glenn Phillips-Devon Conway have been on fire for New Zealand.
That got me thinking – can we make a current World XI out of South African players that play internationally for other countries? And how many such players are there?
Build Two World XIs: (1) A current World XI and (2) World XI composed of former players who were born in South Africa but played internationally for another country.
*Note: This does not include Kolpak players or Johan Botha (who moved to Australia permanently and became an Australia citizen, but never represented them internationally).
The XI needs to have five bowlers & a wicketkeeper. While there are several players in the current circuit who can bat, can you find at least four others who can accompany Neil Wagner?
Current South African Emigrant World XI – South African Born Cricketers Who Play for Other Countries
1. Keaton Jennings (England)
Born: Johannesburg, Teams: Gauteng (SA), Durham (Eng), South Africa U-19, England Lions, England
Why Did They Move: English citizenship through mother, Age When Left SA: 20
Where Are They Now: 17 Tests as English opener so far (last in Feb 2019)
Born: Klerksdorp, North West Province, Teams: Queensland (Aus), Australia
Why Did They Move: Father got job in mining industry, Age When Left SA: 10
Where Are They Now: Scoring centuries, chirping at forward short leg, screaming ‘No Run’, and taking the world by storm. #4 in ICC Test Rankings currently. Oh and by the way, this is how you currently pronounce his name (funny video).
Where Are They Now: Wonderful story this. Three years after leaving South Africa, Conway debuts for New Zealand after dominating first class cricket. 14 T20Is later, 4-50s, best of 99*, 75.00 average in ODIs (1-100), and a magnificent Test double century on debut at Lord’s.
Born: East London, Eastern Cape, Teams: Auckland (NZ), New Zealand
Age When Left SA: 5
Where Are They Now: Partner in crime with Conway. Just scored a 108 against the West Indies in a T20I. Here to stay in their T20I squad. Coincidently, replacement for Colin Munro.
Born: Johannesburg, Teams: Gauteng (SA) U-13s,U-15s, U-17s, South Africa U-19s, Ireland A, Ireland
Why Did They Move: Qualified to play for Ireland through grandmother – Mentioned to Niall O’ Brien that he held an Irish passport and was fast-tracked.
Where Are They Now: Meteoric rise for Curtis. Eye catching 59* on debut, starred in the famous chase against England (2019) and now has a full-time contract.
Born: Durban, Teams: Northern District (NZ), New Zealand U-19s, New Zealand
Why Did They Move: Family moved to New Zealand, Age When Left SA: 10
Where Are They Now: One of the cogs of New Zealand’s test line up in their rise to No.1. Ever dependable, under-rated, and starred in several back-to-the-wall gritty knocks.
Born: Pretoria, Teams: Northerns (SA), Otago (NZ), New Zealand A, New Zealand
Why Did They Move: Was not getting enough opportunities due to the ‘quota system.‘ Age When Left SA: 22
Where Are They Now: Part of the greatest NZ pace generation with Boult-Southee-Jamieson. Now a cult-hero of sorts. Bowls his heart on placid pitches, short ball stock (but can also swing it), Steve Smith-outer specialist, and even bowled recently with a broken toe. What a guy.
Born: Port Elizabeth, Teams: Western Province (South Africa), Essex (England), Netherlands
Why Did They Move: Graham Gooch spotted him with a touring Essex team to South Africa; EU citizenship due to Netherlands descent
Where Are They Now: At an ODI average of 67.00 after 33 ODIs, his talent is unquestionable. He has travelled in T20 leagues around the world and is sought after as an allrounder. At 41 and having last played in 2019, his international career is coming towards an end. He has made the 2021 T20 World Cup squad nevertheless.
South African Born Cricketers Who Played for Ireland
13. Andre Botha (born – Johannesburg)
14. Max Sorenson (born – Johannesburg)
15. Reinhardt Strydom (born – Cape Town)
16. Marthinus Fourie (born – Cape Town)
17. Shane Getkate (born – Durban)
18. Albert van der Merwe (born – Bellville, Cape Town)
19. James Cameron-Dow (born – Cape Town)
20. Graham Hume (born – Johannesburg)
21. Murray Commins (born – Cape Town)
South African Born Cricketers Who Play for Associate Nations & Other Countries
Dutch (Netherlands) Cricketers Who Were Born in South Africa
22. Roelof Van der Merwe (born – Johannesburg) – played for both South Africa and Netherlands
23. Sybrand Engelbrecht (born – Johannesburg) – selected for Netherlands’ 2023 World Cup squaed
24. Stephan Myburgh (born – Pretoria) – plays for Netherlands
25. Colin Ackermann (born – George) – plays for Netherlands
26. Michael Rippon (born – Cape Town) – plays for Netherlands
27. Brandon Glover (born – Johannesburg) – plays for Netherlands
28. Wesley Barresi (born – Johannesburg)
29. Ryan Klein (born – Cape Town)
30. Sulaiman Dik Abed (born – Cape Town)
Namibian-Born SA Players
31. David Wiese (born – Roodepoort) – played for both South Africa and now Namibia
32. Ruben Trumpelmann (born – Durban) – plays for Namibia
Scotland-Born SA Players
33. Brad Wheal (born – Durban) – plays for Scotland
34. Chris Greaves (born – Sandton, Johannesburg) – plays for Scotland
35. Brandon McMullen (born – Durban) – plays for Scotland
36. Adrian Neil (born – Riversdale, Western Cape) – plays for Scotland
37. Preston Mommsen (born – Durban)
38.Omar Henry (born -Stellenbosch, Cape Town)
Rest of the World
39. Brydon Carse (born – Port Elizabeth) – plays for England
40. Rusty Theron (born – Potchefstroom) – plays for the United States of America (USA)
41. James Fuller (born – Cape Town) – Played for New Zealand U-19s and Otago and now is settled in England and plays County Cricket due to his British passport.
Come to think of it, this is actually a decent T20 XI that could potentially play in a league somewhere around the world. Roy-Munro-Phillips are dangerous T20 players, while Labuschagne-Conway can steady the ship. Tom Curran and Neser lead the bowling line up along with Neil Wagner and all-rounder Campher. If dibbly dobbly Munro and leggie Marnus can chip in with a few overs as the 5th/6th bowler, this is a well-balanced team.
Before we move on to the All-Time South African XI, feel free to check out other World XIs with Twists – Unlucky Cricketers XI, Underrated cricketers XI, Best Fielders XI, etc.
Here is a similar line up made up of retired international players. Several English players of the great 2011-2013 Test team as well as several who left South Africa during the apartheid suspension. The details are left as an exercise for the reader.
Andrew Strauss* (England)
Kepler Wessels (Australia 1982-92/South Africa 1992-94):First South African Test captain upon return from apartheid
Craig Kieswetter (England)
Jonathan Trott (England)
Kevin Pietersen (England):Dream first series against South Africa (2004) – 5 innings, 454 runs, 3 centuries, Player of the Series. Started the series with boos and ended with standing ovations.
Andy Flower (Zimbabwe)
Grant Elliot (New Zealand):Famously Knocked South Africa out of the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Superman.
Matt Prior (England) – WK
Basil D’Oliveira (England):England-South Africa Test series Trophy is named after him.
Squad: 12. Allan Lamb (England), 13. Stuart Meaker (England), 14. Ian Greig (England), 15. Michael Lumb (England), 16. Nick Compton (England), 17. Chris Smith (England), 18. Robin Smith (England), 19. Kruger van Wyk (New Zealand)
Jade Dernbach is the only out-and-out fast bowler, with Tony Greig, Basil D’Oliveira, & Grant Elliot as key all rounders. Part-timers Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott will be needed to complete the overs. Maybe fast bowler Stuart Meaker can replace a batsman for a more balanced line-up.
England famously won the 2019 World Cup with key contributions from opener Jason Roy, captain Eoin Morgan (Ireland), lead fast bowler Jofra Archer (Barbados), and player of the final Ben Stokes (New Zealand). Similarly, the 2018 FIFA World Cup was won by France, a team whose 23 member squad consisted of 15 members of African descent with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba.
In either case, diversity won. Globalism and international travel have come to a halt in times of COVID & lockdowns. In these times, the stories of someone like a Devon Conway lightens the mood. Left everything, took a risk, worked hard, and fulfilled his dream.
Embrace change. Sometimes you have to leave from your birthplace in order to prosper, whether that is for education, work, or family. Go try something new.
Embrace others. Learning from others & learning about new cultures can only be a good thing.
Embrace Diversity.
If you like these philosophy bits, go check these two featured articles below.
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If you like this material, check our other featured articles here!
Fun exercise, wasn’t it? If you want to have more fun, you can create more variants.
Australia in 2017 fielded Usman Khawaja (Pakistan), Matt Renshaw (England), Steve O’Keefe (Malaysia), and Hilton Cartwright (Zimbabwe). Speaking of Zimbabwe, did you know New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme is born in Zimbabwe?
Here are some fun ideas to create World XIs with Twists:
You can also make an unusual XI of cricketers born in non-Test playing countries.
For example, Moises Henriques (Aus) for born in Portugal, George Headley (WI) in Panama, Geraint Jones (Eng) from Papua New Guinea, (Pak) Shan Masood from Kuwait, (Pak) Imad Wasim from Wales, and many more!
With the completion of Brexit, the Kolpak deal is all but over. Kyle Abbott is back with the Titans. Can you make a South Africa Exodus XI? Here are some ideas
Kyle Abbott, Duanne Olivier, Wayne Parnell, Marchant de Lange, Rilee Rossouw, Simon Harmer, Colin Ingram, Dane Piedt (USA)
Imran Tahir is a Pakistan-born immigrant to play for South Africa. Can you make an All-Time South African immigrant XI? Or a Pakistan Emigrant XI?
How many South African born cricketers played for other countries?
In total there have been 62 South African born cricketers who played for other countries, 21 of whom have already retired and 41 are still playing. South Africa (19), New Zealand (10), Ireland (10), and Netherlands (9) represent the nations most originally South African born cricketers immigrated to.
Which South African born cricketers have represented New Zealand?
South African born cricketers who have represented New Zealand include Chad Bowes, Grant Elliot, Neil Wagner, Devon Conway, & Glenn Phillips.
Which South African born cricketers have represented England?
South African born cricketers who have represented England include Jason Roy, Tom Curran, Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Basil D’Oliveira, Tony Greig, Michael Lumb, Craig Kieswetter, and several more!
Which South African born cricketers have represented Australia?
South African born cricketers who have represented Australia include Marnus Labuschagne, Kepler Wessels, & Michael Neser.
Who is Chad Bowes?
Chad Bowes is a South-born cricketer who plays for New Zealand on the international level. He played for South Africa U-19 and KwaZulu-Natal before moving to New Zealand to fulfill his dream of playing international cricket.
USA Cricket —two terms that do not go together, BUT did you know:
The first international cricket match was played between the United Statesof America and Canada way back in 1844?
In fact, it was the first modern international sports match. That’s right. Even before the first official Ashes Test match between England and Australia in 1877, and before the first international soccer game between England and Scotland in 1872.
Interesting piece of trivia, isn’t it?
Cricket was played in the US for several decades after independence from Great Britain with Philadelphia as its major center. Even George Washington is said to have played a game of cricket at Valley Forge.
Well, cricket in the US has been downhill ever since. After the Civil War in 1865, cricket lost its steam in the U.S. By the time World War I ended, the decline was complete with baseball & The World Series taking over. The detail history of Cricket in the United States can be found here from USA cricket’s website. Quite fascinating actually. Anyway…
Today we will discuss:
Recent developments that have suddenly propelled USA Cricket in the news.
Status of cricket in America & Major League Cricket.
The Money Factor: Sports business & major leagues in US—NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS.
The Broken Dream: Leagues that have failed in America
Where I think USA cricket will go and how you can participate & watch the games.
Fasten on your seatbelts! Here we go – will answer all your questions on the way!
(But before we go ahead, click on the “JOIN US FOR FREE” button 👇 for more such articles!)
Note: Videos are linked & bolded. Sources & Articles are just linked.
News clip from the city of Dallas of itself on the major news of cricket development in their city.
1. Recent Development: Heavy Investments In USA Cricket
Recently USA Cricket has been in the news for various reasons.
AirHogs stadium, a former minor league baseball stadium, in Grand Prairie, Texas (outskirts of Dallas) is being converted to a cricket stadium. It has support and funding from the local authorities as well as USA cricket.
Knight Riders group, the group that owns highly successful franchises of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), buys stake in the Major League Cricket league.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, and other high profile names interested in investing in Major League Cricket, a $1 billion investment.
Ex-cricketers from other nations recruited. South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand internationals Dane Piedt, Sami Aslam, and Corey Anderson respectively have already confirmed their moves (retirement from home country and signing of a 3 year Major League Cricket deal), while World Cup winner Liam Plunkett and other South African expatriates are targeted.
Major League Cricket is right around the corner! MLC will launch between July 13-30 in Dallas, Texas.
In order to understand prospect of cricket in America, we first need to understand where Team USA sits in the cricket world rankings.
ICC* Cricket rankings consists of (1) Full Members and (2) Associate Members. As of 2019, 12 countries had Full Member status while 92 were Associate Members. The 12 full members consists of (mostly) former British colonies:
Australia (Aus), New Zealand (NZ), India (Ind), England (Eng), Sri Lanka (SL), South Africa (SA), Pakistan (Pak), West Indies (WI), Bangladesh (Ban), Zimbabwe (Zim), Ireland (Ire), & Afghanistan (Afg).
*ICC – International Cricket Council
USA Cricket – The Administration
After the decline of US cricket in the 20th century, USA Cricket Association (USACA) was created in 1965 as an Associate Member. For the next few decades, USA hovered around qualification tournaments, even qualifying for the 2004 Champions Trophy. However, the downhill spiral started once again, and the organization was expelled in 2017 due to financial and administrative trouble.
Under a new governing body, USA Cricket (USAC), the US was finally re-inducted as a new Associate member 2019. The progress continued as US achieved ODI status after qualifying for World Cup League Division 2.
It looks like USA Cricket has finally found its feet after years of turmoil.
The Highlights
Rankings: 19/20 (ODI), 34/104* (T20I)
Current Captain: Saurabh Netravalkar (replaced Ibrahim Khaleel, ex Indian first class player)
Newly Prominent Recruited Players: Xavier Marshall (WI) Rusty Theron (SA), Dane Piedt (SA), Corey Anderson (NZ), Sami Aslam (Pak)
Players With CPL* Experience: Hayden Walsh Jr. (now plays for West Indies), Ali Khan (Also selected for the IPL*), Cameron Gannon (BBL), Steven Taylor (ex USA captain), Timroy Allen, Nikhil Dutta, Jasdeep Singh
*Note, in April 2018, all 104 cricket nations were granted T20 International status.
*CPL – Caribbean Premier League, IPL – Indian Premier League, BBL – Big Bash League (Australia)
Cricket In America: Current Development
USA Cricket (USAC) has released a foundational plan for the next decade.
The goal? Make cricket a mainstream sport in the United States and become an ICC Full Member by 2030.
Other goals in the foundational plan includes focusing on (1) current players and fanbase, (2) youth development, (3) T20 cricket, and (4) women’s cricket. In addition, USAC plans to bid for international tournaments hosting starting from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (Even the ICC has started pitch for cricket in Olympics with the 2022 Commonwealth Games).
Quite ambitious.
Here is their 2020 progress report – Zonal Trials, Umpire Training, and in 2021, even a national softball tournament?
Currently the structure is semi-professional but growing in the right direction. According to USA Cricket, the selection route to the national team involves “Regional Combines, Zonal High Performance Programs, and National Training Camps,” with regional and national championships planned in future years.
In the club circuit, there are several tournaments such as Leather Ball Cricket (T20, T30, T40) along with tape-ball (indoor) and tennis ball cricket. Other tournaments like the recently concluded US Open T20 tournament, which included stars like Chris Gayle and Rayad Emrit, have also been organized by independent organizations like Cricket Council USA.
Infrastructure
The Airhogs stadium will be the second professional cricket stadium in the US after Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Here is a list of the major cricket stadiums and facilities in the US:
Central Broward Regional Park: Lauderdale, Florida, $70 million (ICC certified international quality)
Hosted 10 T20 internationals (SL, NZ, WI, Ind, Bang), several CPL matches, World Cricket League Division 2 (USA, Namibia, Papua New Guinea), American College Cricket (ACC) finals
AirHogs Stadium: Grand Prairer, Texas (under renovation – to become international quality)
Indianapolis World Sports Park: Indianapolis, Indiana, $5.1 million (2014 – multipurpose)
USA Cricket has partnered with the American Cricket Enterprises (ACE), who invested $1 billion in Major League Cricket (MLC).
The vision is to create a 6-team world-class T20 tournament with the best USA and international talent, starting in 2022. According to the Major League Cricket organizers, “MLC is developing cricketing infrastructure including international quality stadiums, elite youth academies, and high-grade training facilities.” Here are the details:
Teams: San Francisco, Los Angeles (Western Conference), Dallas, Chicago (Central Conference), New York (Eastern Conference), Atlanta (Southern Conference)
Academies: Investment in youth academies like the Willow Academy (San Francisco/Seattle). Currently there are 2 indoor facilities, 6 grounds, and over 500 students enrolled.
Minor League: A precursor to the Major League will be the Minor League Cricket, beginning in 2021. It is a development league that would feed into Major League. In the 2020 Minor League Exhibition tournament featured 24 teams & 155 matches.
Sponsors/TV Rights: Apart from Nadella, former CTO of Facebook & Dropbox, CEO of Adobe have also pitched in. ACE has a partnership with Willow TV and the Times of India Group. A full list of sponsors can be found here.
Now that we have demystified cricket in America to you, let us answer the real question:
Can Major League Cricket survive in America? Can cricket capture the imagination in the USA?
*Baseball fans, new to cricket? Check this blog by CricAmerica – explains cricket via baseball terms
3. The Possibilities: Sport Leagues In America 💲💵💵💲
The North American sports market has a value of a whopping $71 billion and is expected to rise around $83 billion by 2023.
Let that sink in.
According to Forbes, Sal Galatioto states, “There is no lack of multi-billionaires that want to get into the sports business right now.” If there was a place to invest in sports right now, it is the United States.
America has a vibrant sporting culture. USA dominates the Summer Olympics with 2,523 total medals, including 1,022 gold and not far behind in the Winter Olympics with 305 total medals (105 gold). Golf, tennis, boxing, NASCAR, and several other sports have a safe space in the U.S. market.
For Major League Cricket to prosper, we have to look at templates of other leagues in America. We will restrict our analysis to the Big 5 leagues: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS.
World Leagues
In Forbes’ top 50 most valuable teams, only 7 teams are non-American. NFL’s Dallas Cowboys tops the list and has 27 teams in the top 50, NBA has 9 teams, 7 for MLB, and none for NHL or MLS.
The first non-American team is at #6 with Real Madrid, valued at $4.24 billion. Barcelona is at #8 valued at $4.02 billion. There are 5 other soccer teams in the list with teams from La Liga, English Premier League, and Bundesliga making the cut.
No cricket league makes the Forbes’ list, but for comparison, Indian Premium League (IPL), the most popular cricket league, is valued around $5 billion with an average annual player salary of $5.3 million, only behind the NBA.
BUT guess what? Dallas Cowboys are worth $5.5 billion, more than the entire IPL.
National Football League (NFL)
Year Founded: 1920
Teams/Matches Per Season: 32 – 267 matches
Average Attendance: 67, 100 (2019)
Total Revenue/TV Viewership : $16.9 billion (2019)
Most Valuable Team: Dallas Cowboys: $5.5 billion (value) – #1 Most Valuable in the World
Average TV Viewership (Per Game): 16.6 million
TV Rights: $4.52 billion (2019)
Average Annual Player Salary:$3.26 million (2019/20)
Cultural Impact: American football is, by far, the most popular sport in the U.S dominating viewership, TV rights, and money generated. Football is widely followed at all levels—high school, NCAA football, and NFL. The NFL season begins around September and culminates in February with the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event of the year with the iconic Super Bowl adsand Halftime Shows. From Friday night high school games to Sunday night NFL, football is imbued in the American culture. The impact of American football is far reaching through growth in local businesses, restaurants, and bars on game nights.
Teams/Matches Per Season: 30 teams (29 US, 1 Canada) – 1312 matches
Average Attendance: 17,857 (2019)
Total Revenue: $8.8 billion (2018)
Most Valuable Team: New York Knicks: $4.6 billion
Average TV Viewership (Per Game): 7.3 million
TV Rights: $3.12 billion (2019)
Average Annual Player Salary: $8.32 million (2019/20)
Cultural Impact: After American football, basketball is the most popular sport in the United States across and also followed across different levels. The NBA season runs from October to June culminating in the widely watched NBA Finals. The most easily accessible sport, pick-up backyard games is a common summer activity. Culturally, around 80% of NBA players are African Americans, producing legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James.
Teams/Matches Per Season: 30 (29 US, 1 Canada) -2467 matches
Average Attendance: 28,180 (2019)
Total Revenue: $10.37 billion (2019)
Average TV Viewership (Per Game): 4 million
Most Valuable Team: New York Yankees: $5 billion
TV Rights: $1.65 billion (2019)
Average Annual Player Salary: $4.03 million (2019/20)
Cultural Impact: Baseball is considered to be America’s national pastime. Since MLB is the oldest professional sports league in the US, baseball enjoys a rich history, culture, and lifelong fans. However, according to several surveys and the New York Times, the popularity in baseball has vastly decreased for the past decade. Certainly, football has taken over nationally in TV coverage and fan following. Yet, baseball is still alive since it provides a ‘social experience’ due to the presence of local Minor/Major League teams in most cities. The sport has also provided several iconic players over time such as Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Micky Mantle.
Teams: 31 (24 US, 7 Canada)/extends to 32 teams in 2021 – 1358 matches
Average Attendance: 17,380 (2019)
Total Revenue: $5.1 billion (2019)
Most Valuable Team: New York Rangers: $1.65 billion
Average TV Viewership (Per Game): 1.6 million
TV Rights: $220 million (2019)
Average Annual Player Salary: $2.69 million (2019/20)
Cultural Impact: Ice Hockey (aka hockey) also enjoys mild support in the United States, especially in the midwestern and northern regions. With several teams from Canada and stars like Wayne Gretzky, the NHL continues to prosper and grow. The US and Canada are two of the best six international teams and they are usually contenders in the Winter Olympics.
The gameplay can get quite physical at times. Here are some of the best goals and ugliest hits. Ouch!
Major League Soccer (MLS)
Year Founded: 1996
Teams: 26 (23 US, 3 Canada) – 421 matches
Average Attendance: 21,310 (2019)
Total Revenue: $1.2 billion (2019)
Most Valuable Team: Atlanta United : $500 million
Average TV Viewership (Per Game): 1.8 million
TV Rights: $110 million (2019)
Average Annual Player Salary: $410,000 (2019/20)
Cultural Impact: Soccer is a relatively recent major sport in the United States. The precursor to MLS was the North American Soccer League (1968-84) attracting the likes of legends like Pelé. After its decline, hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup boosted soccer into the American mainstream. The USA Women’s Soccer Team, the most successful women’s team, has further established its hold in the US, winning 4 World Cup titles and 4 Olympic Golds. Although soccer is not as popular as the other sports, it has created a space for itself and is growing in school and collegiate levels.
Here is the U.S. Women’s 5-2 victory in the 2015 FIFA World Cup final, courtesy Carli Lloyd’s heroics.
4. The Broken Dreams: Leagues That Failed in America
All that glitters is not gold.
Now that you have seen the possibilities and money involved, let us bring you back to Earth. Not all leagues in the United States succeeded. In fact, most of them failed.
Cricket fans, think of these competitive ventures along the lines of Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket (1977-79), Stanford 20/20 (2006-08), or the Indian Cricket League (2007-09). Here is just a small list.
Competitors to the Big 5
Even before the Big 5 Leagues succeeded, there were several precursors or competitors that failed.
NBA: American Basketball League (1961-62), American Basketball Association (1967-76), Slamball (2002-08)
MLB: Senior Professional Baseball Association (1989-90) – for retired stars
NHL: World Hockey Association (1971-79), Roller Hockey International (1993-1999)
MLS: North American Soccer League (1968-1984)
America is a land of creativity, but sometimes a little too much creativity can be dangerous as the XFL, Slamball, and Senior Baseball League shows.
It is all about American football. For high profile NFL competitors, we will need its own section.
United States Football League (1982-85): Football in Spring/Summer season (feat Donald Trump)
Alliance of American Football (2018-19): $100 million invested – lost $88 million
XFL (2001): Directly competitor to NFL – $ 70 million loss (courtesy WWE’s Vince McMahon) – may return in 2022
NFL Europe(1991-2007): Spread Football to Europe? Lost around $30 million/year
Arena Football (1987-2009): Internal football league – successful 2 decades but declined eventually
Other Serious Ventures
Here are some other niche sports that did not go far in their first attempt.
Rugby: Pro Rugby League (2015-17)
Lacrosse: National Lacrosse League (1974-75), American Lacrosse League (1988)
Ultimate Frisbee: Major League Ultimate (2013-16)
Several women leagues have been launched post successful Olympics/World Cup campaigns.
Volleyball: Major League Volleyball (1987-89), United States Professional Volleyball League (2003)
Soccer: Women’s United Soccer Association (2000-03) – post US Women’s 1999 FIFA WC victory, Lost around $100 million
Baseball: All-American Girls Professional Baseball Association (1943-1954)
In conclusion here, money can’t buy you happiness, can it? More investment—Higher the prospects, but deeper the fall.
What’s more? MLC is not the first attempt to get cricket into Americans.
Pro Cricket League (2004): 8 team T20 competition with stars like Ajay Jadeja & Daren Ganga. Did not see the light of a 2nd season
American Premier League (2009): 6 international teams & partnership with NZ cricket with matches in New York, but it fell through before materializing
American National Championship (2014) – The Indianapolis World Park stadium was created for this reason with a 3 year deal and public support. Also failed to materialize
Cricket All Stars (2015): Sachin Tendulkar XI vs Shane Warne XI held in baseball stadiums across NYC, Houston, and LA. Team made up of retired stars. It was fun when it lasted but they never returned for another series as originally planned.
Although these attempts failed, Major League Cricket gives different vibes. This time things feel different. T20 leagues in the world have stabilized, more & more cricketers are abandoning national duty and becoming T20 mercenaries, and the expatriate population in the U.S. is growing.
In all reality, Major League Cricket will most likely not go the way of the NFL and NBA, but it might not crash like the XFL or USFL. Smaller leagues have created their own niche and survived, without TV rights and mainstream media.
Here are professional sports league in the US with recent average attendance.
Women’s National Basketball Association (1997-): 6,535
Major League Lacrosse(2001-): 3,844
National Women’s Soccer League(2013-): 7,337
Major League Rugby(2018-): 4,125
Note: Other leagues include National Women’s Hockey League, National Lacrosse League, and Major Arena Soccer League, etc.
ICC Americas: The CPL & Global T20 Canada Model
With the ICC Americas initiative, West Indies cricket has been supportive of USA cricket.
The CPL franchises now reserve some spots for American players and increase exposure, while Florida also hosts some of WI & CPL matches in Florida. Yet the numbers have been decreasing – 6 CPL games in 2016, 4 & 3 in the next two years, and none after 2018.
In 2018, a fairly successful 6-team Global T20 Canada was launched. Each team had an array of international stars such as JP Duminy, Andre Russell, and Imrah Tahir interspersed with Canadian and American players. For the first edition, 5 teams & a ‘West Indies B’ team took part, which could be an interesting idea for USA Cricket to adopt.
Fun Fact: Brendon McCullum’s last game in any type of cricket was the 2019 Global T20 Canada league.
The Cricket World Cup – A Far Fetched Dream?
Yet, even if MLC succeeds, it does not guarantee Full Membership and ICC funding.
The Cricket World Cup is the pinnacle of the game, and qualification for the CWC is a major goal for the Associate nations, but it has gotten harder recently.
With the new 10-team World Cup Format and ODI Super League, the top 7 ranked teams & hosts qualify directly, while two teams compete in a 10-team qualifying tournament. With the likes of competitive teams like Netherlands, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Namibia, and Nepal, it will be hard for the USA Cricket Team to beat these teams, let alone the Full Members.
The T20 World Cup may be more compelling with 16 possible teams, but with USA languishing at #34 right now, it is hard to fathom.
USA And China are the sleeping giants of world cricket.
For cricket fans around the world, the status of cricket in America is an anomaly. With immigrants from all around the world, surely a few of them can get together to make a decent team?
$20 Trillion economy, 330 million population, about 6 million immigrants from cricket playing nations, and the gradual decline of baseball, surely cricket in America is a possibility? It’s got to be!
Predictions
What I Wish To Happen: The Afghanistan Model
The Afghanistan National Cricket Team is well-known for its rapid rise. In a war torn country, it became an Affiliate Member in 2001. Rising from Division 5, they qualified for the T20 World Cup in 2010, became an Associate Member in 2013, a Full Member in 2017, and have produced talents like Mohammad Nabi & Rashid Khan.
In my ideal scenario, the newly recruited international cricketers make the USA cricket team and climb up the ladder in qualification bid for the 2027 World Cup. The following year, Los Angeles hosts cricket at the 2028 Olympics. A few years later, say by 2036, USA hosts a T20 World Cup. Next thing you know, the MLC regularly starts attracting international stars, spectators increase, funding stabilizes and there you go, cricket established in the American market within 10-15 years.
What is Actually Going to Happen: The MLS Model
The issue with the Afghanistan Model is it already was a cricket crazy nation. USA is not.
The only template cricket has for a new sport to mix into the mainstream is soccer. After the NASL in 1968, it took the USA team 22 years to qualify for a World Cup in 1990, hosted the 1994 World Cup, and finally the MLS began in 1996. Women’s Soccer started to take shape in the late-1980s and won the 1999 World Cup, just 10 years later. It has taken a further 20 years for the sport to come in the public eye.
If cricket follows a similar model, the women USA team will qualify by 2030, USA men’s cricket team will qualify for the 2043 World Cup, host the 2047 World. By the team we hit 2050, cricket may finally come into the sports conversation. It may take a generation or two more for cricket to spread to each city, each grade level, and compete with the likes of American football, basketball, and baseball.
In any case, the money is here, the audience here. Let’s play.
Do YOU Think that cricket will ever become popular in the United States? IF YES, comment below. IF NO, comment below as well and let us know why! We want to hear from you!
Here are some resources from if you want to get involved in the growth of cricket in America. Rookie Leagues: Entry Level program for kids & youth. Officiating (umpires) & coaching resources as well. Player Registration: If you are interested in playing or trying out for the Minor League/Major League/ USA Cricket, fill out this application. What Is Cricket?: ICC’s short minute videos on the different aspects of cricket/rules. Nice 3 minutes high quality videos here to share ahead to your “Future Cricket Fans.” Here are some of the questions this article has answered along the way.
Is Cricket Popular In America?
Cricket is not yet a popular sport in America. Team sports is dominated by 5 major leagues – the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS. Cricket is trying to break into the sports market with the inaugural Major League Cricket in 2022.
How Much Do USA Cricket Players make?
USA cricketers make around $70,000-$90,000 although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some budget cuts, which has impacted players salaries.
Is cricket growing in America?
Cricket is growing in America. USA cricket is investing in infrastructure and age-school cricket as well as high performance academies. USA Cricket’s foundational plan emphasizes focusing on (1) current players and fanbase, (2) youth development, (3) T20 cricket, (4) women’s cricket, and (5) hosting ICC events starting from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Why there is no cricket in USA?
American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, NASCAR, and other individual sports (Olympics) dominate the conversation. Hence, cricket has yet to break in, but it is growing in the right direction.
How many sports leagues are there in the US?
Sport in America is dominated by the Big 5 Leagues: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and the MLS. We have provided details on each of the leagues here – value, player salary, cultural impact, and much more!
Which sports league is the most valuable?
The NFL is the most valuable sports league with $16.9 billion. Dallas Cowboys itself is valued at $5.5 billion. The MLB comes next with $10.37 billion and the NBA with $8.8 billion.
Where can I watch cricket in America?
Cricket is available in the USA on Willow TV. Willow TV can be purchased directly on their website or with TV providers subscriptions like Sling TV.
We will continue our theme of Broken Dreams this week with a list of unfortunate or unlucky cricketers.
We present our list of Unlucky World XI belowand let us know who you think have been the unluckiest of them all.
Some of these careers were ruined by inconsistency or career-ending-injury, others by controversy and politics, and while the rest suffered plain old bad-luck—the fact that they could not break it into the golden generations.
Today’s Twist – Unlucky Cricketers XI
Create a World XI with the following constraints:
Played within the last 25 years
Should have debuted (various first class legends like Alan Jones (Eng) and Amol Muzumdar (Ind) did not even make their international team)
The team can field an actual playing XI in a match (so we are looking for balance, with wicket-keepers necessary and at least 5 bowling options).
Each country can have a maximum of only 2 players per category.
The Catch
Australia’s squad of the 2000s had so many greats that several careers did not see the light of day. For example, Adam Gilchrist played 96 tests without missing one. Does anyone even remember who the back-up keeper during Australia’s early 2000 era was?
Similarly, with India’s recent growth, one could name players like Vinod Kambli, Subramanian Badrinath, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, and even someone like Ambati Rayudu more recently. If you can only choose two from each country, who would it be?
Comment below on who you think are some of the unluckiest cricketers?
ODI – Faded XI
Alex Hales: (Behavior issues)
Catalyst of England’s ODI batting culture change, individually scored 171 within 36 overs (highest English score at that time), dropped before the 2019 World Cup because of failed drug test, ‘loss of trust’ with team, and strained relationship with captain Eoin Morgan.
2. Lendl Simmons: (Inconsistency)
If you saw the recent CPL 2020, Simmons was in some top-notch form including the final. Watching his innings’ like the one against India in the 2016 WT20 semi-final and you wonder sometimes, what could have been had he been more consistent. 15 year career, just 8 tests and 68 ODIs is a poor reflection of his abilities.
3. Mohammad Ashraful: (Match-Fixing)
A bright star for Bangladesh. Youngest Test centurion at 17, century that upset the Aussies in 2005, but a career that was marred by inconsistency and will be forever remembered by spot-fixing in the BPL. Could have been among the Fab Five generation for Bangladesh.
4. Brad Hodge: (Sorry, Out of Luck)
17,000 first class runs, 80 centuries in first class/list-A, 6 Tests, 203* best, 55.88 average, and one of the first T20 league superstars. Obstacles: Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds.
5. James Taylor: (Heart Condition)
Debut at 22. Retirement at 26 due to heart condition. Was an upcoming England Talent – 1-100, 7 50s, 42.23 average. Now an English selector.
6. Robin Uthappa: (Inconsistency)
If you saw Uthappa’s 86 against England, or in the World T20 2007, or walking and hitting sixes to Mitchell Johnson, you would have thought he would have a long career. Yet another victim to inconsistency, came back in 2014-15 after a great domestic season but not given enough chances. Still a KKR and RCB star in the IPL.
7. Hansie Cronje: (Match-Fixing)
Great captain from South Africa and decent all-rounder, match-fixing killed his career in the 2000 Ind-SA series when he was at the peak of his powers. Passed away in 2002 due to a plane crash. RIP.
8. Neil Johnson: (Politics)
If you saw Neil Johnson in the 1999 World Cup, you knew he was bound for greatness. 3 Man-of-Match trophies in that world cup, dispute with Zimbabwe Cricket resulted in premature retirement as he moved back to South Africa.
9. Brad Hogg: (Sorry, Out of Luck)
Just like Hodge, another victim of Australia’s great era. In an international career lasting 12 years, only played 7 tests and 123 ODIs. Inspirational comeback later with T20 cricket and leagues such as IPL and the Big Bash, he played his last professional match almost till he was 47.
10. S. Sreesanth: (Match-Fixing)
Although known for off-field issues, he was a marvelous fast bowler for India. His delivery that made that great Jacques Kallis jump is one to remember. However, he was banned after the 2013 IPL spot-fixing controversy with Rajasthan. Made a comeback with…reality TV show, Bigg Boss.
11. Shane Bond: (Injuries)
You often hear Shoaib Akhtar vs Brett Lee, but another name that should have been added was Shane Bond. Fast and accurate, 147 wickets at 20.88 in ODIs and 87 wickets at 22.09 in Tests. Played only 82 ODIs and 18 Tests, but never comprised his speed despite the injuries.
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Test – Washed Out XI
Marcus Trescothick: (Mental Illness)
First open victim of mental illness in cricket. More than 10,000 runs and 26 centuries across formats, he played his last game at the age of 30, only 6 years in international cricket. Was a stalwart at Somerset till 43 with overall record of 38000 runs and 94 centuries. Paved way for Alastair Cook, otherwise would have been the all-time best England opener himself.
Mark Ramprakash: (Inconsistency)
Similar story, different reason. Over 52 test matches and 11 years, could not cement his place in the England team. Retired with 35,659 first class runs along with 114 centuries. Wow.
3. Mohammad Kaif: (Inconsistency and Politics)
Forever remember for his fielding and 88* Natwest chase that gave India a belief of winning and chasing overseas, his career never took off. First U-19 winning captain to play for India, he made his highest test score 148* in the West Indies in his second to last test, which came at the age of 26. Dropped as a result of chopping and changing under Greg Chappell right before the 2007 World Cup.
4. Adam Voges: (Sorry, Out of Luck)
Same scenario as Hodge and Hogg, but with a better ending. Finally debuted at the age of 35, and ended with 5 hundreds and a record-breaking average of 61.87.
5. Fawad Alam: (Politics)
Well well well, we are finally here. Made a memorable 168 on debut, yet only featured in 3 tests. Mohammad Amir is a career some would regret about, but by the time Amir had his great spell in 2010, the spot-fixing scandal, the 5-year ban, the comeback, the Champions Trophy 2017 performance, and test retirement at the age of 27, Fawad Alam had added exactly 0 Tests from 2009.
After toiling in first class cricket with 34 centuries and average of 56.35 and after numerous selection committees, he finally got a recall after 10 years, only to be given out by DRS due to 2 umpire-calls. Add to that English rain, which limited his chances in the next two tests. How unlucky can one get?
6. Prasanna Jayawardene: (Sorry, Out of Luck)
Thilan Samaraweera stated recently in his Sri Lanka XI that “Prasanna was the best wicketkeeper Sri Lanka ever produced,” and he did play 58 Test matches. So why is he here? Well, his career was always a stop-gap measure due to Sangakkara. Even cricinfo reads that his career was ‘marginalised since the rocket-fuelled arrival’ of Sangakkara.
Self-acclaimed ‘best off-spinner in the world,’ he regularly employees his service for Essex, forgoing his chance to play for South Africa again (at least until we know how Brexit impacts Kolpak). Has taken 636 wickets at 27.17 with 37 5-fors and 7 10-fors. Not too bad.
8. Mohammad Amir: (Match-Fixing)
See Fawad Alam (5).
*Note: (Honorable Mention) Could also have added Mohammad Asif for the same reason here. One of the best swing bowlers of all-time.
9. Stuart McGill: (Sorry, out of luck)
Same reason as the rest of the Aussies here with the additional fact that he also played under the shadow of the great Shane Warne. Still managed to play 44 Tests and took 208 wickets at a strike rate of 54.0. Cricinfo said it best, “Stuart MacGill had the best strike-rate and worst luck of any modern spin bowler.”
Another casualty of the Kolpak. What makes this worse is his brilliant start to international cricket. Played just 10 tests, 48 wickets, 3 5-fors and a player of the series award with 24 wickets. Then he left South Africa. Also had replaced Kyle Abbott, who had also signed Kolpak deal. Rub salt in the wound there.
11. Simon Jones: (Injury)
We have all heard this one. The 2005 Ashes Series was made memorable by some bowling spells by Simon Jones. At the end of the series, suffered an ankle injury, never to make an international comeback.
Honorable Mention: Lasith Malinga (great limited overs bowler but had to cut his Test career short).
3 centuries in Tests and an-up-and-coming opener for Australia, a bouncer in a domestic game took Hughes’ life. Shock to the cricketing world, brought about a revolution on concussion and brain-injuries.
RIP Phil Hughes.
Well, these were our list of unlucky cricket teams. What is yours?
COMMENT below on who you think we missed out! Do not forget to SUBSCRIBE, SHARE, AND FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Rahul Dravid, the Wall as he is affectionately known, has been my cricketing hero—my role model for as long as I can remember.
My favorite memory of the great Indian legend—Rahul Dravid, was when he carried his bat in England at The Oval. In that series, when all the chips were down, he fought for the team until the very end.
At the end of his career, it was a reminder of what he stood for. Today I discuss my favorite Rahul Dravid memories and what he taught me.
My First Memory of Rahul Dravid
My first memory of watching cricket was Dravid’s roar and fist celebration in that famous 2003 Adelaide victory with a trademark square cut to Stuart MacGill after scoring 233 and 72*. Early next year, the 2004 ODI series versus Pakistan sealed my love for cricket and my awe for the dashing wicket-keeper batsman with sunglasses, as his image was in those days.
Before we get into the philosophy, let us get the stats out of the way.
164 Test Matches and 344 ODIs, 48 international centuries, a 17 year international career, over 10,000 runs in each format
Holds the world record for the most number of catches in Test matches
Most balls played in a Test career (31,258)
Indian Team captain (Led them to first Test victory in South Africa along with series victories in West Indies and England. Also was the captain during India’s 2007 World Cup).
Holds the Test record for most number of runs in a partnerships (6921 with Sachin Tendulkar)
With VVS Laxman, Dravid shared a 376-run partnership (2001) & 303-run partnership (2003), both vs Australia
Dravid in England
In England, his record even more stellar:
Dravid’s first international match was a Test match in Lord’s against England, where he made 95, missing his century by just five runs (He would eventually get on the Lord’s Honours Boards fifteen years later in 2011).
Twice Man of the Series (with 3 tons each) – 2002 and 2011
Test series win as a captain – 2007
On the other end of the spectrum in limited overs cricket:
After Dravid retired as a player, he tried commentary and coaching. Well, the commentary stint did not last that long. As a coach, Dravid took over as a player-mentor with the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2014 and later with the Delhi Daredevils.
The Under-19 & NCA Stint
National recognition in the coaching setup came when Dravid was selected as the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) and the Under-19/A Teams. This is where Rahul Dravid had the most success as a coach. Training the next generation of Indian cricketers, helping them technically & mentally, and giving them confidence was what India needed at the time. Additionally, setting up A tours paid India dividends with the future overseas Test victories.
The rise of Shubman Gill, Prithvi Shaw & the contributions of Shardul Thakur & Washington Thakur in the historic Gabba Test could be traced back to this stint.
After India crashed from defeat in the first round of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Dravid was handed over the reins as the coach of the national side. Rohit Sharma replaced Virat Kohli as captain.
During the year, several players were given opportunities, a change of mindset was promised and even delivered. However, inconsistency in selection, multiple captains, overkill of cricket, injuries, & inability to play modern-day T20 cricket meant India crashed out in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal against England.
So, how can we judge Dravid’s coaching career so far? Not great, not bad, somewhere in the middle. Sort of like his captaincy career.
The Legacy
Numbers aside, it was how he carried himself on and off the field that shone through. Whether it was the ability to contribute to victories in tough overseas conditions, the consistency throughout his career, or the adaptability to suit the needs of the team, Dravid was always there. Opening the batting, donning the gloves to accommodate an extra batsman, stepping away for the youngsters in the 2007 T20 World Cup, and even bowling handy off-spin, he was a perfect team player.
Navjot Singh Sidhu summarized it perfectly, “Rahul Dravid is a player who would walk on broken glass if his team asks him to.”
Even in tough phases of his career, examples of perseverance and resilience were aplenty, like his 40-ball stay for a single against Australia. During days of batting collapses, or in the case of the 2011 tour of England- an entire series of collapses, we could depend on him. Grinding opposition bowlers down, building partnerships after partnerships, and staying in the game were his forte. For the highlight reels, his innings may not be the most flamboyant, but probably the most essential. As they say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
Off the field, mentoring youngsters in the U-19, India A, or the IPL, delivering the Don Bradman Oration lecture, being an example of Fair Play as Rajasthan Royals’ captain, and avoiding controversies, Dravid’s genuine and graceful demeanor complemented his skills on the ground.
The combination of perseverance and resilience, determination and discipline, as well as humility and team-before-self attitude — that is what Rahul Dravid has taught me.
What We Can Learn from Rahul Dravid?
Challenges will come throughout life, but as long as we have the determination to face and overcome the obstacles, things will be get better. Giving up is not an option, but improving is. We should always strive for excellence without sacrificing morals. Even if we do succeed in achieving our goals once or twice, that is not enough. Being consistent with the process, adapting with time, repeating the good and learning from the bad, that is what matters. In the long run, the results do not matter as much as the journey. Finally, regardless if we are a member of a company, a leadership group, a sports team, or a band, interests of the team always outweigh individual glory.
These lessons can be applied to any aspect of life, not just cricket, and that for me is why Rahul Dravid is my cricketing role model.
I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes on Rahul Dravid:
“If you really want to see aggression, look into Dravid’s eyes”—Matthew Hayden
“The wolf who lived for the pack” — Harsha Bhogle
“If you can’t get along with Dravid, you’re struggling in life”—Brett Lee
Rahul Dravid – Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rahul Dravid?
Rahul Dravid was an Indian cricketer and is Team India’s current men’s head coach. From 1996-2013, he was India’s top batters. He is arguably India’s Best #3 batter, scored in numerous important overseas victories, and served as India’s captain.
What is the middle name of Rahul Dravid?
Rahul Dravid’s middle name is Sharad. His full name is Rahul Sharad Dravid.
When did Rahul Dravid retire?
Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international cricket in 2013. He retired from T20Is and ODIs in the horror series against England in 2011. He continued to play Test cricket, but retired after the tour of Australia in the next year. Finally, Rahul Dravid retired from T20 league after Champions League 2014, when he captained the Rajasthan Royals.
Why is Rahul Dravid called the Wall?
Rahul Dravid is called the ‘Wall’ due to his ability to survive tough sessions for long periods. Dravid has been the architect of several of India’s key overseas victories – Headingly 2002, Adelaide 2013, Rawalpindi 2004, Kingston 2006, and the disastrous England tour of 2011 (where India lost 0-4). Overall, Rahul Dravid faced 31,258 balls in Test cricket, more than any cricketer in history.
How many balls did Rahul Dravid play in international cricket?
Rahul Dravid played a mammoth total of 46,591 balls in international cricket (31,285 Test, 15,285 ODI, and 21 T20I)
Which IPL teams did Rahul Dravid play for?
Rahul Dravid played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2008-2010 and the Rajasthan Royals from 2011-2014.
Did Rahul Dravid play for Scotland?
Yes, Rahul Dravid represented Scotland as an overseas player. He played for Scotland in the national Cricket League against teams like Hampshire, Scotland, Lancashire, etc.
What are Rahul Dravid’s nicknames?
Dravid has had a couple of nicknames, The Wall and Jammy.
Also Read: If enjoyed reading this article, enjoy the others from Life Lessons category and Cricketing Heroeslinked below.
Twenty nations. One World Cup. Vastly different financial realities.
From Italy’s debut to Nepal fans turning stadiums into home grounds, cricket finally looked like the global sport it had always claimed to be at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Then the tournament ended. And the brutal economic reality set in.
In 2024, USA hosted a World Cup, stunned Pakistan, and filed for bankruptcy just 14 months later. Scotland came within touching distance of Full Membership, only to implode amid a racism scandal and now sit on barely $100,000 in reserves.
These are not isolated cases.
Last year, we broke down the finances of the 12 Test-playing nations. Today, we turn our attention to over 20 Associate nations trying to survive the same system.
Are these nations on track to become the next Afghanistan? Or will they collapse into obscurity like the once-promising Kenya?
Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
India alone sits on $923 million in reserves. Canada, the financially strongest Associate, has $3.4 million, a 271x gap. Netherlands runs its entire national cricket operation on $6 million a year. Cricket Australia spent $212 million in 2024 alone.
Nepal fields the most structured contract system of any Associate nation: 33 men and 19 women, but pay remains extremely low.
Rishabh Pant’s single IPL auction price of ~$3.1 million could (1) pay Nepal’s Grade A men’s captain, Rohit Poudel ($741/month) for 349 years, (2) fund Nepal’s entire men & women contract pool for 16 years, or (3) single-handedly bankroll two Associate nations’ entire annual ICC grants.
The Financial Scorecard: 20+ Associate Nations Ranked
Unlike the 12 Test-playing nations, only Netherlands, Scotland (partially), Italy, USA, and Canada have publicly available audited financial statements. For most Associate nations, there is no public financial data due to the lack of professionalization, making accountability and long-term planning far more difficult.
Where financial statements were unavailable, I assessed the financial health based on central contract announcements, budget documents, strategy plans, and news reports.
🟢 Financially & Institutionally Strong: None
🟡 Stable: Netherlands, UAE, Namibia, Nepal
🔴 At Risk: Scotland, Uganda, Kuwait, Italy, Brazil (women)
🟠 Not Professional Yet: Bermuda, Germany, Jersey, Thailand (women), Argentina, Tanzania, Japan, Hong Kong, Fiji, Denmark, Spain, Samoa, all other Associate nations
💀 In Crisis: Canada, USA, Kenya, Oman, PNG
All 98 Associates share approximately $67.2 million in annual ICC funding, an average of $690,000 per nation, though actual grants range from about $12,500 for the smallest members to up to $2 million for top-tier nations. Allocations are determined by a scorecard measuring participation, infrastructure, staffing, and non-ICC income generation.
These Associates have demonstrated centrally funded contracts, growing infrastructure, and revenue sources beyond pure ICC dependency.
Netherlands ($1.69 Million Reserves)
Financial Strength: 🟡 Stable
Central Contracts: 10 Men/11 Women
Bottom Line: $1.69 million is thin for a national cricket board running a $6 million annual operation. The KNCB needs to earn more to provide stronger central contracts for their core players.
After their best financial year in 2023, a sponsorship dispute with their principal partner, Nordek, almost halved their sponsorship revenue in 2024. Their liquid cash dropped from $2.38 million to $1.29 million in a single year. They need to find a new major sponsor before that trend continues.
Revenues and Expenses
Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond (KNCB) – Royal Dutch Cricket Association
KNCB Reserves Summary
2021:+ €1,411,166 (+ $1,632,879)
2022:+ €1,219,660 (+ $1,411,147)
2023:+ €1,699,680 (+ $1,966,430)
2024:+ €1,462,006 (+ $1,691,741)
Of the $1.69 million, only $1.29 million is in liquid cash, down from $2.38 million in 2023.
*Note: €1 = $1.157 as of 03/20/2026
Year
Revenue
Operating Cost
Other Gains/Charges*
Total Comprehensive Income
2021
+€3,017,816 (+$3,491,603)
-€2,757,956 (-$3,191,945)
-€348,821 (-$403,786)
-€88,961 (-$102,968)
2022
+€3,883,693 (+$4,493,433)
-€3,794,315 (-$4,390,082)
-€280,885 (-$324,944)
-€191,506 (-$221,613)
2023
+€5,078,352 (+$5,875,653)
-€4,585,332 (-$5,305,019)
-€13,000 (-$15,041)
+€480,020 (+$555,383)
2024
+€5,044,915 (+$5,836,967)
-€5,287,613 (-$6,117,768)
+€5,024 (+$5,813)
-€237,673 (-$274,988)
*Other Gains/Charges includes net financial income (interest received) and result from Cricket Nederland B.V.
KNCB Revenue Breakdown
Year
ICC Contributions
Sponsorship
Domestic (Competitions & Membership)
NOC*NSF
Other Income*
2021
€2,479,197 (82.2%)
€21,173 (0.7%)
€85,252 (2.8%)
€91,216 (3.0%)
€341,978 (11.3%)
2022
€2,906,086 (74.8%)
€46,549 (1.2%)
€204,695 (5.3%)
€107,210 (2.8%)
€619,153 (15.9%)
2023
€3,934,718 (77.5%)
€487,326 (9.6%)
€203,136 (4.0%)
€116,536 (2.3%)
€336,636 (6.6%)
2024
€3,645,610 (72.3%)
€253,832 (5.0%)
€242,816 (4.8%)
€167,219 (3.3%)
€735,438 (14.6%)
*Other includes own contributions, education & development, other income, and exchange rate result.
NOC*NSF (Nederlands Olympisch Comité * Nederlandse Sport Federatie) is the Dutch Olympic Committee and Sports Federation, essentially government’s investment in sport.
The ICC income (2024) can be further broken down as follows:
Average Salary: €40,500 (~$46,859 USD) – Men, €15,000 (~$17,355 USD) – Women
Total player payment pool for 2026: €570,000 — Men €405,000 (71%), Women €165,000 (29%)
Men: 7 Contracts for 9 Months, 3 High Performance (HP) contracts for 6 months (Total Playing Days: 86)
Women: 11 HP Contracts for 6 months – 4 Senior, 7 Junior (Total Playing Days: 57)
Highlight from the 2024 Annual Plan
“For 2024, it is important for us to have set up a High Performance management structure, to develop a player monitoring system including elements of talent recognition, progression and development, as well as to bring the brand and ‘the story’ of Dutch cricket to the masses and potential sponsors….Also high on the agenda for 2024 is offering our top players the contractural (and therefore) financial security they need to fully focus on cricket and their role in the governing body. Their employment position is still too often insecure. For example, 6-month temporary contracts are often used and these provide little to no certainty for the longer term.”
Interesting Observations
A dispute with principal sponsor Nordek in 2024 almost halved sponsorship revenue. The KNCB had already committed to higher player contracts and coaching staff expecting the World Cup to bring more sponsors. It did not, resulting in a net loss for the year.
Membership grew 7% and the number of clubs increased by 5 to total of 50. Playing members have increased from 4800 in 2018 to about 6000 in 2025 with rise among all categories: girls, boys, men, and women.
The Dutch women qualified for the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time, capping a remarkable rise for the programme. Last year, three Cricket Festivals were organized for girls and women, with 150+ participants and 300 registrations.
Bottom Line: Namibia punches well above its weight. No published financials, but the evidence points to a well-run federation: men’s contracts since 2009, the first women’s professional contracts in any sport in the country, the largest grassroots cricket programme in Africa, and now a brand new national stadium.
Highlights
The Ashburton Kwata Mini-Cricket Programme reached 58,560 participants in 2024 (31,400 boys, 27,160 girls), making it the largest cricket initiative on the African continent, helping them win the 2024 ICC Development Initiative of the Year.
Cricket Namibia signed 10 women’s contracts for the Capricorn Eagles, the first professional contract for any women sport in the country.
Men’s Contracts were offered as early as 2009 to 9 professional cricketers. The budget for the cricket federation at that time was N$9 Million (~$1.2 Million USD)
The FNB (First National Bank) Namibia Cricket Ground opened in October 2025 in Windhoek, the country’s first national stadium. They stunned South Africa in the opening match.
Bottom Line: The most sophisticated contract structure of any Associate country. Pay is low by global standards, but the system exists now and is growing. With a passionate fanbase and a growing NPL, the future is bright for Nepali cricket.
The Nepal Premier League (NPL) launched in 2024, generated NPR 27.69 Crore (~$2 million) in the inaugural season and jumped to about 40-45 Crore (~$3 million) in 2025.
For 2025, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) offered 33 men across five grades and 19 women across grades under central contract.
The pay ranges from NPR 100,000 ($670/month) for Grade A players down to NPR 25,000 ($167/month) for emerging players. Women’s Grade A sits at about NPR 50,000 ($334/month).
Match Fees: The men’s team receives NPR 10,000 ($67) per ODI and NPR 5,000 ($34) per T20I, while the women receive 5,000 and 3,000 ($20) for ODI and T20I respectively.
Nepal has some of the most passionate fans in world cricket, which came to life in the 2026 T20 World Cup, where Nepal defeated Scotland and ran England close, falling short by only 4 runs.
Central Contracts: 20 Men (10 full-time, 10 part-time), started in 2016
Bottom Line: UAE’s position is uniquely advantaged among Associates: The ILT20 sold its media rights for $120 million over 10 years to Zee Network and is among the top paying franchise leagues. UAE also regularly hosts Tests, Asia Cups, IPL matches, and is home to the ICC itself.
II. Hanging On: The Associates Surviving on ICC Life Support
These Associates are almost entirely ICC-dependent with thin or no reserves, but they still might have central contracts in place.
Scotland ($100,000 Reserves)
Financial Strength: 🔴 At Risk
Central Contracts: 14 Men/9 Women
Bottom Line: The 2019 peak of +£362,484 (+$483,696) represents the high watermark of operational health before COVID, the racism scandal, and the governance crisis that followed. A dream of full membership in 2021 now looks distant. Participation in 2026 T20 World Cup will provide temporary financial relief.
Reserves
2016:+£304,559 (+$406,400)
2017:+£351,582 (+$469,151)
2018:+£352,272 (+$470,071)
2019:+£362,484 (+$483,696)
2020:+£337,470 (+$450,335)
2021:+£335,614 (+$447,859)
2022:+£457,807 (+$611,143)
2023:+£52,034 (+$69,435)
2024:+£77,465 (+$103,388)
Revenues and Expenses
Note: £1 = $1.3344 as of 03/21/2026
Year
Revenue
Expenses
Other Gains/Charges
Total Comprehensive Income
2017
+£2,187,190 (+$2,918,769)
-£2,144,323 (-$2,861,566)
+£4,156 (+$5,546)
+£47,023 (+$62,758)
2018
+£2,329,762 (+$3,109,324)
-£2,334,434 (-$3,115,562)
+£5,362 (+$7,155)
+£690 (+$921)
2019
+£2,576,214 (+$3,438,843)
-£2,566,529 (-$3,425,921)
+£527 (+$703)
+£10,212 (+$13,627)
2020
+£1,668,010 (+$2,225,869)
-£1,787,129 (-$2,384,874)
+£98,450 (+$131,393)
-£25,014 (-$33,389)
2021
+£2,264,382 (+$3,021,982)
-£2,361,196 (-$3,151,259)
+£98,670 (+$131,646)
-£1,856 (-$2,477)
Note: Other Gains/Charges includes interest and furlough (government bailout due to COVID)
Year
Total Assets
Total Liabilities
Net Assets/Reserves
2022
+£663,300 (+$885,137)
-£205,493 (-$274,369)
+£457,807 (+$611,143)
2023
+£801,789 (+$1,070,227)
-£749,755 (-$1,000,522)
+£52,034 (+$69,435)
2024
+£338,519 (+$451,878)
-£261,054 (-$348,391)
+£77,465 (+$103,388)
After 2022, Cricket Scotland stopped releasing detailed Profit & Loss statements and only Total Assets/Net Reserves. Hence, the sharp drop from +£457,807 to +£52,034 in 2023 is largely unexplained.
Excerpt from Cricket Monthly
“In 2021, Cricket Scotland was in a secure enough place to think about applying for Full Member (FM) status at the ICC. The criteria for applications had changed and the status was no longer explicitly linked to playing multi-day cricket…By mid-2022 discussions were ongoing with the ICC about the application…Barely a year later Cricket Scotland is in meltdown, any aspirations of FM status blown to dust.”
-Osman Samiuddin, ESPNCricinfo
Interesting Observations
In 2023, Cricket Scotland announced its first-ever women’s professional contracts, with nine players signing, a landmark moment for the women’s game in Scotland. In 2024, Scotland qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time.
Cricket Scotland’s 2024-28 Strategy commits to equitable pay across men’s and women’s teams by 2028.
Scotland’s last minute participation in the 2026 T20 WC at the expense of Bangladesh may boost Scotland’s revenue by $1 million this year.
There are more than 130 cricket clubs in Scotland.
Bottom Line: Italy’s funding comes from two major sources: the ICC and government grants. A net loss year in 2024 has wiped out gains from the previous few years. Qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup and win against Nepal will boost both ICC funding and awareness for the sport at home.
Federazione Cricket Italiana (FCRI) Annual Net-Equity (Reserves)
2020:+€232,470 (+$269,068)
2021:+€70,089 (+$81,093)
2022:+€135,531 (+$156,819)
2023:+€138,812 (+$160,626)
2024:+ €75,670 (+$87,550)
FCRI Revenue and Expenses
Year
Revenue
Operating Cost
Other Charges
Total Comprehensive Income
2021
+€642,094 (+$742,903)
-€793,573 (-$917,964)
-€11,003 (-$12,730)
-€162,382 (-$187,876)
2022
+€1,056,194 (+$1,222,017)
-€965,120 (-$1,116,644)
-€25,632 (-$29,656)
+€65,442 (+$75,726)
2023
+€1,240,749 (+$1,435,547)
-€1,198,564 (-$1,386,638)
-€38,904 (-$45,012)
+€3,280 (+$3,795)
2024
+€1,839,882 (+$2,128,733)
-€1,902,559 (-$2,201,261)
-€486 (-$562)
-€63,141 (-$73,054)
2025
~+€1,841,706 (+$2,130,895)
~-€1,761,712 (-$2,038,453)
~+€66,334 (+$76,749)
Note: The data for 2025 is from FCRI’s budget, while the others (2021-24) are actual financial statements after year end.
FCRI Revenue Breakdown
Year
ICC Contributions
CONI / Sport&Salute
Member Fees & Fines
Intl Event Revenue
Other Income
2021
€273,476 (42.6%)
€183,154 (28.5%)
€61,603 (9.6%)
€99,634 (15.5%)
€24,227 (3.8%)
2022
€440,000 (41.7%)
€413,194 (39.1%)
€113,111 (10.7%)
€77,175 (7.3%)
€12,714 (1.2%)
2023
€451,099 (36.4%)
€380,176 (30.6%)
€116,673 (9.4%)
€282,913 (22.8%)
€9,889 (0.8%)
2024
€1,175,600 (63.9%)
€118,000 (6.4%)
~€75,000 (4.1%)
~€459,000 (24.9%)
~€12,000 (0.7%)
CONI (Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano) is Italy’s National Olympic Committee, while Sport & Salute is a government owned company.
Brazil: In 2020, Brazil offered 14 central contracts to the women team before men, first Associate nation to do so. Programme grew from 26 orphanage children in 2009 to 5000 kids across 50 schools. Two ICC Americas development awards in 2024.
Bottom Line: Although Canada has diversified revenue with the T20, has growing reserves, and featured back-to-back Men’s T20 World Cup appearances, governance issues have held them back: Their CEO was fired, player salaries frozen, GT20 contract terminated, and match-fixing allegations emerged.
he money is there. The question is whether the institution can be trusted to use it well.
Cricket Canada Reserves
2019:+CAD $983,833 (+$717,804 USD)
2020:+$1,821,276 (+$1,329,203)
2021:+$2,467,488 (+$1,800,865)
2022: +$2,177,793 (+$1,589,368)
2023:+$2,967,330 (+$2,165,433)
2024:+$4,628,667 (+$3,378,756)
Year
Revenue
Operating Cost
Total Comprehensive Income
2021
+$1,605,116 CAD (+$1,171,093 USD)
-$958,904 CAD (-$699,749 USD)
+$646,212 CAD (+$471,517 USD)
2022
$1,876,730 (+$1,369,167)
-$2,166,425 (-$1,580,696)
–$289,695 (-$211,415)
2023
$3,176,869 (+$2,317,839)
-$2,387,332 (-$1,741,698)
$789,537 (+$576,141)
2024
$5,702,483 (+$4,160,692)
-$4,041,146 (-$2,948,580)
$1,661,337 (+$1,212,111)
Cricket Canada Revenue Breakdown
Year
ICC Contribution
GT20 (Bombay Sports)
Sponsorship (Boundaries North)
Sports Canada
Other*
2021
$935,241 CAD (58.3%)
$421,000 CAD (26.2%)
$129,500 CAD (8.1%)
$119,375 CAD (7.4%)
2022
$1,488,112 (79.3%)
$29,361 (1.6%)
$104,550 (5.6%)
$254,707 (13.6%)
2023
$1,393,783 (43.9%)
$1,030,470 (32.4%)
$345,990 (10.9%)
$100,740 (3.2%)
$305,886 (9.6%)
2024
$3,637,766 (63.8%)
$1,184,838 (20.8%)
$336,667 (5.9%)
$80,000 (1.4%)
$463,212 (8.1%)
Other* includes interest income, provincial dues, grant revenue, and miscellaneous.
The men’s team have qualified for back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2024 & 2026, but the women team is far behind, failing to qualify for the Global Qualifier in 2025.
Bottom Line: New stadiums, hosting a successful home World Cup, victory against Pakistan, LA2028 on the horizon, qualifying for two back-to-back World Cups, and hosting a stable franchise league signalled that things were on the right track. However, with the ACE contract falling through, ICC’s suspension of USA cricket, Aaron Jones’ corruption charges, cricket in America is failing to overcome its major bottleneck: governance.
Reserves
2018:-$12,082
2019:-$119,463
2020:+$878,336
2021:-$639,867
2022:-$783,330
2023:-$126,016
2024:+$437,749
*Note: USA Cricket filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 1, 2025, meaning the surplus from the 2024 T20 World Cup and MLC ventures did not translate into organizational stability.
Revenues and Expenses
Year
Revenue
Operating Cost
Total Comprehensive Income
2019
+$4,059,233
-$4,166,614
-$107,381
2020
+$2,998,852
-$2,001,053
+$997,799
2021
+$2,634,159
-$4,152,362
-$1,518,203
2022
+$3,257,437
-$3,400,900
-$143,463
2023
+$3,228,689
-$2,571,375
+$657,314
2024*
+$5,651,835
-$5,531,070
+$120,765
USA Cricket Revenue Breakdown
Year
ICC Contributions
ACE Contract
Domestic (Events & Membership)
Sponsorship
Other
2019
$2,361,537 (58.2%)
$1,525,240 (37.6%)
$13,120 (0.3%)
$10,000 (0.2%)
$149,336 (3.7%)
2020
$1,449,456 (48.3%)
$1,439,800 (48.0%)
$182 (0.0%)
$5,000 (0.2%)
$104,414 (3.5%)
2021
$1,528,254 (58.0%)
$826,241 (31.4%)
$157,553 (6.0%)
$60,000 (2.3%)
$62,111 (2.4%)
2022
$2,056,036 (63.1%)
$422,000 (12.9%)
$313,303 (9.6%)
$316,959 (9.7%)
$149,139 (4.6%)
2023
$1,793,062 (55.5%)
$439,297 (13.6%)
$828,122 (25.6%)
$102,300 (3.2%)
$65,908 (2.0%)
2024
$4,392,619 (77.7%)
—
$1,219,005 (21.6%)
—
$40,211 (0.7%)
Highlights
$500,000 was invested in women’s cricket tournaments across ages which included 338 players across 24 teams.
USA cricket membership grew 30% year-over-year to about 22,100 paid members in 2024.
Players protested, and the board terminated 11 contracts. Since Oman residency is based on employment, this resulted in several players being forced to leave the country.
Kenya
At the peak of its powers, Kenya reached the 2003 ODI World Cup semi-final, defeating Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe on the way.
In the early 2000s, Kenya used to give central contracts with as many as 13 contracted players in 2011.
Kenyan players went on strike after 2003 due to unpaid wages, did not play an ODI for 18 months, and the former Kenya Cricket Association was dissolved (replaced by Cricket Kenya).
By 2014, Kenya had lost its ODI status. In 2018, they were relegated to Division III of the World Cricket League (WCL) and were suspended in 2019.
In 2014, PNG started offering 16 central contracts for their men’s team.
PNG lost its ODI status in 2023, which meant an $800,000 ICC funding loss till 2028. Women’s programme is expected to lose $428,000.
However, by that time, PNG had already hired two international coaches and setup overseas prep camps. This resulted in tensions with the players demanding the removal of the CEO.
The game is still growing in the region with the number of junior hardball competitions increasing from about 20 teams in 2022 to upwards of 165 teams in 2023.
IV. The Next Wave: The Associates Still Finding Their Feet
These nations are almost entirely ICC-dependent and have no central contracts.
American Prospects
Argentina: Oldest cricket nation in the Americas, first match in 1868 (If not for the British commonwealth elitism, they could have been a Test nation). Two full-time staff, ~34 clubs, ICC funding is the primary source. Women’s Flamingos have won 5 of the 6 South American Championships and are the stronger program.
Bermuda: Surplus of about ~$344,000 with total assets about $958,000 and $614,000 in liabilities. They earned a revenue of $1.38 Million in 2023, but with a total net loss of $190,000. 13 clubs, ICC funding ($675,000) and government grants ($259,000) are primary sources of funding. Dwayne Bravo helping out in dreams of Bermuda qualifying for the 2028 T20 World Cup.
Tanzania: Tanzania’s participation grew from 40,000 in 2022 to 73,300 in 2024 with 10 academies across the country. The country qualified for the U-19 World Cup for the first time in 2025.
Jersey: 405 males players across 56 teams, 3787 school participants, 200% growth in female players. No professional contracts. Defeated Scotland in a famous T20 World Cup qualifier win, but failed to qualify on NRR.
Germany: The DCB targets 15,000 regular cricketers, 32 women’s hardball teams, a 300% increase in sponsor revenue, and a push for full DOSB (German Olympic Sports Confederation) membership, which would unlock public funding.
Spain and Denmark (qualified for the 1993 and 1997 Women’s World Cups) are also prospects but were left out of this analysis.
Thailand (women): The women’s team ranked as high as 10th in T20s and won gold at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games. No central contracts, men’s game not up to the mark. Low government funding does not help either.
Japan: Japan has zero central contracts or professional cricketers, yet still qualified for the U-19 2026 World Cup. A permanent cricket ground is being built in Nagoya. Cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Olympics has triggered Japan’s elevation to JOC first tier membership, meaning government-funded part-time staff — a doctor, coach, and trainer — will support the national programme for the first time.
Hong Kong: Regularly qualify for the Asia Cup with reasonable domestic infrastructure and expatriate cricket population. Player emigration/relocation holds them back to go to the next stage.
Fiji: One of the original Associate nations in 1965 and with a history of cricket in the early 1900s, cricket has not developed professionally in the country since. They reached the semi-finals of the first ACC in 1996 and hosted the South Pacific Games in 2003.
Samoa: Ross Taylor’s return raised Samoa’s profile in the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifier. They reached the Super Six of the Asia-EAP Regional Final, but did not make the Top 3 cut. They have a strong women’s programme as well.
Expanding the T20 World Cup to 20 teams was the right call by the ICC. But if the ICC genuinely dreams of building a 32-team competition that rivals the FIFA World Cup, it cannot afford to let its Associates survive on goodwill alone. Most are one bad financial year away from complete collapse.
So what is the fix?
The ICC should increase Associate funding so each Associate board (especially top-tiered nations) can guarantee 15 men and 15 women a full-time contract, indexed to the living wage in that country. The ICC already has the data and the resources. It just needs to be directly more deliberately.
The 2026 World Cup proved Associate cricket belongs on the global stage. The question is whether the ICC’s wallet will match its ambition.
Today, I am going to take on a monumental task. I will attempt to rank 150 years of Australian cricketers across formats and eras.
Six ODI World Cups, a World Test Championship, a T20 World Cup, 30 ICC Hall of Famers, and decades of Ashes dominance, and that’s just scratching the surface.
This is going to spark some serious debate. Let’s get started.
Key Takeaways
Sir Donald Bradman tops the list of the greatest Australian cricketer of all-time. Following up close behind are Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Steve Smith, Adam Gilchrist, Mitchell Starc, and Keith Miller.
The list of 78 features the following-mix: 32 specialist batters, 20 fast bowlers, 10 all-rounders, 8 wicketkeepers, and8 spinners.
Era-wise, the list includes 33 players who featured after the year 2000, 26 players from the 1950–1990 era, and 19 pioneers from 1877 to 1950.
Usman Khawaja has just retired, Mitchell Starc has had an all-timer of an Ashes series, and Travis Head has produced some of the great match-winning innings of all time. It is the perfect time to re-evaluate where they stand in history.
The goal is that the list contains all the contenders for the greatest Australian fast bowlers, spinners, keepers, and batters.
Using the same framework that I used to rank England’s greatest 65 cricketers, I evaluated every player on a 100-point scale. The score is heavily weighted toward Career Stats, Match-Winning Performances, and Big Stage Impact (20 points each), with the remainder split between Longevity, Versatility, Leadership, and Era-specific adjustments to ensure a fair fight between the 1890s and the 2020s.
In the event of a tie, the player with more Test matches is ranked higher.
Top 78 Greatest Australian Cricketers of All-Time (Ranked)
Honorable Mentions
Over 130 Australian cricketers were considered for this list. While I initially aimed to include every Wisden Cricketer of the Year or World Cup hero, the list became stretched out. Below are some impactful players that missed out.
Honorable Mentions: Norm O’Neill, Bert Ironmonger, Ted McDonald, Syd Gregory, Adam Voges, Billy Murdoch, Joe Darling, George Bailey, Tom Moody, Rick McCosker, Herbie Collins, Ian Redpath, Colin Miller, Darren Lehmann, Kim Hughes, Geoff Lawson, Jack Ryder, Chris Rogers, Phil Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Slater, Terry Alderman, Matthew Wade, Marcus Stoinis, Ian Harvey, Keith Stackpole, Peter Burge, Gil Langley, Jim Burke, George Tribe, Bruce Dooland, Bill Brown, Jack Fingleton, Alan Fairfax, Sid Barnes, Johnny Mullagh (“The WG Grace of Aboriginal cricketers”)
World Cup Heroes & Players with Brief Peaks That Missed Out:
Charles Bannerman: Scored 67% of the runs in the first ever Test when he scored 165*
Gary Gilmour: Most Wickets in the 1975 ODI WC (11)
Alan Turner: Most Runs for Australia in the 1975 ODI WC, 5th most overall
Damien Fleming: Joint 3rd Highest Wicket Taker in 1996 WC
Ryan Harris: Took 113 wickets in a short 6-year career including a delivery we will never forget: Ryan Harris to Alastair Cook. If only the knee would have persisted.
Zampa, why is Zampa in the list? It is because he is Australia’s highest T20I wicket-taker by a fair distance. Made an impact in both the 2021 T20 WC and 2023 ODI WC campaigns. Underrated.
Role: Leg Spinner
Domestic Teams: South Australia, New South Wales
Matches: 99 (ODIs), 87 (T20Is)
Wickets: 169 (ODIs), 105 (T20Is)
Bowling Average: 28.05 (ODIs), 22.46 (T20Is)
5-Wicket Hauls: 1/1 (ODIs/T20Is)
Player of Match Awards: 12
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: 2nd Most Wickets in 2021 T20 WC (13); 2nd Most Wickets in 2023 ODI WC (23)
Arguably the most technically perfect wicketkeeper in Australian history. Even 80 years after his retirement, he holds the record of most stumpings in Test cricket of all-time. Before his cricket career, he was a corporal during WWI and almost died.
Role: Wicketkeeper
Domestic Team: New South Wales
Matches: 54 (Tests), 245 (FC)
Runs: 1427 (Tests), 6135 (FC)
Hundreds: 0/6
Average: 22.65 (Tests), 23.77 (FC)
Catches/Stumpings: 78/52 (Tests), 399/263 (FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
Notable Achievements: Most stumpings in Test cricket
Not many cricketers get the honor to take hat-tricks on their birthday. Mostly a 3rd seamer in the attack, Siddle still broke the 200-Test wicket mark. His energy on the cricket field was unmatched.
Although he played 9 Tests (8 for Australia, 1 for England), he has the second best bowling strike rate (37.73) and average (12.70) of all-time behind England’s George Lohmann.
Role: Left Arm Swing
Domestic Team: New South Wales
Matches: 9 (Tests), 198 (FC)
Wickets: 61 (Tests), 812 (FC)
Bowling Average: 12.70 (Tests), 17.54 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 6/63 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Best bowling strike rate and average for an Australian bowler; Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1889)
Known as “The Voice” for his constant chatter, Grout was a livewire wicketkeeper whose “grizzling” grit and sharp reflexes made him the heart of Australia’s golden era under Richie Benaud. Grout once refused to run-out Titmus since he had slipped while running between the wickets. In his Wisden obituary, Bob Simpson mentioned, ‘He was the greatest wicket-keeper I ever saw.’
Role: Wicketkeeper
Domestic Teams: Queensland
Matches: 51 (Tests), 100 (FC)
Runs: 890 (Tests), 2824 (FC)
Average: 15.08 (Tests), 23.93 (FC)
Catches/Stumpings: 163/24 (Tests), 473/114 (FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Australia did not lose a Test series while he played
65. Graham ‘Garth’ McKenzie (1961-1971) — 67 Points
Between Alan Davidson and Dennis Lillee, there was Garth McKenzie who flew Australia’s fast bowling flag high.Played his last Test at the age of 29 for a County contract, falling two short of Richie Benaud’s 248 Test wickets, Australia’s record at that time.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: Western Australia, Leicestershire
Matches: 60 (Tests), 383 (FC)
Wickets: 246 (Tests), 1219 (FC)
Bowling Average: 29.78 (Tests), 26.96 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 16/49 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
Notable Achievements: Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame, Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1965)
He was a great fast bowler and had a beautiful action. Part of the one of the finest bowling line ups in world cricket. However, he will go down in cricket history as the man who scored 201* after being sent in as a night watchman.
Did Khawaja live up to his potential? Maybe, maybe not. But he was an important Australian cricketer, both on and off the field. In a tough era for opening batters, he became one of the standouts. Will forever be remember for his 9-hour marathon in Dubaito save a Test. The man of many comebacks.
The “Unshakeable” captain during the Bodyline series who led with immense moral courage and technical grit against the most controversial tactics in history. Known as ‘The Rock’ for his temperament. Died while playing golf.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: Victoria
Matches: 35 (Tests), 174 (FC)
Runs: 2300 (Tests), 13388 (FC)
Average: 46.00 (Tests), 64.99 (FC)
Hundreds: 7/49 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1927); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; 7th highest FC average of all-time
A pioneer in T20 cricket. Led Australia to their first T20 World Cup victory, a format where Australia had languished behind the rest of the world for 15 years.
Role: Top Order Batter; Part-Time Left Arm Spinner
Notable Achievements: Has highest scores of 172 and 156 in T20Is; 11th most career T20I runs; 3rd Most matches as captain in T20Is; 2nd Most runs in T20I for Australia
Does Maxwell even deserve to be in this list? Known for his X-factor and innovation, he had a rather up and down career. But when he did deliver, he was second to none. It all came together in the 2023 ODI World Cup against Afghanistan, when he produced the greatest World Cup innings of all-time. On one-leg.
After years of disappointing the Australian public, he finally lived up to his potential during the 2021 World Cup Final. On his best days, Mitchell Marsh is a true match-winner. A funny bloke too.
World Cup Winner? ✅✅✅ (2015 ODI, 2023 ODI, 2021 T20)
Captained Australia? ✅ (T20Is)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Allan Border Medal (2024); Player of the Match – 2021 WC Final; Best of 177* from #5 in ODIs
Career Stats (20)
Match-Winning (20)
Big Stage Impact (20)
Longevity (15)
Versatility (10)
Accolades (10)
Leadership (5)
Era Bonus (5)
Fielding Bonus (3)
100-Test Bonus (2)
Total
10
15
15
14
8
4
4
0
0
0
70
57. Bill Ponsford (1924-1934) — 71 Points
If Bradman was Mozart, then Ponsford was Salieri. Apart from Brian Lara, only Ponsford has the distinction of two quadruple first-class centuries with 429 & 437.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: Victoria
Matches: 29 (Tests), 162 (FC)
Runs: 2122 (Tests), 13819 (FC)
Average: 48.22 (Tests), 65.18 (FC)
Hundreds: 7/47 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1927), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1935); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; 6th highest FC average of all-time
One of the greatest left-handed Test batters Australia produced, Morris combined technical brilliance with a calm temperament to become one of the game’s most respected run-getters. Averaged 53.78 away compared to 41.18 at home.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 46 (Tests), 162 (FC)
Runs: 3533 (Tests), 12614 (FC)
Average: 46.48 (Tests), 53.67 (FC)
Hundreds: 12/46 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ✅ (2 Matches)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1949); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame
McDermott was the premier strike bowler of the late 80s and early 90s, renowned for his rhythmic, textbook action and lethal outswing. His pivotal role in the 1987 WC and 1990-91 Ashes cemented his place as an elite quick bowler of the era.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: Queensland
Matches: 71 (Tests), 138 (ODIs)
Wickets: 291 (Tests), 203 (ODIs)
Bowling Average: 28.63 (Tests), 24.71 (ODIs)
5-Wicket Hauls: 14/1 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 8
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ✅ (1987)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Most Wickets in the 1987 ODI World Cup (18); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
An immovable opening batter who specialized in blunting the world’s fastest attacks, Lawry’s legendary defensive grit and stoic leadership provided the backbone of Australia’s top order for a decade before he became the iconic voice of the summer. Averaged 47 as a Test opener.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: Victoria
Matches: 67 (Tests), 1 (ODIs), 249 (FC)
Runs: 5234 (Tests), 27 (ODIs), 18734 (FC)
Average: 47.15 (Tests), 27.00 (ODIs), 50.90 (FC)
Hundreds: 13/50 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1962); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
With 46 fifties and 67 not-outs, Michael Bevan was the original “Finisher” who turned the art of the ODI chase into a cold, calculated science. With nerves of steel and an unmatched ability to find the gaps, he consistently pulled off miracles when victory seemed impossible.
Role: Middle Order Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, Tasmania
Matches: 18 (Tests), 232 (ODIs)
Runs: 785 (Tests), 6912 (ODIs)
Average: 29.07 (Tests), 53.58 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 0/6 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 13
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ✅✅ (1999, 2003)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of the 5000 ODI runs and 50 dismissals club; 8th highest ODI career average (53.58) and highest of any player in his era
Gritty heart of Australia’s 80s and 90s resurgence, famously immovable at both the crease and short leg. Allegedly had 52 cans of beer on a flight from Australia to England.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Team: Tasmania
Matches: 107 (Tests), 181 (ODIs)
Runs: 7422 (Tests), 5964 (ODIs)
Average: 43.65 (Tests), 37.04 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 21/5 (Tests/ODIs)
Captained Australia? ❌
Player of Match Awards: 15
Player of Series Awards: 5
World Cup Winner? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achivements: Player of the Match in the 1987 WC Final; 2nd Highest Run-Scorer in the 1987 ODI World Cup (highest for Australia); 4th Highest Run-Scorer of 1992 WC (Highest for Australia), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1994); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
The “Grace of Australia” and the nation’s first true colossus of the game. As a giant all-rounder who could carry an entire team, he was the foundational superstar of the late 19th century.
Role: All-Rounder
Domestic Teams: South Australia
Matches: 31 (Tests), 251 (FC)
Runs: 1238 (Tests), 11758 (FC)
Average: 23.35 (Tests), 29.54 (FC)
Wickets: 103 (Tests), 1023 (FC)
Bowling Average: 27.09 (Tests), 21.31 (FC)
Captained Australia? ✅ (4 Matches)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: The first Australian to achieve the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in Test cricket
The fastest and most frightening bowler of his generation. With a unique slinging action and a “sand-shoe crushing” delivery, he provided the terrifying edge to Australia’s 1970s resurgence.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, Queensland
Matches: 51 (Tests), 50 (ODIs)
Wickets: 200 (Tests), 55 (ODIs)
Bowling Average: 28.00 (Tests), 35.30 (ODIs)
5-Wicket Hauls: 8/0 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 1
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner up 1975)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1974); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
“Tubby,” the tactical visionary who inherited the captaincy from Allan Border and built the foundation for Australia’s decade of dominance. A masterful opening batter and slip fielder, his record-equaling 334* in Peshawar remains a monument to his endurance and class.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 104 (Tests), 113 (ODIs)
Runs: 7525 (Tests), 3514 (ODIs)
Average: 43.49 (Tests), 32.23 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 19/1 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 11
Player of Series Awards: 2
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner up 1996)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1990); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
43. Charles ‘Terror’ Turner (1887-1895) — 77 Points
One of the best fast bowlers of his generation, forming a formidable pair with JJ Ferris. Went past Fred Spofforth’s record of 94 wickets. He holds the best bowling average of all-time for an Australian bowler with at least 50 wickets.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 17 (Tests), 155 (FC)
Wickets: 101 (Tests), 993 (FC)
Bowling Average: 16.53 (Tests), 14.25 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 11/102 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
Notable Achievements: Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; First Australian bowler to reach 100 Test wickets
If Gilchrist and Hayden don’t get you, Ponting well. If Ponting doesn’t, Damien Martyn or Clarke will. If all fails, there is still the X-factor, Andrew Symonds, to change the game. His 2003 World Cup heroics remains the gold standard for middle-order dominance. One of the best fielders of the game. Unfortunately passed away at the young age of 46.
The “Iron Glove” who set the gold standard for Australian wicketkeeping and defined the “caught Marsh, bowled Lillee” era. A combative lower-order batter, his aggressive style and tactical sharp mind made him the heartbeat of the 1970s team.
Role: Wicketkeeper Batter
Domestic Teams: Western Australia
Matches: 96 (Tests), 92 (ODIs)
Runs: 3633 (Tests), 1225 (ODIs)
Average: 26.51 (Tests), 20.08 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 3/0 (Tests/ODIs)
Catches/Stumpings: 355/12 (Tests), 120/4 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 3
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner up 1975)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1982); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame
A tall, deceptive off-spinner with Trumble remains the only player in Test history to take two separate hat-tricks against England.
Role: Off Spinner
Domestic Teams: Victoria
Matches: 32 (Tests), 218 (FC)
Wickets: 141 (Tests), 929 (FC)
Bowling Average: 21.78 (Tests), 18.44 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 9/69 (Test/FC)
Runs: 851 (Tests), 5395 (FC)
Average: 19.79 (Tests), 20.35 (FC)
Captained Australia? ✅ (2 Matches)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: First player to take two hat-tricks; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Held the record for most Test wickets at the time of his retirement
Stan McCabe was the artist that even the Don admired. A counterattacking genius of the 1930s. McCabe’s 187 in the Bodyline series is considered one of cricket’s great knocks.
Role: Middle Order Batter, Part-time Medium Pacer
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 39 (Tests), 182 (FC)
Runs: 2748 (Tests), 11951 (FC)
Average: 48.21 (Tests), 49.39 (FC)
Hundreds: 6/29 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1935), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1935); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame
The man who redefined modern wicketkeeping with his clinical skill and vocal leadership, serving as the vital anchor of the Warne and McGrath era.
Role: Wicketkeeper Batter
Domestic Teams: Queensland
Matches: 119 (Tests), 168 (ODIs)
Runs: 4356 (Tests), 1764 (ODIs)
Average: 27.39 (Tests), 21.00 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 4/0 (Tests/ODIs)
Catches/Stumpings: 366/29 (Tests), 194/39 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 4
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner up 1996)
Captained Australia? ✅ (8 ODIs)
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1994); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; 3rd Most Catches & dismissals in Test career; Most Stumpings in an ODI innings (3)
The uncompromising captain who transformed Australia into a ruthless, aggressive powerhouse during the 1970s. A courageous top-order batter, his “win-at-all-costs” mentality defined the modern Australian cricketing identity.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: South Australia
Matches: 75 (Tests), 16 (ODIs)
Runs: 5345 (Tests), 673 (ODIs)
Average: 42.42 (Tests), 48.07 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 14/0 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 3
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner up 1975)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1976); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame
Famous for his 150 kph+ rivalries with Shoaib Akhtar and battles against Sachin Tendulkar, Brett Lee was one of Australia’s most prolific and beloved all-format strike bowlers. Loved his bowling action and trademark chainsaw celebration.
Notable Achievements: 2nd Most Wickets in 2003 ODI WC (22); Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2006); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; 4th Highest wicket-taker for Australia across formats
Travis Head is getting in the habit of silencing crowds around the world. He has breached the Trifecta with match-winning performances in World Cup Finals, World Test Championship Final, and the Ashes.
Notable Achievements: Allan Border Medal (2025); Player of the Match – 2023 ODI World Cup Final; Player of the Match – 2023 WTC Final; 3rd Most runs in 2024 T20 WC
Notable Achievements: ICC Cricketer of the Year (2014); Allan Border Medal (2014); Took 59 wickets at 15.23 vs South Africa and England in 2013/14; Best of 123* in Tests
With Australia’s dominant batting line up of the 2000s, Hussey was a late bloomer. Once he broke in though, he was too good to ignore. He single-handedly took Australia to the 2010 T20 WC finals with that knock against Pakistan and Saeed Ajmal. Mr. Cricket for a reason.
The quintessential left-hander of the Golden Age, Hill was a prolific run-scorer and was regarded for his fielding as well. Once had a run of 99, 98, and 97 against England.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: South Australia
Matches: 49 (Tests), 252 (FC)
Runs: 3412 (Tests), 17213 (FC)
Average: 39.21 (Tests), 43.57 (FC)
Hundreds: 7/45 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Held the record for the most runs in Tests for Australia for over 40 years; Scored 6274 runs at 5.228 in Sheffield Shield, record until Bradman broke it; First batter to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year
A powerful all-format force who won two Allan Border Medals and remains statistically Australia’s most dominant white-ball all-rounder of the 21st century. A big tournament player and reinvented himself as a Test opener in 2009. A pioneer in the T20 franchise circuit as well.
Notable Achievements: Allan Border Medal (2010, 2011); Player of the Series – 2012 T20 WC; Most runs in 2012 T20 WC; 2nd Most runs in 2009 Champions Trophy
28. Alan ‘The Claw’ Davidson (1953-1963) — 82 Points
The premier left-arm spearhead of the mid-century, renowned for his devastating swing and pinpoint accuracy. He was a genuine all-rounder who famously dominated the 1960 Tied Test with 5/135 & 6/87.
Role: All-Rounder
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 44 (Tests), 193 (FC)
Wickets: 186 (Tests), 672 (FC)
Bowling Average: 20.53 (Tests), 20.90 (FC)
Runs: 1328 (Tests), 6804 (FC)
Batting Average: 24.59 (Tests), 32.86 (FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1961), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1962); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; First man to score 100 runs and take 10 wickets in a Test
The ultimate professional who dragged Australian cricket into the modern era through technical discipline and relentless slip-fielding. A gritty opening batter and a visionary coach, his influence on the baggy green’s culture is immeasurable.
Role: All-Rounder (Top Order Batter / Leg Spinner)
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, Western Australia
Matches: 62 (Tests), 2 (ODIs), 257 (FC)
Runs: 4869 (Tests), 34 (ODIs), 21029 (FC)
Average: 46.81 (Tests), 17.00 (ODIs), 56.22 (FC)
Hundreds: 10/60 (Tests/FC)
Wickets: 71 (Tests), 2 (ODIs), 349 (FC)
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1965); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
The “Junior” of the twins and perhaps the most effortless stroke-maker to ever wear the baggy green. Known for his “silky” elegance and world-class slip catching, he turned batting into an art form, making even the most difficult centuries look like a casual Sunday stroll.
Role: Middle Order Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 128 (Tests), 244 (ODIs)
Runs: 8029 (Tests), 8500 (ODIs)
Average: 41.81 (Tests), 39.35 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 20/18 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 26
Player of Series Awards: 0
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 2nd Highest Scorer of 1996 WC – 484 Runs (Highest for Australia); Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1991); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
Career Stats (20)
Match-Winning (20)
Big Stage Impact (20)
Longevity (15)
Versatility (10)
Accolades (10)
Leadership (5)
Era Bonus (5)
Fielding Bonus (3)
100-Test Bonus (2)
Total
18
14
15
14
6
6
1
3
3
2
8
11-25: The Hall of Famers
These are the giants who would be the first names on the team sheet in any era of history. Consistent, dominant, and feared worldwide. The standard bearers of Australian excellence.
25. Fred ‘The Demon’ Spofforth (1877-1887) — 83 Points
In chase of 85, England collapsed from 51/2 to 77 all-out due to Spofforth’s spell of 7/44. And that was the birth of the Ashes.One of the pioneers of fast bowling in early Test cricket.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, Victoria
Matches: 18 (Tests), 118 (FC)
Wickets: 94 (Tests), 853 (FC)
Bowling Average: 18.41 (Tests), 13.55 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 7 (Tests), 79 (FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Was in the running for the Six Giants of the Wisden Century, but did not make the final cut; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; First bowler to take a Test hat-trick; First bowler to take 50 Test wickets
Known as “The Governor-General,” he was the most audacious and destructive batter of the 1920s.
Role: Batting All-rounder (Right-hand bat, Slow left-arm orthodox)
Domestic Team: New South Wales
Matches: 35 (Tests), 170 (FC)
Runs: 2131 (Tests), 15019 (FC)
Average: 41.78 (Tests), 45.78 (FC)
Hundreds: 7/49 (Test/FC)
Wickets: 45 (Tests), 419 (FC)
Bowling Average: 27.55 (Tests), 20.91 (FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1921, 1926), Was in the running for the Six Giants of the Wisden Century, but did not make the final cut; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame
A dazzling left-handed stroke-maker and the finest Australian batsman of the 1950s. His superb footwork and youthful flair made him the vital link between the Bradman era and the modern age. Also known for his athletic fielding.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: Victoria, New South Wales
Matches: 79 (Tests), 306 (FC)
Runs: 6149 (Tests), 21699 (FC)
Average: 48.41 (Tests), 50.93 (FC)
Hundreds: 21/67
Captained Australia? ✅ (1 Match)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1954); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Scored 6 hundreds in first 13 Test innings; 2nd Highest Test hundred maker and run scorer at the time of his retirement
The greatest off-spinner Australia ever produced. A constant workhorse supporting the line of fast-bowlers. His famed battles with Pujara will be remembered. He can bat a bit down the order as well.
Role: Off Spinner
Domestic Teams:
Matches: 141 (Tests), 29 (ODIs), 2 (T20Is)
Wickets: 567 (Tests), 29 (ODIs), 1 (T20Is)
5-Wicket Hauls: 24/0
Bowling Average: 30.15 (Tests), 46.00 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 6
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ❌
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 5th Most Balls bowled in a career (34832); 2nd Highest Wicket-Taker for Australia of All-Time
When he passed away at the age of 37, 250,000 people came to pay their respects. That was the stature of Victor Trumper, the most stylish player of cricket’s Golden Age. Although his stats may not be Bradman-esque, he played in the era of sticky wickets. He changed the perception of old school batting and and once hit a Test century before lunch on Day 1.
Role:
Domestic Team: New South Wales
Matches: 48 (Tests), 255 (FC)
Runs: 3163 (Tests), 16939 (FC)
Average: 39.04 (Tests), 44.57 (FC)
Hundreds: 8/42 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1902), Named one of the Six Giants of the Wisden Century; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame
The technical benchmark of his era, Chappell was the standard for aesthetic perfection and ruthless run-scoring in the 1970s.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: South Australia, Queensland
Matches: 87 (Tests), 74 (ODIs)
Runs: 7110 (Tests), 2331 (ODIs)
Average: 53.86 (Tests), 40.18 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 24/3 (Tests/ODIs)
Wickets: 47 (Tests), 72 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 16
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner up 1975)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1979), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1973); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Scored 100s in his first and last game; Selected in Australia’s Team of the Century
Don Bradman once said, “Bill O’Reilly was the greatest bowler he ever faced.”
Role: Leg Spinner
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 27 (Tests), 135 (FC)
Wickets: 144 (Tests), 774 (FC)
Bowling Average: 22.59 (Tests), 16.60 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 11/63 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1935); Was in the running for the Six Giants of the Wisden Century, but did not make the final cut; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Took 27 wickets in the Bodyline series; Selected as member of Australia’s Team of the Century
Was the leading bowler in the ‘Invincibles’ side, forming a legendary new-ball partnership with Keith Miller. One of the most perfect bowling actions, Lindwall ended as the first Australian fast bowler to reach the 200-wicket milestone.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, Queensland
Matches: 61 (Tests), 205 (FC)
Wickets: 228 (Tests), 794 (FC)
Bowling Average: 23.03 (Tests), 21.35 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 12/39 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ✅ (1 Match)
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1949); Was in the running for the Six Giants of the Wisden Century, but did not make the final cut; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Selected in Australia’s Team of the Century;
After losing six years of his early career to injury, Cummins returned to become the most consistent fast bowler of the modern era. His ability to maintain elite pace and accuracy across long spells is a testament to this physical and mental toughness. At 45.68, he has one of the best bowling strike rates for a modern-day fast bowler. Now a World Cup and WTC winning captain as well.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 72 (Tests), 90 (ODIs), 57 (T20Is)
Wickets: 315 (Tests), 143 (ODIs), 66 (T20Is)
5-Wicket Hauls: 14/1 (Tests/ODIs)
Bowling Average: 22.05 (Tests), 28.78 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 10
Player of Series Awards: 3
World Cup Winner? ✅✅✅
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌ (Not yet, at least)
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (2023), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2020); Allan Border Medal (2019)
16. Matthew ‘Haydos’ Hayden (1993-2009) — 87 Points
Hayden redefined the role of the modern opener. With 30 Test tons, two World Cup medals, a then-world record of 380 against Zimbabwe, he was the immovable rock of Australia’s greatest era. The 2001 India tour was one of the highlights of his career. Left a lasting image of walking down the track to quick bowlers.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: Queensland
Matches: 103 (Tests), 161 (ODIs)
Runs: 8625 (Tests), 6133 (ODIs)
Average: 50.73 (Tests), 43.80 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 30/10 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 19
Player of Series Awards: 6
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Most Runs in 2007 ODI WC (659); Most Runs in 2007 T20 WC (265); Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (2002); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Allan Border Medal (2002); Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Scored 1000+ Test runs in five consecutive years (2001-05)
A combative and revolutionary opener who conquered all three formats with sheer aggression. Despite the controversy and one-year ban, he was a bonafide match-winner, which included a Test match triple-century, a brilliant 2019 ODI WC and 2021 T20 WC campaigns. Ended as Australia’s 2nd highest run-getter across formats.
Notable Achievements: Player of the Series – 2021 T20 WC; Most Player of the Series Awards for Australia across formats; Allan Border Medal (2016, 2017, 2020); 2nd Most Hundreds in ODI World Cups (6); 6th Most Runs in ODI World Cups (1527); 2nd Most Runs in 2019 ODI WC (647)
From a ton on debut in Bangalore to the 2015 WC victory as captain, Clarke had a remarkable career. His 2012 remains one of the most dominant statistical peaks in the history of Test cricket.
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (2012), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2010); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Allan Border Medal (2005, 2009, 2012, 2013); ICC Cricketer of the Year (2013); Scored 1595 runs at 106.33 in 2012 with 5 hundreds. Followed it up with 1093 in 2013; Highest Individual Test Score for a #5 (329*); Member of the 2006 Champions Trophy, 2007 & 2015 WC squads; 134 catches in Tests and 106 in ODIs
The “Grand Old Man” of leg-spin and the mastermind who pioneered the flipper. As the first bowler in Test history to reach 200 wickets, he provided the tactical blueprint for every leg-spinner who followed. Once took 44 wickets in a series against South Africa.Formed one of the great spin partnerships with Bill O’Reilly.
Role: Leg Spinner
Domestic Teams: Victoria, South Australia
Matches: 37 (Tests), 248 (FC)
Wickets: 216 (Tests), 1424 (FC)
Bowling Average: 24.21 (Tests), 22.28 (FC)
5-Wicket Hauls: 21/127 (Test/FC)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1931); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Took 29 wickets in the 1930 series vs England; First Bowler to take 200 Test Wickets
One of the game’s greatest all-rounders. Was Australia’s captain during the famed tied Test against the West Indies in 1962. Later became the voice of cricket.
Role: All-Rounder (Leg Spinner)
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 63 (Tests), 259 (FC)
Wickets: 248 (Tests), 945 (FC)
Bowling Average: 27.03 (Tests), 24.37 (FC)
5-fers: 16/56 (Test/FC)
Runs: 2201 (Tests), 11719 (FC)
Average: 24.45 (Tests), 36.50 (FC)
Hundreds: 3/23
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1962); Member of ICC Hall of Fame; First player to complete the double of 200 wickets and 2000 Test runs
Lillee was a constant force in the 70s and 80s for Australian cricket. Retired with 355 Test wickets, the world record at that time.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams:
Matches: 70 (Tests), 63 (ODIs)
Wickets: 355 (Tests), 103 (ODIs)
5-Wicket Hauls: 23/1 (Tests/ODIs)
Bowling Average: 23.92 (Tests), 20.82 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 5
Player of Series Awards: 2
World Cup Winner? ❌ (Runner Up 1975)
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1972, 1977), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1973); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Selected as part of Australia’s Team of the 20th Century; Part of the 1975 WC runner-up team; Lillee-Marsh has the best fielder-bowler combination of 95 wickets
Career Stats (20)
Match-Winning (20)
Big Stage Impact (20)
Longevity (15)
Versatility (10)
Accolades (10)
Leadership (5)
Era Bonus (5)
Fielding Bonus (3)
100-Test Bonus (2)
Total
20
20
17
13
2
10
3
3
0
0
88
Top 10: The Immortals
And finally, the immortals. These players not only emerged as Australia’s greatest, but also redefined the very soul of cricket. Mythical aura, freakish statistics, they sit on a pedestal above the rest. Names that will be spoken of as long as cricket is played on this planet.
An Air Force pilot and Australia’s greatest all-rounder, Keith Miller will forever be remembered in Australian folklore as the golden boy who defined the post-war era.
Role: All-Rounder
Domestic Teams: Victoria, New South Wales
Matches: 55 (Tests), 226 (FC)
Runs: 2958 (Tests), 14183 (FC)
Average: 36.97 (Tests), 48.90 (FC)
Hundreds: 7/41 (Test/FC)
Wickets: 170 (Tests), 497 (FC)
Bowling Average: 22.97 (Tests), 22.30 (FC)
5-fers: 7/16
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1951), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1954), Was in the running for the Six Giants of the Wisden Century, but did not make the final cut; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Selected as vice-captain of Australia’s team of the Century; Had best all-round statistic (wickets/runs) in world cricket at the time of his retirement
Australia are blessed to have had multiple left arm fast bowling Mitchells. When Johnson left the stage, Starc came in the picture. Mitchell Starc’s career was a testament to the level of fitness he had over his career. Always stood up at the big stage, Ashes 2005, T20 World Cup, and the ODI World Cups. The Ben Stokes bowled in 2019 and the 2015 games against New Zealand, both at Eden Park and the first over in the Final will be etched in fans’ memories for generations to come.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 105 (Tests), 130 (ODIs), 65 (T20Is)
Wickets: 433 (Tests), 247 (ODIs), 79 (T20Is)
5-Wicket Hauls: 18/9 (Tests/ODIs)
Bowling Average: 26.51 (Tests), 23.58 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 20
Player of Series Awards: 7
World Cup Winner? ✅✅✅
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Most Wickets in 2019 ODI World Cup (27); Player of the Series – 2015 ODI WC; Most Wickets in 2015 ODI WC (22), 3rd Most Wickets in ODI World Cups (65); 3rd Most Wickets in 2012 T20 WC (10); 2nd Most 5-Fers in ODI World Cups (3); Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2024) ; Allan Border Medal (2022)
Changed the role of the wicketkeeper. His 2007 World Cup Final innings against Sri Lanka remains one of the highlights. He struck at 81.95 in Tests and 96.94 in ODIs, 20 years ahead of his day.
Role: Wicketkeeper Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, Western Australia
Notable Achievements: 2nd Most Catches and Dismissals in Test Career; Player of the Match – 2007 ODI World Cup Final; 4th Most Runs in 2003 ODI WC (408); Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2002); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Allan Border Medal (2003); Member of ICC Hall of Fame; 3rd Most Sixes in Tests
The greatest Test batter of the modern generation. When he ‘finds his hands’, he is such a joy to watch. Even though not as prolific in ODI cricket, he hit the winning runs in the 2015 ODI World Cup. His one-handed catches are a sight to watch. The 2018-19 ball-tempering scandal was the only blemish in an otherwise spotless career, but his comeback in the 2019 Ashes started defined his greatness.
When an Australian cricketer does well over a year, they receive the ‘Allan Border Medal.’ And rightly so. 27131 First Class Runs with 70 tons. Played most Tests, captained the most, and took most catches than anyone else by the time he retired. Began the legacy of Australia winning the ODI World Cup in 1987. Handy fielder and part time bowler as well.
Role: Middle Order Batter, Left Arm Orthodox
Domestic Teams:
Matches: 156 (Tests), 273 (ODIs)
Runs: 11174 (Tests), 6524 (ODIs)
Average: 50.56 (Tests), 30.62 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 27 (Tests), 3 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 28
Player of Series Awards: 1
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1989), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1982); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Held the record for the most Consecutive Test appearances (153) at one point; Retired as Australia’s highest run scorer in both Tests and ODIs at the time of his retirement
Led Australia to 16 successive Test wins and the 1999 ODI World Cup. Most players of the series awards for Australia in Tests after Shane Warne.
Role: Middle Order Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 168 (Tests), 325 (ODIs)
Runs: 10927 (Tests), 7569 (ODIs)
Average: 51.06 (Tests), 32.90 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 32/3 (Tests/ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 35
Player of Series Awards: 8
World Cup Winner? ✅
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: 398 Runs in ODI WC (2nd Highest Run Scorer); Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1999), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1989); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Member of the 1987 and 1999 WC winning teams; Won 72% of Tests as captain (41 wins/57)
The most consistent, line and length bowler of all-time. With 563 wickets in Test cricket, he was the benchmark for fast bowlers. McGrath was Australia’s backbone in the 3 back-to-back ODI World Cup wins and led the bowling attack for a decade.
Role: Fast Bowler
Domestic Teams: New South Wales
Matches: 124 (Tests), 250 (ODIs), 2 (T20Is)
Wickets: 563 (Tests), 381 (ODIs), 5 (T20Is)
5-Wicket Hauls: 9/0 (Tests/ODIs),
Bowling Average: 21.64 (Tests), 22.02 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 26
Player of Series Awards: 7
World Cup Winner? ✅✅✅
Captained Australia? ❌
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Most Wickets in 2007 ODI WC (26); 3rd Most Wickets in 2003 ODI WC (21); 18 Wickets in 1999 ODI WC; Most Wickets in ODI World Cups (71); Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (2001); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Selected in Australia’s Team of the Century; Allan Border Medal (2000); Member of ICC Hall of Fame
Romanticized leg spin bowling. A constant sight in Australia’s dominance in the 90s and 2000s across both formats. He bowled perhaps the greatest delivery the world has ever witnessed. Was handy with the bat, and once even scored a 99 in Tests.
Role: Leg Spinner
Domestic Teams: Victoria, Rajasthan Royals
Matches: 145 (Tests), 194 (ODIs)
Wickets: 708 (Tests), 293 (ODIs)
5-Wicket Hauls: 37/1 (Tests/ODIs),
Bowling Average: 25.41 (Tests), 25.73 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 29
Player of Series Awards: 8
World Cup Winner? ✅✅
Captained Australia? ✅ (11 matches)
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Player of the Match in the 1999 WC Final; Most Wickets in 1999 WC; Joint-3rd highest wicket taker in 1996 WC (highest for Australia); Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1993, 1997), Named one of the 5 Wisden Cricketer’s of the Century, Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1994); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame
When you think of Australia in World Cups, you think of Ricky Ponting. Highly decorated captain. The heartbeat of Australian dominance. One of the best #3s and fielder the world has ever seen.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: Tasmania
Matches: 168 (Tests), 375 (ODIs), 17 (T20Is)
Runs: 13378 (Tests), 13704 (ODIs), 401 (T20Is)
Average: 51.85 (Tests), 42.03 (ODIs)
Hundreds: 41 (Tests), 30 (ODIs)
Player of Match Awards: 48
Player of Series Awards: 10
World Cup Winner? ✅✅✅
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ✅
Notable Achievements: Player of the Match in 2003 ODI WC Final; 3rd Most Runs in 2007 ODI WC – 539 Runs; 3rd Most Runs in 2003 ODI WC – 415 Runs; 3rd Most Runs in ODI World Cups (1743); 6th Most Centuries in ODI World Cups (5); Most Runs & Player of the Tournament – 2009 Champions Trophy; Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (2003, 2004), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (2006); Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Allan Border Medal (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009); Member of ICC Hall of Fame; 3
99.94, the benchmark of all sporting greatness, nearly 40 runs ahead of the rest of the pack in any era. Survived the Bodyline series and still averaged 56.57. Captained Australia with great pride, and was the leader of the ‘Invincibles’ in 1948. Never before, never again, has cricket seen a player with such aura.
Role: Top Order Batter
Domestic Teams: New South Wales, South Australia
Matches: 52 (Tests), 234 (FC)
Runs: 6996 (Tests), 28067 (FC)
Average: 99.94 (Tests), 95.14 (FC)
Hundreds: 29 (Tests), 117 (FC)
Captained Australia? ✅
100 Tests? ❌
Notable Achievements: Wisden Leading Cricketer of the Year (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1946, 1948), Wisden Cricketer of the Year (1931), Named one of the 5 Wisden Cricketer’s of the Century; Named one of the Six Giants of the Wisden Century; Member of Australia Cricket Hall of Fame; Member of ICC Hall of Fame; Selected as captain of Australia’s Team of the 20th Century; Bradman’s averages against the countries he played: 201.50 (SA),178.76 (India), 89.78 (England), and 74.50 (West Indies)
Career Stats (20)
Match-Winning (20)
Big Stage Impact (20)
Longevity (15)
Versatility (10)
Accolades (10)
Leadership (5)
Era Bonus (5)
Fielding Bonus (3)
100-Test Bonus (2)
Total
20
20
20
15
7
10
5
5
1
0
104
Final Thoughts
After weeks of internal debate, the list is finally complete.
Researching this list has made me appreciate Australian cricket even more. Every generation, they produce a number of world-class legends, and I hope they continue to do so.
What do you think? Is Greg Chappell too low? Is Starc too high?
Would you rank the players any differently? Comment below, would love to discuss!
***
Thank you all for reading. Below is the appendix with resources and data that I used to research this article.
100-Point Ranking System
Here is how I broke down each category.
Career Stats (20): Runs, wickets, averages, centuries, five-fors
For players who debuted pre-1975, FC performances were also considered. Otherwise, performances in domestic cricket or franchise leagues do not count
Big Stage Impact (20): Performances in World Cups, ICC finals, or major Test series like the Ashes
Longevity (15): Sustained excellence across number of years. Roughly 1 point per year of international cricket played, capped at 15 points
Versatility (10): Success across formats, roles, conditions (ex: All-Rounders)
Accolades (10): Major awards, ICC & Wisden recognitions, Player of the Match/Series awards
Leadership (5): Impact as captain, leading bowling attacks, building winning cultures or historic victories.
A couple of bonus metrics were also added:
Era Bonus (5): For excelling in tougher eras (uncovered pitches, no World Cups, etc.).
Pre-1950: +5
1950-75: +4 (More Tests were played)
1975-90: +3 (ODI cricket introduced)
Debut 1990-1994: +2
Fielding/Wicketkeeping Bonus (3): Outstanding fielding, slip catching, or wicketkeeping achievements.
100-Test Bonus (2): Rewarding consistency over long periods of time
In event of a tie, player with more Test matches won the tiebreaker.
Appendix A: Australia’s World Cup Squads
1987 ODI World Cup
Allan Border (C), Greg Dyer (WK), David Boon, Dean Jones, Geoff Marsh, Tim May, Craig McDermott, Tom Moody, Simon O’Donnell, Bruce Reid, Peter Taylor, Mike Veletta, Steve Waugh, Andrew Zesers
1999 ODI World Cup
Steve Waugh (C), Adam Gilchrist (WK), Michael Bevan, Damien Fleming, Paul Reiffel, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, Shane Lee, Brandon Julian, Tom Moody, Darren Lehmann, Glenn McGrath, Adam Dale, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn
2003 ODI World Cup
Ricky Ponting (C), Adam Gilchrist (WK), Michael Bevan, Andy Bichel, Nathan Bracken, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds
2007 ODI World Cup
Ricky Ponting (C), Adam Gilchrist (WK), Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson
2015 ODI World Cup
Michael Clarke (C), Brad Haddin (WK), George Bailey, Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson
2021 T20 World Cup World Cup
Aaron Finch (C), Matthew Wade (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner, Adam Zampa
2023 World Test Championship Final
Pat Cummins (C), Alex Carey (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, David Warner
2023 ODI World Cup
Pat Cummins (C), Alex Carey (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stonis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Appendix B: Australian Cricket – A Statistical Overview
Most Wickets for Australia
Test: Shane Warne (708), Nathan Lyon (567) Glenn McGrath (563), Mitchell Starc (433), Dennis Lillee (355), Pat Cummins (315), Mitchell Johnson (313), Brett Lee (310), Josh Hazlewood (295), Craig McDermott (291), Jason Gillespie (259), Richie Benaud (248), Graham McKenzie (246), Ray Lindwall (228), Peter Siddle (221), Clarrie Grimmett (216), Merv Hughes (212), Stuart MacGill (208), Jeff Thomson (200)
ODI: Glenn McGrath (380), Brett Lee (380), Shane Warne (291), Mitchell Starc (247), Mitchell Johnson (239), Craig McDermott (203)
T20I: Adam Zampa (134), Josh Hazlewood (79), Mitchell Starc (79), Pat Cummins (66), Nathan Ellis (50)
Most Wickets for Australia Combined Across Formats
Player
Wickets
Shane Warne
999
Glenn McGrath
948
Mitchell Starc
759
Brett Lee
718
Nathan Lyon
597
Mitchell Johnson
590
Pat Cummins
524
Josh Hazlewood
516
Craig McDermott
494
Dennis Lillee
458
Jason Gillespie
402
Most Runs for Australia
Test: Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), Steve Waugh (10927), Steve Smith (10763), David Warner (8786), Michael Clarke (8643), Matthew Hayden (8625), Mark Waugh (8029), Justin Langer (7696), Mark Taylor (7525), David Boon (7422), Greg Chappell (7110)
ODI: Ricky Ponting (13589), Adam Gilchrist (9595), Mark Waugh (8500), Michael Clarke (7981), Steve Waugh (7569), David Warner (6932), Michael Bevan (6912), Allan Border (6524), Matthew Hayden (6131), Dean Jones (6068)
T20I: David Warner (3277), Aaron Finch (3120), Glenn Maxwell (2835), Mitchell Marsh (2083), Shane Watson (1462), Marcus Stoinis (1338), Matthew Wade (1202), Travis Head (1197), Steve Smith (1094), Travis Head (1038)
Most Runs for Australia Combined Across Formats
Player
Runs
Ricky Ponting
27368
David Warner
18995
Steve Waugh
18496
Allan Border
17698
Steve Smith
17657
Michael Clarke
17112
Mark Waugh
16529
Adam Gilchrist
15437
Matthew Hayden
15064
David Boon
13386
Mike Hussey
12398
Mark Taylor
11039
Shane Watson
10950
Other Australian Records
Most Dismissals: Adam Gilchrist (903), Ian Healy (628), Rod Marsh (479), Brad Haddin (474), Alex Carey (329), Matthew Wade (255), Tim Paine (224), Wally Grout (187), Bert Oldfield (130)
Most Catches: Ricky Ponting (363), Steve Smith (346), Mark Waugh (289), Allan Border (283), Michael Clarke (253), Steve Waugh (223), Mark Taylor (213), Mike Hussey (210), Shane Warne (205), Matthew Hayden (197)
100 Test Club: Ricky Ponting (168), Steve Waugh (168), Allan Border (156), Shane Warne (145), Nathan Lyon (141), Mark Waugh (128), Glenn McGrath (124), Steve Smith (123), Ian Healy (119), Michael Clarke (115), David Warner (112), David Boon (107), Justin Langer (105), Mitchell Starc (105), Mark Taylor (104), Matthew Hayden (103)
Most Matches as Test Captain: Allan Border (93), Ricky Ponting (77), Steve Waugh (57), Mark Taylor (50), Greg Chappell (48), Michael Clarke (47), Steve Smith (44), Bob Simpson (39), Pat Cummins (38), Ian Chappell (30), Richie Benaud (28), Kim Hughes (28), Bill Lawry (25), Bill Woodfull (25), Don Bradman (24), Lindsay Hassett (24), Tim Paine (23), Joe Darling (21)
Most Matches as ODI Captain: Ricky Ponting (229), 178 (Allan Border), Steve Waugh (106), Michael Clarke (74), Mark Taylor (67), Steve Smith (64), Aaron Finch (55)
In his 8th Test, Zak Crawley scored 267. By himself.
Ollie Pope was the Player of the Match in South Africa in just his 6th Test, scoring 135* and taking six catches.
Jamie Smith took Test cricket by storm with scores of 70, 95, 111, 67, 89, 40, 44*, 184, 88, 51 in his first year, batting in the lower order.
Ben Stokes once scored 258 runs at 130.3 SR in South Africa. On a good, he wins you Test matches single-handedly. On a great day, he wins you World Cups.
Harry Brook is already England’s next big start with 10 tons at 26, and Ben Duckett pioled up 462 runs against India not too long ao.
England don’t lack talent. This batting line up is designed to look unbeatable on their best days.
The problem is…this team is built only for those days. At the slightest hint of discomfort, it falls apart.
The Argument: England Optimized for Their Best Days, Not the Non-Ideal Ones
I have been trying to build habits for the last couple of years: going to the gym, eating healthy, reading. Some stick. Most vanish within a few months.
It finally dawned on me why I was not consistent. I was trying to optimize for my ideal day—getting up early, meditating, coming home, hitting the gym, cooking, writing, reading, all while sleeping at a reasonable hour.
The moment I stayed a little later at work, my ideal day completely fell apart. Come home, eat junk, watch TV, go to sleep.
“Don’t have enough time? Do the short version. Don’t have enough energy, do the easy version. Find a way to show up, not put up a zero for that day because doing something is almost always infinitely better than doing nothing.”
England optimized for their peak. On their best days, they could chase record 4th innings totals. On their worst, they simply didn’t show up.
Crawleys, Ollies, and a Whole Lot of Dropped Dollies
In the first two Tests, England lasted just 32.5, 34.4, 76.2, and 75.2 overs. The Ashes was lost then and there.
Ben Duckett managed only 221 balls across all ten of his innings.
Zak Crawley was dismissed in the first over three times, and twice more within the first five. Even though he had a couple of decent innings later, the opening partnership never gave England enough time at the crease.
Ollie Pope started positively but was dropped after the 3rd Test, having survived just 189 balls at an average of 20.83.
Jamie Smith’s horrendous shot, Will Jacks’ dropped catch, the list goes on. At least Stokes fought, but even he ended up a walking wicket by the end of the series.
This was supposed to be the worst Australian team of the decade. And maybe it was. No Hazlewood, Cummins barely played, Lyon hobbled out of the series.
And yet, they still found a way to get the job done.
In the first Test, Australia were 83/6. Carey and Starc did the bare minimum and hung around for 35 runs to take the total to 132. Enough to swing momentum back to Australa.
Weatherald and Labuschagne did not set the series on fire. Yet they batted 288 and 404 balls respectively. On his worst days, Labuschagne took screamers at slip and plucked wickets before lunch bowling his Dibbly Dobblies. Khawaja, out of form, batting out of place, sidelined by golf injury & controversy, with risk of a mid-series career-end, came back to score crucial knocks of 82 & 40 at Adelaide.
Even Scotty Boland wasn’t at his accurate best, yet he and his fellow 35-year old pacers, Neser and Starc, maintained their fitness level and discipline through the series.
Add in-form players, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, and Travis Head, and you’ve got a world-beating, Ashes-conquering side.
Commentators say Australia won the ‘big moments.’ I say, they just did the bare minimum, and England crumbled under pressure.
The Australian Test team managed to show up. They did not put up a Zero even on their worst days.
It is easy to criticize this England side through the lens of recency bias.
England’s peak from 2010-12 was built on a simple formula: The grit of Cook-Strauss-Trott at the top, with the KPs and Bells to capitalize further down. It worked brilliantly.
In the following decade, England tried to replicate this strategy without much success. Stoneman, Carberry, Compton, Lees, Hameed, Malan, Vince, Sibley, Denly, Burns. A revolving door with the same result.
And so, the pendulum swung the other way. England overcorrected.
Fortune favors the brave. Eoin Morgan showed it can be done in limited overs cricket, so why not try that out? Surely, it can’t be any worse than 68/10 at MCG in 2022, right?
The easy answer: England needs more Joe Roots, players who can adapt to Bazball on their best days, but have an inner Cook-ball when the situation demands.
But that’s easier said than done. County Cricket does not produce dozens of Joe Roots anymore.
What England need is an insurance policy. A compromise blending the old and the new. Think Sehwag-Dravid, Smith-Amla, Langer-Hayden, Fleming-Astle, partnership-builders alongside dominators.
Even when Crawley scored 267, Burns and Sibley had dented the swing threat for 27 balls. When Pope scored 135, Joe Denly batted exactly 100 balls, Sibley 95, and Crawley scored 44 (137). Stokes, meanwhile, had the advantage of a 55.3-over old ball when he came in to bat before his 258.
A strong batting line-up needs all sorts of characters.
I am not suggesting that England go back to Sibley-Burns. That experiment has failed, but the Crawley-Duckett-Pope experiment has not delivered either.
Crawley averages 31.98 in FC cricket, 31.18 in Test cricket, 32.22 in the preceding India series, and 27.30 in the Ashes. Is that the standard England want to settle for? Is flamboyance more important than victories?
Why Don’t England Succeed for Long Periods of Time?
On the TalkSport podcast, host Jon Norman asks Jarrod Kimber and ‘Bumble’ a deceptively simple question, “Why is that England don’t maintain their success for long?”
Apart from the 1950s, there is not a single period of Test cricket dominance in their cricketing history unlike the West Indies of the 80s, Australia of the 2000s, or the current Indian age. They show glimmers of brilliance—think Ashes 2005, the 2010-12 era, and the early days of Bazball.
The pattern is clear: England’s peaks come when everything falls into place, but they lack a backup plan on their ‘bad days.’ As James Clear says,
“In a lot of ways, the bad days are more important the good days…What can I stick to even on the bad days, and that becomes the baseline. That’s where you start from, and then on the good days, you have got capacity to go ahead and ramp it up.”
High ceilings are useless without a floor, and that is why long-term success has always eluded them. Hopefully, England management recognizes this and can harness the talents of Jacob Bethell, Asa Tribe, and James Rew to build that floor for future Test dominance.
****
On a personal note, this year I am optimizing my schedule for non-ideal days. Too early to say if this system is working better to build habits, but I am definitely more consistent now than without this mindset.
In the summer of 2007, my family moved to the United States. I was ten and had spent the previous three years playing cricket for my school in Mumbai. Cricket was the dream, and life revolved around it.
In Oklahoma, that structure simply did not exist. There were no school teams, no coaches, and no obvious place for a young cricketer to develop.
It became just my brother and me, sometimes joined by a couple of friends, playing makeshift Test cricket on a basketball court in the neighborhood park.
That absence is why Liam Plunkett’s work in America is worth paying attention to.
This piece looks at the second act of World Cup winner Liam Plunkett. No longer just a cricketer, he is now also a coach, commentator, businessman, and one of the driving forces behind grassroots cricket in the United States.
Investors often view the United States as a potential goldmine for cricket. Critics, on the other hand, point to administrative issues within USA cricket and dismiss the American market as a hopeless cause.
Both views hold some truth. The reality sits somewhere in the middle.
The launch of Major League Cricket (MLC) four years ago, the construction of new stadiums, and the arrival of international names such as Corey Anderson and Liam Plunkett helped jumpstart the conversation. Club cricket is already well established across major metropolitan areas, driven largely by expatriate communities. Journeys like Avinash’s in Iowa show the range of competitions that exist within American college and club cricket.
Liam Plunkett began his County career with Durham in 2003, shortly after turning eighteen.
He broke through quickly, taking 50 wickets in the 2005 season and earning an England call-up soon after that 2005 Ashes. County success followed, including a starring role in the 2007 Friends Provident Trophy and back-to-back County Championship titles in 2008 & 2009.
His international career, however, was far less linear. After his first stint with England in 2006-07, he went nearly seven years without a sustained run in the national side. Even then, he was a valuable contributor, an exceptional fielder and also featured in England’s highest 9th wicket ODI partnership with super-sub Vikram Solanki in just his 2nd ODI.
Things changed after 2016.
Plunkett re-emerged as a permanent fixture in England’s white-ball teams, first at the 2016 T20 World Cup, and then more decisively in ODI cricket. From 2016 to the 2019 ODI World Cup Final, he took 90 wickets in 53 innings at an average of 27.02, establishing himself as one of the game’s most reliable middle-overs bowlers.
He played a defining role in England’s 2019 World Cup win, finishing the tournament with 11 wickets. His spell of 10-0-42-3 in the final removed Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, and Jimmy Neesham, keeping England in the contest. Not to forget the 17-run crucial partnership with Ben Stokes in the tense chase.
Plunkett’s first act was shaped by adaptation, finding a role, refining it, and remaining relevant.
Dropped, But Not Done
As it would turn out, the World Cup Final was his last appearance in an England jersey. At the peak of his powers, Liam Plunkett was dropped with little communication. In his own words, “disappointment is an understatement.”
The pandemic soon followed, bringing international cricket to a halt. For a time, it was easy to assume that his career was over.
Then began the second act.
Plunkett’s wife is American, and Philadelphia had long been familiar territory. He spent a few months there each year even before his England exit. After the axe, he began playing Minor League with the Philadelphians, a team with deep historical ties to the American game.
When Major League Cricket followed, Plunkett became affiliated with the San Francisco Unicorns. What initially looked like a farewell began to resemble a transition instead.
Three years on, Plunkett is still playing in MLC, with at least one more professional season left in him. America has helped him to branch out further.
In an episode of Under the Lid by The Cricketer, Plunkett spoke how his involvement with the game has expanded well beyond playing. This has taken several forms:
Launching Beach Cricket Blast in partnership with the CPL in Barbados, designed to introduce the game to new and casual audiences
Co-hosting of That’s Cricket podcast with Adam Bannon, in collaboration with Jomboy Media, helping translate cricket for American sports fans
Starting Liam Plunkett Cricket (LPC) in partnership with Gameday Athletics with a focus on professionalizing coaching and training for young players. They have former English women cricket World Cup winner, Lauren Winfield Hill, and South African born MLC cricketer, Corne Dry, on their coaching staff.
When Plunkett signed for MLC, his role was not limited to playing in the Minor League and Major League. It also included a stint as a national development coach and coaching at the local academy level. That exposure made one gap impossible to ignore.
“In terms of the coach education, it never was there…And it sparked like…Why is there not a platform to coach coaches, to coach kids properly?…It’s our job to get kids strong and fit to complement their cricket skills…We want to help make cricketers healthy and fit, not just for cricket but also outside of cricket, healthy, faster, and stronger.”
– Liam plunkett
LPC is built around that gap. The focus is not only talent, but structure, helping young players learn correctly, and helping coaches learn how to teach.
Now in the US, Liam Plunkett is introducing a new generation to cricket & also helping coaches learn how to effectively teach it 👏
Another great example of a member enhancing their personal development during #FuturesMonth 👊
Technology, Training, and the American Sports Model
I recently got into golf and indoor soccer this year, and one thing stood out immediately: how central training infrastructure is to both sports.
Golf has invested heavily in technology from indoor simulators to tracking apps like TopTracer Range, used by both professionals and amateurs alike. Indoor soccer follows a similar model, with organizations such as TOCA Soccer offering year-round training, coaching, and leagues for kids.
These high performance training centers are essential to those sports develop talent. Cricket, by comparison, has largely lagged behind.
On That’s Cricket, Stuart Giles spoke about efforts to introduce indoor simulation facilities to the United States through Century Cricket, his company based in Australia working in partnership with Bangalore Tech Labs in India. Their simulators aim to allow cricketers to train year-around, regardless of weather. A training center has opened in Houston with another planned for Manhattan.
“If you put your Australia hat on, our best player and probably the key to our Ashes success, spends six months of the year in New York with nowhere where he can train or get better.”
Following Steve Smith’s journey in New York can further engage the audiences.
Jomboy, Baseball, and the American Fan
Infrastructure along is not enough. Awareness matters just as much.
For most Americans, cricket remains unfamiliar. That’s where platforms like Jomboy Media come in and help bridge the gap.
What began as a baseball podcast has grown into a full-scale media operation. His cricket breakdowns are iconic and the Warehouse Games, a hybrid format between cricket and baseball are bridging the gap between audiences. Plunkett’s Beach Cricket initiative featured Jomboy, and they have since collaborated on various podcasting gigs.
The intersection of audiences is where the future may lie in commercializing cricket in America.
How Can You Get Involved?
Liam Plunkett and his coaching staff cannot be everywhere. That is why LPC was designed to scale coaching across the US. At present, LPC offers two core pathways:
Rookie Player Course – Designed for beginners, this course covers the fundamentals of batting, bowling, wicketkeeping, and fielding.
Coaching Courses – This is for both Rookie Coach (Level 1) and Development Coach (Level 2). These courses are well suited for up and coming coaches that want to learn how to structure their sessions and to learn how to really coach cricket effectively.
For readers interested in exploring these programs, you can use code PlunkettBCD2025 to receive 20% off.
Disclosure:This is an affiliate link, which means we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. This helps support our efforts in bringing you valuable content. Thank you for your support.
Here is a glimpse at what kind of online training you may receive.
Why This Second Act Matters
Liam Plunkett is still bowling bowling fast, and we may yet see one more season out of him sending down absolute rockets.
“82, 83 on a good day…I’m 41 next year. You know, I would love to actually bowl one more ball at 90 miles an hour. I’m not sure if I got it in my locker, but I’ll do my best training to get to that point.”
The story of Liam Plunkett has been one of re-invention, and I am excited to see what all he pursues behind the scenes in building American cricket.
These efforts will not on their own solve American cricket’s infrastructure problems, but at least, it is a start. It is a recognition that visibility, business investment, and grassroots programs are needed if cricket has any chance of surviving in the United States.
Perhaps 30 years from now,a kid in Oklahoma will fall in love with cricket the same way, but won’t have to stop there because coaching, facilities, and a pathway to pursue the dream will already exist.
****
Thank you all for reading! I’ll leave you with this, Liam Plunkett rattling the stumps.
Back in 2022, I was at the University of Iowa finishing my PhD when I noticed a force quietly taking over campus: Caitlin Clark.
Over the next couple of years, Clark reshaped women’s college basketball: Viewership exploded with her jaw-dropping 3 pointers, every game was sold out (unfortunately before I could get a ticket), and Iowa reached the Final Four one season and finished as NCAA championship runners-up the next.
After graduation, she was picked up by the WNBA for a whopping…$78,000, far below the value she brought to the league.
Women’s cricket is entering a similar era. India’s World Cup victory has sparked excitement and optimism that the sport may finally see professional growth and meaningful investment.
But as momentum builds, the finances become increasingly important. In my previous article on The Economics of Women’s Cricket, we explored how each cricketing nation is investing in the women’s cricket. In this article, we broaden the scope and ask:
How wide is the gender pay gap across major sports?
Where does cricket sit within that debate?
And most importantly: are women cricketers earning a livable wage that supports a basic standard of living in their countries?
Will the Clark effect translate to cricket? Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
Nat Sciver-Brunt earns an estimated $931,978 per year, one of the highest for a women’s cricketer (without sponsorships). However, that is less than the highest paid women in tennis, golf, and other sports where players are making $4-10 million annually.
Rishabh Pant and Pat Cummins (~$4-4.5 Million) are among the highest paid cricketers, but their annual salaries are not as competitive as Stephen Curry ($59.6M) or Shohei Ohtani ($70M).
The average international women’s cricketer in Australia, India, England, and New Zealand earns about $100,000-$200,000 a year, while players in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe earn between $2,000-$12,000 per year.
Tennis was the pioneer in pushing for pay parity with the US Open offering equal prize money for both men & women in 1973.
When the gender pay debate comes up, there are usually two sides of the debate.
Revenue-proportional pay: Athletes should earn proportional to the amount of money they generate for the league.
Investment-driven growth: Paying athletes fairly strengthens the league, improves quality, and drives revenue over time.
To understand pay in women’s cricket, I’ll compare league revenue, player salaries, and recent investments across team sports like basketball and soccer, and individual sports like tennis and golf.
We also look at Gross National Income (GNI) per capita with Atlas method, a social marker that determines the average income based on GDP, currency exchange rates, inflation, etc. (including income earned outside of the country).
For example, we will be looking at several leagues in the US. It’s good to keep in mind that the GNI of the United States is $83,660 (2024) so we can see how athletes salaries fare in comparison.
League by League Revenue and Salary Breakdown
I read over 110 articles to bring you salary and revenue information from different sports all in one sports.
*Note: Although the NFL is the most profitable league in the US sports market ($20.24 billion), we do not consider it in our analysis since there is no women equivalent of the NFL.
1. Basketball
Pay Disparity:Extremely High
NBA: National Basketball Association, WNBA: Women’s National Basketball Association
The average NBA salary ($11.9M) is over 116 times higher than the average WNBA salary ($102,249).
Even the lowest-paid NBA player makes more than 4 times the highest paid WNBA athlete.
The NBA generates approximately $28.9 million per player, while the WNBA revenue player generates $1.22 million per player.
NBA vs WNBA at a Glance
Category
NBA
WNBA
Founded
1946
1996
Estimated Salary Range
$1.16-$55.76 Million
$66,000-$250,000
Average Salary
$11.9 Million
$102,249
League Revenue
$13 billion (2024)
$180-200 Million (2023)
Salary as % of League Revenue
0.09% (11.9M/13B)
0.05% ($102K/190M)
Number of Teams
30
13
Number of Games/Team
82
34
Average Attendance
18,834/match 22.2 million (total)
10,986/match 3.14 million (total)
Highest Paid Athlete (Men): $59.6 million (Stephen Curry), $304 Million (Jaylen Brown for 5-year contract)
Highest Paid Athlete (Women): $252,450 (Jackie Young on contract extension), $249,244 (Kelsey Mitchell)
The WNBA has secured a $2.2 billion deal for the next 11 years, averaging $200 million/year, up from the current deal of $60 million/year.
According to Sportico, the NBA is projected to hit $14.3 billion revenue in the 2025/26 season.
Revenue Per Player:
NBA: $28.9 million = ($13 billion league revenue)/(30 teams x 15 players per standard roster
WNBA: $1.22 million = ($190 million)/(13 x 15)
Bottom Line: While salaries remain far below NBA levels, rising media deals and growing brand valuation suggest the WNBA’s momenum may finally be shifting.
In 2022, the US Women’s team won a historic equal-pay settlement of $22 million in 2022, divided among 30 players on the USWNT roster (~$733,333 per player).
The USWNT, USMNT (Men’s National Team) CBA came to an agreement to pool FIFA prize money and split it equally (after 10% to US soccer for youth programs). The US Women’s Team has won 4 FIFA World Cups and 5 Olympic golds, while the men have not made it past the quarter-finals in recent history.
According to Forbes, top USWNT players like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe earned around $7 million in 2023, combining on-field and off-field earnings. In contrast, the top male players like Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi earn around $120 million annually.
MLS: $2.86 million = $2.23B/(30 teams x 26 players)
NWSL: $223,000 = $75M/(14 x 24)
Note: MLS has 20 players on the roster with up to 10 supplemental players. Similarly, NWSL has 22 minimum players with up to 4 supplemental players.
Bottom Line: Although NWSL salaries are lower than MLS salaries, the disparity in league salary is nowhere near as extreme as basketball. Culturally, women’s soccer is more popular and the US women’s national team has made strides in pay parity (though other national soccer teams may still face wide gaps).
ATP: Association of Tennis Professionals, WTA: Women’s Tennis Associations
The median earnings for male professional tennis players ($22,362) is lower than for female players ($75,888). This is due to over 1000 professional men players compared to about 550 women.
The prize money for Grand Slams and other tournaments are largely equal.
Highest Paid Athlete (Men): $20.3 million (Jannik Sinner, $47.3 million total with off-court earnings), $13.3 million (Carlos Alcaraz, $48.3 million with off-court earnings)
Highest Paid Athlete (Women): $12.4 million (Aryna Sabalenka, $15 million with off-court), $12.2 million (Coco Gauff, $25 million with off-court)
Prize money for this year’s Roland-Garros will total EUR 49.6m, up 12.3 per cent on 2022. With the aim of ensuring a more even distribution between players, the tournament organisers have significantly increased the prize money for first-round losers in the women’s and men’s… pic.twitter.com/3HC75KlnIP
In 1973, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money for both men & women ($25,000 then) after movement driven by Billie Jean King. The other Grand Slams would take a quarter of a century to make the same move: 2001 (Australian Open), 2006 (French Open), 2007 (Wimbledon).
Australian Open offered equal pay in 1984 and reverted to paying the men more in 1996 before going back in 2001.
In 2024, 28 men & 15 women earned at least $2 million. In his career, Novak Djokovic has won more than $190.2 million in prize money alone. Roger Federer is said to have breached the $1 billion mark.
2023 French Open total prize money was $56.8 million (€ 49.6 million). The winner of a Grand Slam, like the US open is about $2.5 million whereas even a first-round loss can yield $100,000.
According to Forbes, the world’s top ten highest paid tennis players made an estimated $285 million (the record was $343 million during the height of Federer-Nadal-Djokovic-Serena Williams).
The US Open’s revenue in 2024 was about $559.6 million. About 3.2 million fans attended the Grand Slams in 2025 (1.1 million – US, 1 million – Australian, 650,000 – French, 550,000 – Wimbledon)
Bottom Line: Prize money in professional tennis is far more balanced than most other sports. While off-court earnings still have large gaps, equal Grand Slam payouts show that both men & women have more equitable financial opportunities for this individual sport.
The average PGA salary (~$1.48M) is nearly seven times the median LPGA salary (~$213K).
Although women golfers are earning up to $6M in recent times, the highest paid male golfers are earning between $60-90M.
PGA vs LPGA at a Glance
Category
PGA
LPGA
Founded
1929
1950
Estimated Salary Range
$6,000-$92 million
$2,300-$6 Million
Average Salary
$1.48 million (2021)
$213,159 (Median 2024)
Winning Prize Money
$4.3 million (US Open) $3.6 million (The Masters) $3.3 million (PGA Championship) $3.1 million (Open Championship)
$2.4 Million (US Open) $487,500 (The Annika)
Highest Paid Athlete (Men): $92 million (Jon Rahm, $102 million including off-course earnings), $67 million (Scottie Scheffler)
Highest Paid Athlete (Women): $4.5 million (Nelly Korda, $12.5 million with off-course)
Growth Trend and Recent Landmark Changes
Tiger Woods’ career earnings total about $120 million with Rory McIlroy closing in at $108 million.
According to Reuters, LIV golf, backed by Saudi funding, has invested about $5 billion over the last couple of years. The organization reportedly offered players like Jon Rahm $300 million to defect from the PGA Tour.
PGA, in response, upped the 2025 season prize money to $366.9 million. Combined with other tournaments, PGA golfers have an opportunity to play for $700 million in a year.
The total prize money for the ladies’ US Open was a $12 million purse and the Memorial PGA tournament was about $20 million. Other tournaments like the Chevron Championship, Evian Championship, and the AIG Women’s Open had a total purse around $8-10 million.
CBS and NBC renewed a 9-year media rights contract in 2022 for about $700 million.
The LPGA is currently in negotiations for a media deal that will put all North American golf matches live on TV. More investment like the ones with FM, U-NEXT deal in Japan is around the corner.
Bottom Line: Despite being around since the 1950s, the gap between top male and female golfers remain among the widest in professional sports.
National Professional Fastpitch (also known as the Women’s Pro Softball League) ran from 2004-2021. The average season salaries were around $3,000.
Although MLB players earn high average salary ($4.66M), they also play the most games (162), which brings their amount per match down to about $28,800.
Bottom Line: Softball players earn a fraction of their MLB counterparts, but the landscape is improving. AUSL is a major upgrade from the now defunct National Professional Fastpitch in terms of investment and support. Meanwhile, the men still have the potential to earn substantial amounts of money both on and off the field.
The NHL and Rogers Communications announced a $11 billion media rights deal in Canada. The NHL also has 7-year deals with Disney & Turner Sports around $200-400 million.
The PWHL signed deals with Fox, Paramount, and other networks.
Premier Hockey Federation, the precursor to the PWHL, paid its players an average of $45,000-$60,000 with top salaries reaching $80,000.
Bottom Line: The pay disparity may look extreme, but PWHL is a new league and is growing rapidly. Only time will tell if it succeeds, but it will take a lot to match a 100-year old NHL league.
UFC fighter Rousey said in 2019, “How much you get paid should have something to do with how much money you bring in. I am the highest paid fighter not because Dana or Lorenzo wanted to do something nice for the ladies. They do it because I bring in the highest numbers. They do it because I make them the most money. I think the money that they make should be proportionate to the money they bring in.”
College Sports, Law Suits, and Miscellaneous
College sports in the US is a separate altogether, but with NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), college athletes have started to get paid. However, now we are seeing disparity in college pay as well. Men’s basketball players earned an average of $171,272, while the women earned about $16,222 in 2024.
After tennis in 1972, several other individual sports followed equal prize money. By 2004, volleyball and skating offered equal prize money. By 2019, skiing, snowboarding, biking, and even the World Surf League announced equal prize money for both female & men competitors.
IPL: Indian Premier League, WPL: Women Premier League
The average IPL salary (~$460K) is higher than the highest-paid WPL player ($415K) with IPL players earning on average 5.5 times more than their WPL counterparts.
The revenue per player is approximately $2.7-$3.8 million in the IPL compared to about $816K in the WPL.
Even in the lower-tier cricket nations (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe), where salaries are lower, player earnings are still significantly above their countries’ GNI.
Category
IPL
WPL
Founded
2008
2023
Salary Range
$24,000-$3.2 Million
$12,000-$415,000
Average Salary
$459,743 (2023)
$82,522 (2023)
League Revenue
$691.3 Million (5761 Crore INR)
$71.86 Million (637 Crore INR)
Salary as % of League Revenue
0.067%
0.11%
Number of Teams
10
5
Number of Games/Team
14
8
Average Attendance
26,000/match
9,000-13,000/match
Highest Paid Athlete (IPL): $3.21 Million (Rishabh Pant)
The average salary for a WBBL player is $30,812 while the average BBL salary is $110,312. The Women’s Hundred pays around $38,077, while the men’s Hundred pays around $75,440 on average.
Men’s vs Women’s Salaries in Cricket (Country By Country Breakdown)
Australia, England, New Zealand, and India now have equal match fees for both men & women. West Indies has signed a MOU to create a pathway for equal match fees by 2027.
Note that match fees is not the same as equal salary, but it is still a step in the right direction. Match fees is how much a player is paid per match. However, women cricketers do not play as much volume of cricket (for example, NZ have equal match fees for Test cricket but the White Ferns have not played a Test in ages).
Bottom Line: Since 2017, women’s cricket has gained momentum through increased visibility, equal match fees, and the emergency of women’s franchise leagues, important steps toward professionalizing the sport. However, more needs to be done in the lower-tiered country to diminish the gap within women’s cricket. Finally, even though men’s cricketers earn high salaries, it is nowhere in comparison to the MLB or the NBA.
For the highest paid cricketers, we looked at franchise league earnings along with match fees and central contracts. Here is an example of how we calculated Pooran and Klaasen’s earnings.
Country
Men
Women
Australia
$3.6-$4.5 Million (Pat Cummins)
$831,951 (Ash Gardner)
England
$3.5-$3.85 Million (Jos Buttler)
$931,978 (Nat Sciver Brunt)
New Zealand
~$2.29 Million (Daryl Mitchell)
$435,755 (Amelia Kerr)
India
$4-$4.4 Million (Rishabh Pant)
$757,420 (Smriti Mandhana)
West Indies
$3.1-$4.1 Million (Nicholas Pooran)
$269,200 (Deandre Dottin)
South Africa
$3.5-$3.9 Million (Heinrich Klaasen)
$400,000-$480,000 (Marizanne Kapp)
Sri Lanka
$1.6-$1.8 Million (Matheesha Pathirana)
$226,741 (Chamari Athapaththu)
Pakistan
~$750,000 (Babar Azam)
N/A
Bangladesh
$390,000-$410,000 (Mustafizur Rahman)
$17,000-$20,000 (Nigar Sultana)
Ireland
$600,000-$800,000 (Josh Little)
$60,000-$100,000 (Gaby Lewis)
Zimbabwe
$122,000-$516,000 (Sikandar Raza)
N/A
Afghanistan
$2.2-$3.36 million (Rashid Khan)
N/A
Final Thoughts
Women in sports continue to earn far less than their male counterparts, but times are changing. Investment and visibility towards women’s sport is increasing, and so are their salaries.
Caitlin Clark may not get a paycheck close to Steph Curry’s at the moment, but the impact of athletes like Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese, Billie Jean King & Serena Williams, and of course, Harmanpreet Kaur leading India to victory is reshaping the landscape and pushing world sports closer to fair pay.
Gutenberg’s Printing Press. Columbus setting sail in 1492. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Moon Landing.
Rarely does an event feel so monumental that it promises to change the course of the world as we know it.
But on November 2nd, it felt like one of those moments: India’s women cricket team winning the World Cup. Alright, perhaps not at the level of Gutenberg or the Moon Landing, but you get the point. Some moments carry an emotional force that transcends the game itself.
India has long been called the “Sleeping Giant” of world sport, a nation of passion and population, yet far from realizing its global potential. We are reminded of this with every passing FIFA World Cup and the Olympics. But even within cricket, India’s most popular sport, women’s cricket remained the final frontier.
This wasn’t an underdog story like Kapil Dev’s men of ‘83. There were expectations for the home nation, shadowed by past disappointments. A semi-final run felt realistic, but beating this world-class Australian side? Let’s be honest, not many dreamed that far.
And yet, here we are.
It wasn’t a flawless campaign by any measure. This was an imperfect victory, and that’s what made it so special. Three losses in a row. Mandhana and Harmanpreet not quite at their best early on. In-form Pratika Rawal getting injured on the eve of the semi-finals. The public turning against the team on social media. We had seen this story before.
But when Jemimah Rodrigues fought her inner demons to script an unforgettable semi-final chase, every run she took held a nation’s breath. Her silky cover drives gliding across the field, the hunger burning fiercely in her eyes, and that smiling face, the charming grace masking the depths of fear, self-doubts, and the what-ifs. She stretched her body and mind to the limit because she knew she had to see it through and remain at the crease till the end. Oh, that muddied jersey, I’ll never forget.
Then came Shafali Verma, the out-of-favor young star meeting the moment. Dancing around the pitch, hitting sixes down the ground, taking magical wickets that turned the tide as if pressure meant nothing to her.
And when the ever-positive Amanjot Kaur sprinted in for Laura Wolvaardt’s catch…dropped, caught, dropped, and caught again, in that moment, we finally started to believe.
Every player stood up and in the field, they put their bodies on the line, diving around the boundary. Lifting the trophy in the presence of Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra, and other pioneers, bringing in Rawal on a wheelchair, celebrating with Mithali Raj and Jhulani Goswami, this was poetic justice.
Deserved world champions, a team whose grit, grace, and courage have the power to ignite the nation.
The barrier is now shattered.
Think of the impact this win will have on India’s sports culture and even its social fabric. Somewhere in a small town, a mother realizes that her daughter could dream bigger than she ever dared to. Somewhere in a boardroom, an executive finally questions pay disparity. Somewhere in the stands, a young girl’s destiny just changed, dreaming of becoming the next Richa Ghosh or Shree Charani, inspired by World Cup heroines like Deepti Sharma.
Change will not come overnight.
But on this night, it began.
This is part of a new series of short articles, where I try to aim for 500 words and make every word count. This one ended up at 549 words.
At 3:30 AM, I woke up with a jolt. First instinct: check Cricinfo. Were Kohli and Rohit still batting? Had I overslept my the innings-break nap?
Kohli was in the 20s, Rohit nearing his fifty. Phew. Relief. Breathe. They were still alive.
With one eye half-shut and one thumb on Twitter, I watched the duo bat on, one ball at a time.
At 4:47 AM, Rohit brought up his century, moments after Kohli reached his 50. Kohli gave him a hug. Both smiled. The crowd erupted. For that moment, the world seemed to pause. As if nothing else mattered.
Through the series, I celebrated each run, every fist bump, every catch and dive of Rohit and Kohli. My dad and brother would talk before and during each game as if the world’s luck depended on us.
I’d pray that India win the toss and bat. And shut off the TV after Kohli’s ducks.
But why was I acting like this? Growing up, you wouldn’t called me RoKo’s #1 fan. I used to watch every ball of any international game, follow all the T20 leagues, and stay up for a Bangladesh-Zimbabwe Test. So, why did this meaningless ODI bilateral series suddenly matter so much?
Maybe it was the realization that the end is near. Maybe because Australia appreciated these two players and knew how to give a proper farewell.
Both Kohli and Rohit retired from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup. Expected.
Both retired from Tests. Slightly unexpected.
Then Rohit was replaced by Gill as ODI captain. Shocking. Questions started to murmur: Are they going to make it two more years? Will every series be an examination? Why is Jaiswal waiting in the wings?
And then Kohli scored two consecutive ducks for the first time in his career and waved goodbye to his beloved Adelaide supporters. All hell broke loose. Was the 3rd ODI going to be his last? Is his form dropping off the cliff? Was our childhood finally coming to an end?
We have seen transitions before. Father Time waits for no one.
Gavaskar and Kapil faded, Tendulkar and Dravid retired, Dhoni left (kinda). With each passing generation, India found new heroes, leaving behind a tinge of nostalgia for the past.
But for that one hour and seventeen minutes, Father Time paused, letting Rohit and Kohli shine, giving us a glimpse of what two upcoming emotional years could look like.
The post-match interviews ended. The sun rose. I drifted back to sleep. Time had moved on, but the memory of that morning will stay with me forever.
Thank you all for reading!
This is part of a new series of short articles, all under 500 words, where I try to make every word count. This one ended up at 429 words.
“The King Is About to Arrive”
I will leave you with these pieces of commentary gold from SEN cricket.
But in true Australian fashion, Beth Mooney’s magnificent century, Kim Garth grit at #9, and Alana King’s fiery 51* turned it into a 107-run victory. Earlier, Ash Gardner had rescued them with 115 (83) from #6 and later repeated the feat alongside Sutherland against England.
Add seven ODI and six T20 World Cup victories, the picture is clear: What other nations have built in the last five years, Australia have been perfecting for over 50.
How far behind are the rest, and can we actually quantify the health of women’s cricket across the top nations?
Let’s find out.
Key Takeaways
Australia ($19.56 M), England ($15.02 M), India ($2.37 M), and New Zealand ($2.27 M) spend the most on women cricketers’ salaries (both central contracts and domestic combined).
Cricket Australia aims to generate $121 million in revenue alone from women’s cricket by 2024. On the other hand, nations like South Africa, Ireland, and Bangladesh are just now starting to professionalize domestic cricket.
Despite leading women’s cricket in pay, Australian women still earn far less than the men: $139,719 AUD vs $951,046 AUD in 2023–24 average retainer value.
How I Assessed Cricket Boards’ Financial Commitment and Long-Term Vision for Women’s Cricket
To understand the full picture of each cricket board’s investment in women’s cricket, I examined the following factors for the top women’s cricket boards:
Long-term investment in girls’ and women’s sports
Salaries of centrally contracted players
Number of contracted female players (both international & domestic)
Performance in ICC tournaments*
Socioeconomic indicators. These include UN/WHO metrics such as
Female Labor Force participation: % of women actively employed or seeking work
Female Literacy Rate: Share of women who can read and write at a certain level
Global Inequality Index: Measures income and opportunity gaps affecting women
Women, Peace, & Security Index (WPSI): Assesses women’s safety, inclusion, and empowerment
After analyzing these factors, I grouped the nations into five categories:
🟢 Strongly Invested: Australia, England
🟡 Progressing: New Zealand, India
🟠 Transitioning from amateur to professional: South Africa, Ireland, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan
🟣 Emerging: Scotland, Zimbabwe
🔴 At Risk: Afghanistan
*Includes the 2022 Commonwealth Games along with 13 ODI World Cups and 9 T20 World Cups.
My Theory on Women’s Economics in Cricket
In theThe Economics of Sport Dominance article, I theorized how a nation evolves from a single-nation sport into a multi-nation and Olympic dominating nation based on GDP per capita, Global Hunger Index, and poverty rate.
We can apply a similar framework to women’s sports. For a nation to rise in women’s sport, certain base needs must be met: A female literacy rate of at least 60-80%, female labor force participation rate above 40-50%, and no government restrictions on women (unlike Afghanistan).
7 Steps of Achieving Sustainability in Women’s Cricket
Once these prerequisites are achieved, a cricket board typically progresses through seven steps:
Professionalize the Base: Create contracts, domestic leagues, and comprehensive player support to elevate ‘amateur’ players, allowing them to focus on cricket rather than juggling other jobs.
Have a Catalyst Moment: A breakthrough win or tournament performance that sparks interest (ex: India’s 2017 ODI World Cup run).
Institutionalize Momentum: Build grassroots pathways and scholarship programs to build on the momentum from the initial spark.
Build Systems: Invest in coaching, leadership, administration as well as grown fans of women’s cricket and increase sponsorships.
Deepen Talent Pool: Expand local tournaments, scouting networks to increase depth so women’s cricket does not only depend on one ‘golden generation’.
Expand International Exposure and Raise Standards: Create domestic T20 league, invest in emerging, A, and U-19 tours, and raise standards for new batch of players.
Achieve Profitability and Re-invest: At this stage, both the talent pool and the audience have matured. Domestic leagues, sponsorships, TV rights are set. Money is flowing in and being re-invested into local talent and systems built earlier, which outputs in increased depth and better tournament performance.
Top 10 Richest Women Cricket Boards (By Overall Salary)
Alright, now time for the reveal.
Here are the cricketing nations ranked loosely by estimated salaries for women’s cricketers (central contracts and domestic cricketers combined). We also look at investment trajectory, strategic vision, and recent grassroots development.
Note: Salaries and match fee information of some emerging nations were not available. Also, Women CPL salary information was not publicly available, so they are not used for this analysis.
$800,000 AUD ($520,495 USD) $500,000 AUD ($325,000 USD) for next 6
$163,322 AUD ($106,260 USD)
Number of Players
18 central contracts
131 across 7 teams (including the 18 central)
Match Fees
$2,000 AUD/match day
Included in average
1 $AUD = $0.65 USD, WNCL – Women’s National Cricket League, WBBL – Women’s Big Bash League
Highest Paid WPL Australian Player Breakdown: In 2024, Ash Gardner earned an estimated $831,951 USD (or $1.28 million AUD) annually across WPL ($380,000 USD), The Hundred ($86,613), central contract/WBBL ($325,000), and match fees ($40,338 USD/$62,000 AUD), not including awards, bonuses, or sponsorships.
She played 31 days of international cricket: 1 Test (3 days), 12 ODIs, and 16 T20Is in 2024.
Bottom Line: Australia’s high socioeconomic index and investment in women’s cricket is unparalleled, directly translating into high salaries, strong grassroots participation, team depth, and World Cup success.
Potential Challenges: Australia are in a unique place, culturally. They have an abundance of sports culture and women in sports. Hence, the main challenge I see for Australia is retaining cricket as the #1 sport for young girls aspire to pick up.
Average women’s match attendance → 600,000 (from 110,000)
80% of women’s matches telecasted in primetime
40% of women in leadership roles
$500 million AUD invested in infrastructure
Revenue from women’s cricket → $121M AUD (from $21M)
Quotes from Action Plan and Annual Report
“…some of our girls who are playing in India earn significant amounts of money in the WPL, and on top of this deal now, they will become million-dollar athletes. And so they should because they’re the best in the world at what they do.“
-Todd Greenberg, CEO Australia Cricketers’ Association
“We are also exceptionally proud that following the last MOU, our elite players are by far the highest paid female team sport athletes in Australia.”
Investment & Grassroots Growth
Registered women/girls: 47,000 → 80,000 (2014-24)
2023-24 season: +18% to 93,091 registered players, including 44% rise in school competitions
~$100M AUD ($65 M USD) invested in facilities over last 10 years.
CommBank’s Growing Cricket for Girls Fund supported 4,408 girls aged 5-18
Weber WBBL: Most-watched sports league in Oct-Nov.
How we estimated salaries for Australian women cricketers
We estimated the average salary for an Australian contracted player as follows:
According to the 2023–28 MOU, the average retainer for centrally contracted women’s cricketers was $139,719 AUD, which rose ~8% to $150,897 AUD the next year.
Adding the estimated average WBBL salary of $48,800 AUD brings most players’ total earnings to about $200,000 AUD.
When accounting for top earners, the squad-wide average rises to roughly $333,000 AUD, with the top player at $800,000 AUD and the next six around $500,000–$600,000 AUD.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟢 Exceptionally Strong 5-Year Investment Trajectory: The ECB plans to invest £20-25 Million ($27-33M USD) annually in women’s cricket by end of the decade.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Salary Range
£90,000-£130,000 ($118,600-$171,250)
Minimum (Tier 1): £33,333 Average (Tier 1): £53,333
Tier 1 counties include Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, and Warwickshire with Yorkshire to join in 2026 and Glamorgan in 2027.
£1 = $1.33 USD
The salary cap for Tier 1 counties is £500,000-£800,000, and a minimum of 15 contracted players are required for each Tier 1 county. The average domestic salary otherwise is £25,000, with £28,000 for senior pro level and £20,000 for Rookie level.
Note: Although 270+ players play across the domestic system, only 153 are supported by official domestic contracts.
Highest Paid WPL England Player Breakdown: England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt earns around $931,978 annually excluding sponsorships, match awards and bonuses:
Do they have a T20 league? Yes, The Women’s Hundred.
Tournament Performance:Number of ICC Trophies/Commonwealth: 17/23 (5 Wins, 12 Runners-Up)
Bottom Line: England’s women’s cricket is thriving. From leading the charge in the equal pay movement & the Women’s Hundred revolution to investing in domestic cricket & nationwide grassroots push, women’s cricket is in good place in England.
Potential Challenges: Although England has invested in the grassroots level, their social progress has not directly translated into tournament wins. Increasing salaries in the Women’s Hundred and increasing the standard of domestic cricket will hopefully lead them to create dominance like the Australian dynasties.
+£19M per year investment in women’s domestic cricket by 2027.
+£25M investment annually above forecasted revenues by 2029.
Equity Commitments (ICEC Report 2023)
The 2023 Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) recommended the following:
Equal match fees for men and women ✅ (implemented in 2023)
Equal domestic pay by 2029
100% equal international salary parity by 2030
Other Recommendations: Parity in Hundred salaries, captain’s allowances, win bonuses, introduction of Rookie Contracts, merit-based and inclusive talent pathway, financial aid, and more
Investment & Grassroots Growth
£1.2 million invested in a network of 100 Cricket Development Officers
Core City Hubs Programme: 285 hubs across 13 cities, engaging 30,000 players including 9,000 women and girls
£3.7M public funding from ESC Lottery fund, of which £850,000 was allocated for for Tacking inequality – Womens and Girls and £101,000 for “Female Talent Pathway”
Participation & Engagement (2023)
20% growth in women’s and girls’ teams from 2022 to 2023.
717 new women’s & girls’ teams
26,752 girls participated in Stars and Dynamos
7.4 million total audience for women’s cricket across formats
140% increase in women’s international (122,000) and 167% increase in viewership of Women’s Test
349,401 attended the 2025 The Women’s Hundred
+3000 bursaries (scholarships) to “enable individuals, especially women, ethnically diverse individuals, and disabled people, to qualify as coaches.”
538% increase in women’s professional players from 2020 to 2025
Quotes from PCA Women Impact Report
“For years I had a full-time job alongside playing top level domestic cricket as an amateur. The progress made in the past five years has been astounding…”
-Eve Jones, Lancashire
“A key priority for the players was agreeing a maternity policy which supports those wishing to start a family whilst still playing the game. The ECB were supportive of the policy and in 2025 now provide a fully paid maternity leave period of up to 12 months, with a 12-month contract extension for players returning from maternity leave.”
How We Estimated Salaries for England women cricketers
120 Tier 1 players * £53,333 average = £6,399,960
150 Tier 2 players × £20,000 = £3,000,000
20 central contracts × £110,000 = £2,200,000
Subtract overlapping County pay (20 * £53,333)
Adding everything up, England spends about £11,283,300 on player salaries, or about $15.02 million.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟡 Financially Improving, fewer resources 5-Year Investment Trajectory: NZC short-term focus is on developing young cricketers and increasing financial sustainability with TV rights and free-to-air opportunities for women’s cricket.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$152,796 NZD ($87,859 USD)
$18,646 NZD ($10,722 USD)
Maximum Salary
$163,246 NZD ($93,868)
$19,146 NZD ($11,009 USD)
Number of Players
17
72 players across 6 teams
Match Fees
$85,700 NZD* (included in salary)
$13,750 NZD* (included in salary)
$1 NZD = $0.58 USD
The salary for the Rank 1 player breakdown: $63,000 (Retainer), $85,700 (Match Fees), $6,750 (CPPT), $6,300 (Retirement Fund), Insurance ($1,496)
Match fees and CPPT is the same for all White Ferns contracts; only retainer and retirement fund fluctuate by ranking
CPPT: Cricket Players’ Property Trust
Match Fees Includes:
$10,250 (Test – which White Ferns have not played for 20+ years)
$4000 (ODI), $2500 (T20I)
$800 (Domestic ODI), $575 (Domestic T20)
Highest Paid New Zealand WPL Player breakdown:Amelia Kerr earns about $435,755 annually excluding bonuses, match awards, and sponsorships. In 2024, she earned around $582,960 with the 2024 T20 WC prize money.
$192,000: WPL
$147,203 ($256,000 NZD): 2024 T20 World Cup prize money
$86,539 (£65,000): The Hundred
$85,545 ($148,946 NZD): Salary (retainer + match fees)
Bottom Line: The 2024 T20 World Cup win boosted the White Ferns, and they have recently focused on developing grassroots cricket. However, compared to the Big 3, they do not have nearly as much participation in girls cricket or financial investment in women’s cricket.
Potential Challenges: As the senior pros head towards retirement, NZ need to focus on increasing their talent depth. They do well with the resources they currently have, but risk falling behind with the lack of resources.
The landmark agreement between NZC, New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA), and Major Associations in 2022 yielded the following:
Equal match fees for men and women on the same day
Player payments based on 29.75% of NZC’s projected commercial revenue over 5 years (NZ$349m), expected to total NZ$104M.
Prioritizes growth in participation of women and girls, leveraging free-to-air TVNZ coverage.
“At domestic level we increased the number of women’s annual contracts awarded by 30% to further invest in the development of our pipeline…As a result, cricket is becoming the most attractive professional sport in the country for young female athletes…The 15-strong squad who contested the World Cup final received circa NZ$256,000 in prize money each, on top of their annual retainers and match fees.”
Investment & Grassroots Growth
Average Live Audience for White Fern matches → 190,000 in 2020/21 (from 31,000 in 2016/17)
Around 821,000 people watched at least one of 20 Women’s Super Smash matches
In Otago alone, about 124 teams of girls took place in Girls Smash. Wellington, Marlborough, and Canterbury followed with over 1,000 girls involved now.
Around 43,596 females participated in 2020-21 before the Covid-19 dropoff to 26,321 the next year
Aspiring Female Umpire & Pathway to Performance Programs: 20 coaches/umpires trained in 2023-24, 12 women promoted to Head or Assistance Coach roles in the 2024 National U-19 Women’s Tournament, 15 new female coaches developed through Cricket Wellington Women & Girls Coaching Course
Female Leadership Initiatives: Leadership Development Contestable Fund, other leadership programs for women and girls
How We Estimated Salaries for White Ferns central contracts:
NZC lays out the salary bands of players based on different rankings:
Rank 1 – $163,246
Rank 9 – $148,946
Rank 17 – $142,346
However, it does not layout the rankings in the middle so we take the average between the highest and lowest for this average: ($163,246+$142,346)/2 = $152,796.
Combining both domestic and central contracts, NZCricket spends around $2.27 million on player salaries
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟡 Financially Stable, Lacking Vision 10-Year Investment Trajectory: BCCI spends around $10-11 million per-year on women’s domestic cricket, which means they will spend more than $100M in a 10-year cycle on women’s cricket.
Bottom Line: As the financial powerhouse of world cricket, India is pouring money into the WPL and have thousands of women cricketers playing in the domestic circuit. However, there seems to be a lack of longterm vision and systemic grassroots growth.
Potential Challenges: India’s main challenge will be navigating an evolving socioeconomic landscape and create a better cricket infrastructure for more girls to participate.
Australia Women’s Tour to India: 15.53 Crore, England W tour to India: 9.39 Crore
England A Women’s tour: 1.98 Crore
Women’s Emerging Asia Cup: 1.7 Crore, Women’s Tour to Bangladesh: 5.91 Crore, Women’s Asian Games: 2.22 Crore
Note: According to Times of India, about 96 Crore INR is budgeted for women’s domestic cricket in the 2025/26 BCCI budget. We have not been able to find the BCCI budget, but it is close to the 89.82 Crore INR from BCCI’s 2023/24 annual report.
Strategic Vision
Apart from match fees pay equity and annual financial reports, I did not find any strategic visions or 5 to 10-year plans from BCCI like Australia, England, or New Zealand have neatly presented.
Hence, I looked at Jay Shah’s tweets to see his vision for women cricket and grassroots development in India.
Hosting the @ICC@cricketworldcup in India enables us to have a significant impact at the grassroots level.
My sincere thanks to @DP_World, who share our vision of promoting the game and empowering women's cricket. As part of the Beyond Boundaries Initiative, 250 kits were… https://t.co/D1oWXNWuQ3
Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the game, and I am dedicated to preserving its stature while enhancing its appeal to fans. Simultaneously, women's cricket will be a cornerstone of our growth strategy as we take the sport to new horizons.
Women’s Cricket in India is on the upswing and the World Cup triumph has taken the stature of women’s cricket several notches higher. I am delighted to announce INR 5 crore for the entire team and support staff as prize money. This is surely a path-breaking year.
In a historic stride for Indian cricket, Jacintha Kalyan has become the trailblazing pioneer as the first female cricket pitch curator in our nation. 🙌 Taking the helm of pitch preparation for the inaugural leg of the Women's Premier League in Bengaluru, Jacintha embodies the… pic.twitter.com/AVqLondy77
After pay equity, today's bidding for media rights for Women's IPL marks another historic mandate. It's a big and decisive step for empowerment of women's cricket in India, which will ensure participation of women from all ages. A new dawn indeed! #WIPL@ICC@BCCIWomen
How We Estimated Average Domestic Indian Women Cricket Salaries
There are two major tournaments: Senior Women’s T20 Trophy and Senior Women’s ODI Trophy. In both tournaments, teams play about 7 matches in group-stages and can further qualify to pre-quarters, quarters, semi-finals, and finals.
1072 women cricketers are named in the Senior Women T20 Squad for the 31 teams, averaging 34.58 players per team. This means 11 players will play each match and about 23.6 players will be on the bench.
Playing XI earns 20,000 INR: 11 * 20,000 = 220,000. Bench earns 10,000: 23.6 *10,000 = 236,000
Hence, each team pays their players about 456,000 INR per match on average.
If teams do not qualify, the tournament spend on salary is 456,000 * 14 = 6,348,000 INR. If qualifying teams play ~ 16 matches, the total is close to 7,296,000 INR. From the 31 teams, if 8 qualify and 23 do not, we can estimate the total cost as follows: (8*7,296,000) + (23*6,348,000) = 205,200,000/1072 = 191,441 INR per player per season.
Overall, the BCCI pays its central contract holders about 3.6 Crore INR and about 20.5 Crore INR to its domestic players, for a total of 20.8 Crore INR (or $2.37 million total) excluding match fees for international players.
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Have vision, but in the process of professionalizing Investment Trajectory: South Africa government investment 15M ZAR ($USD 869,000) in women’s cricket in the lead-up to the 2023 T20 World Cup and the U-19 T20 WC.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
N/A
N/A
Number of Players
15
68 (plus 17 high performance and academy contracts)
Match Fees
Test: $6,925 ODI: $1,900 T20I: $911
N/A
1 ZAR = $0.06 USD ($1 = 17.23 ZAR)
Unfortunately, there is no publicly available information of how much the central contracts are worth for women’s cricketers in South Africa. The match fees is from ESPNCricinfo’s 2017 report and may be outdated. CSA now provides equal match fee for both their women’s and men’s cricketers.
Highest Paid South African WPL Player breakdown:Marizanne Kapp earns between $400,000-$480,000 annually before sponsorships, etc. Here is the breakdown:
Bottom Line: South Africa have produced world-class cricketers in the last few years, but women’s domestic cricket is just becoming professional. Hosting the 2023 T20 World Cup created a cycle of investment in women’s cricket according to the Nielsen report. They are now focusing on investing in women’s domestic and junior level cricket to complete the transition from amateur to professionalization.
Potential Challenges: Making the finals of the 2023 and 2024 T20 World Cups was no easy feat, but can they sustain the momentum once the golden generation retires?
“…the continued professionalisation of the women’s game through the appointment of a permanent head coach marks a landmark achievement.“
-Rihan Richards, President (CSA)
“Focus on women’s cricket: Significant attention was given on advancing the growth and professionalisation of women’s cricket. The committee supported increased investment in domestic women’s structures, advocated for broader enhanced media coverage and commercial partnerships and the integration of former women players in strategic discussions, reflecting CSA’s commitment to transformation and gender inclusivity.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Increasing Investments 10-Year Investment Trajectory: In 2023, CWI announced they would start significant investments in women’s cricket. For example, business class flights for long-haul travels and single rooms for international assignments were added to match the men’s team policy, adding $500,000 in budget alone.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$50,000-$100,000
N/A
Number of Players
15 (3 with multi-year contracts)
14 (Women’s academy)
Match Fees
ODI: $2,300 T20I: $1,735
N/A
*Note: The match fees reflects equal match fees, when it does come into effect, based on our estimates for Men’s match fees.
Highest Paid West Indian WPL Player breakdown:Deandra Dottin earned approximately $269,200 in 2023-24. She had retired from international cricket, so no salary estimate is added.
West Indies played about 7 ODIs and 16 T20Is in 2024, which could add an additional $43,860 in match fees for those who played on top of the central contract.
Bottom Line: Failure to qualify for the 2025 ODI World Cup marked a low note for the 2016 T20 World Cup winners and the 2022 ODI World Cup semi-finalists. The successes in the last decade would have inspired a new generation of players. Does the WI have systems in place to capitalize for this talent?
Potential Challenges: The need to widen talent pool and depth to match the dominance of Australia & England.
“The MOU was signed by Cricket West Indies and the West Indies Players’ Association and set a clear path for West Indies cricket to achieve parity in international and regional match fees, international captain’s allowances, international team prize money and regional individual prize money for all West Indies cricketers by 1 October 2027.”
Goals
“Establishment of Key Performance Indicators for Territorial Boards linked to new funding model with clear minimum standards including dedicated support for women and girls programmes and high-performance programmes.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Increasing Investments, low resources 10-Year Investment Trajectory: Increased annual investment from €500,000 ($582,000) before 2019 to €1.5M ($1.75M). The investment will go towards player contracts and match fees, coaching and support staff, infrastructure, etc. In 10 years, about $15-20M can be invested in women’s cricket if they continue on this path.
Average Salary: $50,000-$75,000 (including match fees).
Highest Paid Irish WPL Player breakdown: Gaby Lewis was selected in The Hundred as an overseas wildcard in 2023, where salaries may be between £7,500-£15,000 ($10,000-$20,000). This means her annual salary that year could have been close to $60,000-$100,000.
Ireland’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 60.1%
WPSI: 0.892 (#13)
Female Literacy Rate: 99%
Global Inequality Index: 0.054 (#19)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: With high socioeconomic indices, Ireland shouldn’t have trouble progressing to the next level of professionalization in women’s cricket. The next step is to find more players that can consistently be selected in overseas T20 leagues to raise their standards.
Potential Challenges: They are investing well for their size, but they also need to think about widening their talent pool.
45% increase in women’s cricket investment (from 2016 to 2021)
1,582 female cricketers registered across all levels
Funding: Received €70,000 from Sport Ireland for 2024, with €103,038 total expenditure after carryover.
Broadcast Boost:Virgin Media aired women’s internationals free-to-air for the first time; €60,000 allocated to televise the England series at Clontarf.
Professionalization: Entry into the ICC Women’s Championship (2021) led to the first full-time contracts for women.
Sponsorship:Certa renewed as main team sponsor.
Goals (by 2023)
Get Cricket to be in top 10 choice of sports for girls in Ireland
Achieve 50% increase in participation
Develop talent pool of accredited female coaches and officials
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 National investment in grassroots women’s cricket growing, the beginning of professionalization for women’s cricket in the country. Investment Trajectory: Increased women cricket’s spending from 70M PKR ($249,000) to 240M PKR ($854,000).
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
$2,000-$12,500
420,000 PKR ($1,495)
Number of Players
20 (18 central, 2 emerging)
65
Match Fees
N/A
20,000 PKR/match 10,000 PKR (bench)
$1 = 281.04 PKR
Currently, a domestic Pakistan player can play upwards of 31 days of cricket in a year
The retainer salaries of Pakistan’s contracted players is not available. I’d expect it to be higher than their domestic salaries.
A number of players including Fatima Sana are in the upcoming WBBL draft. However, in the past, not Pakistan players have made it to the Hundred or WBBL teams.
Pakistan’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 24.3%
WPSI: 0.481 (#158)
Female Literacy Rate: 46.5%
Global Inequality Index: 0.536 (#145)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: Pakistan have started domestic contracts, which is a step in the right direction. However, domestic pay is too low to encourage widespread growth at the moment.
Potential Challenges: Overcoming cultural and socioeconomic challenges to increase awareness and promote more girls taking up sports. Pakistan needs an inspiring tournament run to motivate a generation.
In the 2019-23 5-Year Plan, the PCB laid out their vision as follows:
Develop a National High Performance Center for women
Build infrastructure and development programs for female coaches
Ensure inclusion of women in reformed grassroots programs and integrate women’s cricket into the six Cricket Associations.
Pakistan’s 2025-26 domestic season includes tournaments for Women’s U-19 T20 Tournament, Inter-university tournaments, and National Women’s ODI and T20 tournaments signifying a step in the right direction.
“Our Pathways structure continues to evolve with the aim of building a strong future for Pakistan women’s cricket. The U19 T20 tournament, followed by the tour to Bangladesh will offer young players valuable exposure and an opportunity to develop the skills required at the international level…We are also actively engaging in discussion with various departments to introduce a departmental tournament for women’s cricket. This initiative will provide additional playing opportunities for our women cricketers.”
– Rafia Haider, Head of Women’s Cricket
This PCB Podcast with Rafia Haider is a revelation, which shows the planning and vision PCB has women’s cricket.
Overview of Women’s Cricket in Pakistan
“Socially, we have a limitation. We have been able to overcome these challenges, credit to PCB and support of parents...Progress has been made in the last couple of years especially with budgetary approvals, working on FTP, domestic setup add-ons. I am having a good time that I have an empowered role. We have domestic programs, 9 academies with dedicated support staff across Pakistan that works round the year…The rewards for best players have been enhanced. For our regional tournament, skills and fitness will be emphasized. We were lacking fitness standards, and this is a focus for us. Contracts will be based on fitness and performance...”
Create a Robust Inter-Collegiate Ecosystem
“Schools are non-existent (as development pool). Most of our players come from a handful of colleges and universities. The PCB has started new program for schools to register in and nominate their players (over 50 institutions have showed interest). Men’s cricket have clubs and street cricket. The goal is to create a proper inter-school and inter-collegiate tournaments. We are targeting U-15 and U-17 development to start off early that builds our U-19 pool…We are increasing number of series and engagements with international teams in both U-19 and national level…Merit based selection is key.”
Increasing Visibility
Until we increase visibility, we cannot increase engagement. Lack of awareness in women’s cricket can only be solved when our national stars become household names (ex: Sadia, Fatima, Diana who have broken the barrier). People appreciated our show in the Women’s WC Qualifiers. Projection is key, so families know that things can better. Trying to create positive engagement with current players via social media platforms so younger players to be part of the story.”
Domestic Infrastructure for Women’s Cricket
“HPC Karachi is dedicated for women’s cricket. Karachi stadium and facilities are available to women’s teams, U-19, and extended skill camps. We are working with the NCA to ensure additional support staff. We are also working with increasing stadium availability and intra-region practice matches. Coaching staff will engage within their districts and schools. We lack in the refereeing and coaching side. There are ex-players who have taken Level 2 & Level 3 coaching. We are trying to facilitate this with ICC and NCA to organize this. We are also increasing a focus on mixed refereeing.”
Message for the People
One thing that should change is the people’s attitude is bring their kids in. There is progress, but a lot more needs to come in. This is a societal effort, we need to realize that women’s sports is important. If you put your heart into it, hardwork is essential. Yes there are limitations in society and administration. We are trying our level best to bring cricket to their doorsteps, but people need to come forward as well.”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Low player salary, but structures beginning to be put in place Investment Trajectory: 30 domestic state contracts started this year.
Bangladesh player Salary breakdown: In 2024, Nigar Sultana played 6 ODIs and 19 T20Is, which earned her about $4,650 in match fees. Presuming that she has a Grade A contract, Sultana’s overall salary annually is between $17,000-$20,000.
Unfortunately, not many Bangladesh players have been selected for the WPL, WBBL, and the Hundred.
Bangladesh’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Female Labor Force Participation: 44.2%
WPSI: 0.593 (#131)
Female Literacy Rate: 72%
Global Inequality Index: 0.487 (#125)
Bottom Line: Bangladesh are showing signs of professionalizing, but need to elevate to the next level. If they produce 2-3 more world class players who get into the WPL/Hundred/WBBL drafts, then that can change the perspective of women’s cricket in Bangladesh.
Potential Challenges: Pay may be too low for aspiring women’s cricketers to devote a career into the sport.
“The women’s national contract is similar to the first-class players’ contract for male cricketers. The board has decided to introduce this in an effort to provide financial stability to a large pool of women cricketers. Thirty cricketers, who are not a part of the central contract, have been placed in the women’s national contract…”
Women’s Cricket Health: 🟠 Lower paid, just started professionalizing Investment Trajectory: A 23,855,000 LKR ($78,667) “ICC Women’s Cricket Financial Grant” was provided to SLC for 2023.
Central & Domestic Contracts
Category
Central Contracts
Domestic State Contracts
Average Salary*
2,400,000 LKR ($7,915)
N/A
Maximum Salary
3,600,000 LKR ($11,872)
N/A
Number of Players
25
15
Match Fees
$750/match $250 bonus for matches won
N/A
$1 = 303.24 LKR
National Contracts are divided in Grades A-D, but the amounts are not specified (salaries may range from 100,000 LKR to 300,000 LKR).
*Emerging players earn a ‘fixed monthly rate and an attendance allowance’
Highest Paid Sri Lankan WPL Player breakdown:Chamari Athapaththu earns approximately $226,741 annually before sponsorships and other awards:
$86,539 (£65,000): The Hundred
~ $71,671 ($110,000 AUD): WBBL, pre-signed
$34,159 (30 Lakh INR): WPL
$22,500: Match Fees (9 ODIs, 21 T20Is in 2024)
$11,872: Central Contract
Sri Lanka’s Women’s Socioeconomic Metrics
Female Labor Force Participation: 31.6%
WPSI: 0.743 (#60)
Female Literacy Rate: 91.6%
Global Inequality Index: 0.367 (#93)
Do they have a T20 league? No.
Tournament Performance: 0/23
Bottom Line: Sri Lanka have the heart, but the structure is just not there yet. I hope that the 2024 Asia Cup win inspired the next generation of talent so Sri Lanka are in a safer place after Athapaththu retires
Potential Challenges: Raising domestic salaries to professionalize the sport is the most important challenge Sri Lanka must overcome.
The ICC and other boards have pooled in money to support the displaced Afghanistan women’s cricket team to provide them with facilities, training camps, and practice matches.
USA, Netherlands, Thailand, and the UAE women’s teams are also teams that may rise in the next couple of decades.
I'm proud to announce on behalf of the @ICC a landmark initiative we've partnered on with the BCCI, England & Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia to assist displaced Afghan women cricketers in both their cricketing and development journeys.
Final Thoughts: Where Does Women’s Cricket Go from Here?
Aside from the lack of marketing and rain, the 2025 ODI World Cup marks another milestone with a record $13.88 million prize money. It reflects how much the women’s game has grown in visibility and value since the successful 2017 and 2020 World Cups.
Women’s cricket is no longer.a niche sport.
However, unless more countries 10x their investments in women cricket (and maybe the ICC needs to help out), Australia & England will almost always be in the finals and two out of South Africa-West Indies-India-New Zealand will complete the rest of the semi-finalists.
I am hopeful of Ireland, Scotland, and Sri Lanka rising up the ranks, but only time will tell.
For now, let’s admire Australia’s dominance and let it remind us what long-term planning can achieve in women’s cricket.
The fielders glance at the sky. Spectators snap their fingers.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
****
You step away from the cricket and take a walk.
Flowers drift with the breeze, river streams glisten. Even inside, you can hear each droplet of water as you wash the dishes, the TV humming softly in the background.
Back on the field, applause drifts across the stands. Commentators fill the silence. You begin to notice the shades of grass, the cracks on the pitch, the shape of the umpire’s hat.
Hours pass. The sun begins to set.
Friends catch up over a beer, rivals turn partners, families reunite.
The bowlers are still running in. And Cheteshwar Pujara is still there.
Block. A single. A couple of runs. A four down the ground. Block again.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
****
Cheteshwar Pujara could make you feel time and cricket in its purest form.
The crisp sound of his defensive stroke striking the middle of the willow had a beauty of its own.
You might not be glued to your screens for every ball, but you knew: as long as he was there, Team India was safe.
That safety net is now gone. Pujara has officially retired. In his own words, “All good things must come to an end.”
I vividly recall Pujara’s debut in 2010. In a tense second-innings chase of 207, he was sent in at #3 while Rahul Dravid was dropped down the order.
Pujara scored 72 (129) at a strike rate of 80.89. In that moment, I thought to myself, India had found an absolute gem.
At the same time, it felt like the beginning of the end for Rahul Dravid, my favorite player growing up (Here is the first article I ever wrote, What Rahul Dravid Taught Me).
The passing of the torch was happening in real time.
The Dawn of the Pujara Decade
Later that year in South Africa, Pujara struggled against the pace and bounce. However, after the horrors of 0-8 in 2011 and the retirements of Laxman and Dravid, he roared back into the side in 2012.
Between August 2012 and March 2013, Pujara score 159, 206*, 135, and 204 against New Zealand, England, and Australia, cementing his place in the team for a decade to come.
He continued delivering memorable knocks over the next four years: 153 at Johannesburg, carrying in bat with a 145* in Colombo, 202 at Ranchi, and a string of hundreds against Sri Lanka in 2017.
By the end of 2017, the 29-year old Pujara had played 53 Tests, averaging 53.38.
Pujara’s Annus Mirabilis – Australia’s Nightmare, His Masterpiece
In 1905, Albert Einstein published papers on photoelectric effect, special relativity, Brownian motion, and e=mc^2, all in a single year. Such a feat is called a scientists’ Annus Mirabilisor “miracle year.”
Sir Isaac Newton had his miracle year in 1665-1666 (calculus, laws of motion, gravity). Marie Curie discovered polonium and radium in 1898, Ramanujan revolutionized partitions and prime numbers in 1919-20, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps dominated 2008, and Sachin Tendulkar owned 1998.
For Cheteshwar Pujara, it was the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar series.
Australia is notoriously a graveyard for visiting sides, especially Asian teams. India came close in 2003-04 with a 1-1 draw, but a series win remained elusive.
Against Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon in their prime, Pujara’s performances were nothing short of heroic: From 3/19, Pujara’s 123 at Adelaide revived India, followed it up with a 71 (204) in the second innings, a Boxing day century at the MCG, and a 193-run epic in Sydney.
After facing 1258 balls, scoring 521 runs with 3 centuries, he deservedly won the Player of the Series award in India’s historic 2-1 victory.
Pujara carried India on his shoulders in that series, cementing his place in the pantheon of legends in Indian cricket.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21: The Series That Defined Grit
The next tour was not as prolific for Pujara, but he was every bit as instrumental.
He would score 271 runs off 928 balls. No hundreds, and three of his own slowest fifties. Yet he hung in there, took the body blows, and helped India edge to a 2-1 victory once again, coming back from 36/9.
An unlikely triumph, one of the most memorable in recent history.
The 2023 WTC Final, where India lost its second consecutive title, would be his last Test. In the final four years, Pujara averaged 20.37, 28.08, 45.44, and 25.85, dropping his career average from a peak of 67.63 (after 16 Tests) to 43.6.
Pujara-Kohli-Rahane were meant to succeed Dravid-Tendulkar-Laxman. They all had their moments, a few prolific years, but it ended far too soon.
Rahane did not make it to 100 Tests, and Kohli fell 770 runs short of the 10K club. While Pujara crossed the 100-Test milestone, played 13 years, and scored 7195 runs, he faced 15,041 fewer balls than Dravid.
But numbers tell only part of the story. He batted in an era of challenging pitches where top-order batters struggled worldwide. Yet, he conquered the mighty Australians, not once, but twice.
Rahul Dravid’s ESPNCricinfo profile begins with “Rahul Dravid was probably one of the last classical Test match batters.”
He was a rare breed but was not alone: Chanderpaul, Younis Khan, Graeme Smith, Sangakkara stood alongside him. Later came Cook, Trott, Elgar, Azhar Ali, and yes, Pujara.
Although Root and Williamson carry on the tradition of Test match batting, their style blends the old with the modern.
But with Pujara’s retirement, it feels like the cricket world has truly witnessed the last of the classical Test batters.
The end of an era.
What Cheteshwar Pujara Taught Me
We live in a world of Reels and TikToks, where watching a 15-second clip seems too long, a 45-minute class boring, and a five-year career? Unfathomable.
In a world of instant gratification, Pujara reminds me that old-school values still matter.
Resilience. Patience. Grit. These words immediately spring to mind when you think of Pujara. His relationship with time was beyond imagination. The ability to have a long-term vision, while making every moment count.
What Will I Remember the Most?
Apart from the Australia series and the partnerships, I will remember Pujara’s cut shots, and movement against spin. Speaking of spin, a word on Nathan Lyon.
Nathan Lyon vs Pujara was one of our generation’s greatest contests. One of the finest off-spinners of all-time tried every trick, and all Pujara does is dance down the wicket, and pad him away. Something I will never forget.
I highly recommend watching the first season of The Ashes. The Australians saw so much of Pujara that he broke them mentally and physically. I will leave you with some quotes from that web series:
“Pujara, to a younger generation, is almost a curiosity. As the game moves more and more towards T20, the savior of our game, the word ‘resilience’ starts to go out, because there is no time for resilience.”
– Harsha Bhogle
“Pujara is old school, he’s a classic Test match batsman.”
“It would be lovely to just look at this here this week and go, why do we complain, why do we worry about Test match cricket?
…Why do people knock this format? It is just so wonderful, but I am afraid, other countries don’t have the luxury that England, India, Australia have…So, we and India and Australia have to keep an eye on the future of Test match cricket. If we let this go, we are not doing the game a service…We need to keep an eye on this and keep pushing it forward and look after those who are not as fortunate.”
Nasser Hussain
It is a beautiful sentiment, and most fans would likely agree, Nasser.
But it is also paradoxical.
This is probably not the ideal week to bring this up—not after five gripping Tests, packed crowds, and an absolute bonkers of a finish. But here is the uncomfortable truth:
In trying to save Test cricket, the Big 3 may be unintentionally suffocating it.
The Narrative that ‘Test Cricket Is Dying’ is Hurting the Game
Each time the Ashes, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, or an India-England series rolls around, we hear the same recycled narrative: “Test Cricket is in Danger.”
But is it really?
The love for the format was evident in the World Test Championship final, with South Africa showcasing their quality and a neutral English crowd adding to the occasion.
Test cricket is thriving, at least in England, Australia, and India.
And that’s precisely the problem. In their effort to protect and profit from the format, the Big 3 have increasingly started playing exclusively amongst themselves.
The spectators get quality Test cricket, packed stadiums, polished broadcasts, and high TV ratings. The format “stays alive.”
The Never-Ending Tri-Series
At this point, Test cricket has morphed into a never-ending tri-series between India, England, and Australia.
ENG in IND (Nov 16-Feb 17)
AUS in IND (Feb-Mar 17)
IND in ENG (Jul-Sept 18)
ENG in AUS (Nov 17-Jan 18)
IND in AUS (Nov 18-Jan 19)
AUS in ENG (Aug-Sep 19)
IND in ENG (Aug-Sept 21/22)
IND in AUS (Nov 20-Jan 21)
ENG in IND (Feb-Mar 21)
ENG in AUS (Dec 21-Jan 22)
AUS in IND (Feb-Mar 23)
AUS in ENG (Jun-Jul 23)
ENG in IND (Jan-Mar 24)
IND in AUS (Nov 24-Jan 25)
IND in ENG (Jun-Aug 25)
ENG in AUS (Nov 25-Jan 26)
Whoever said it was right.
India vs England is prep for the upcoming Ashes. Just like the Ashes will be prep for the next BGT.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world waits:
Zimbabwe have not toured Australia for a Test series since 2003.
Australia last played a Test against Bangladesh in 2017.
England did not tour Sri Lanka between 2012 and 2018.
India last visited New Zealand 2-match Test series in February 2020 before the pandemic. That feels ages ago.
Even the popular NZ-Eng series hasn’t seen a four-Test series since 1999.
And these are just a few examples.
Test cricket has practically only grown from 2 thriving cricketing nations to 3 thriving nations in a 150 years.
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) August 5, 2025
The Game Theory Problem: Everyone for Themselves
The Prisoner’s Dilemma is a classic game theory problem, a study of how rational decisions made in self-interest can lead to worse outcomes for everyone involved.
Imagine two individuals who are both accused of a crime and interrogated separately. Each has two choices: stay silent (cooperate) or betray the other (defect):
If both stay silent, they get out with light sentences (let’s say 1 year each).
If one defects while the other stays silent, the defector goes free (0 years) while the other gets a heavy sentence (10 years).
If they both defect, they each serve moderate time (3 years).
Logically, each person would want to defect to avoid the worst-case scenario. But when both individuals make the ‘rational’ choice, they end up worse off than if they had trusted each other. And that’s the dilemma:
Acting in self-interest leads to a collectively worse outcome, even when cooperation would have helped them both.
Cooperation Requires Sacrifice, but Cricket’s Not Designed for It
We have all criticized the ICC at one point or another.
But let’s give them some grace. Unlike other global sporting bodies, the ICC isn’t a centralized power.
Cricket is not a single unified business. Rather, it is network of competing bodies trying to protect their self-interests with the ICC acting as a mediator. Consider the Test-playing nations:
12 International Boards with their own finances and calendars. The boards need to care of their players, staff, stadiums, and local boards.
And of course, the broadcasters, whose rights deals prop up the whole system
That’s 50+ separate individual business entities, each trying to show profits, satisfy sponsors, and keep their board of directors happy.
Now, in theory, this can work. Money is not a zero-sum game, and multiple businesses can succeed together.
However, cricket has two unavoidable constraints:
The calendar: There are only so many days of the year and even fewer in a cricket summer seasons are even shorter.
The players: Unlike soccer, where there is a plethora of international quality athletes, cricket keeps copying and pasting the same pool of global T20 stars (think Rashid Khan, Pooran, Klaasen, Faf, Russell, etc.).
And when everyone’s fighting for the same weeks and the same set of players, it turns into Survival of the Fittest, a capitalistic model where some thrive but at the expense of the others.
Supply and Demand: The Big 3 Leagues are Draining the World’s Talent
England and Australia have short cricket summers, which means cramming Tests, County, bilateral series, and T20 leagues in a tight window.
The impact?
We rarely see the stars like Steve Smith or Mitchell Starc playing a full season of Big Bash or Ben Stokes playing in The Hundred.
Here’s the catch: The Big Bash and The Hundred and the individual franchises still need to maintain profitability. So what do they do?
They import talent. They poach the West Indians, South Africans, Kiwis, Pakistanis, and beyond to elevate the standard of their own leagues.
While England, Australia, and India try to ‘preserve Test cricket’ at home, their T20 leagues drain the talent pipelines of Test cricket elsewhere.
The smaller nations have a supply of great talent, but they don’t have the financial strength to retain them. These players have to go where the demand is: The IPL, Big Bash, MLC, The Hundred, SA20, ILT20.
But wait, Cricket West Indies, PCB, CSA, NZC, they all need to make money too, right?
To survive in the limited calendar, they have to make tough choices: Launching their own T20 leagues, trimming down Test tours due to cost and scheduling clashes, and squeezing random bilateral ODI series with India to stay financially afloat.
This creates a cascading effect: (1) oversaturation of cricket, (2) early Pooran-esque retirements, (3) higher injury risks, and (4) growing friction between players and their boards.
The Vicious Cycle of Modern Test Cricket
We can summarize the vicious cycle of modern Test cricket that we have know become accustomed to.
1. Big 3 Dominate the Calendar
India, England, and Australia pack their summers with high-profile Test series, leaving no room for their stars in domestic T20 leagues (except for the IPL)
2. Top Players are Poached from Smaller Nations
Leagues like the BBL and The Hundred fill the gaps by importing talent from smaller nations.
3. Smaller Boards Cut Tests to Survive
With finances tight, smaller boards prioritize limited over bilateral and launch their own leagues, but are unable to retain their players.
4. Test Quality Drops Justifying More Big 3 Series
Then, once in a blue moon, an Australia visits a West Indian side and completely decimates it. The “Test cricket is dying” narrative returns, reinforcing the idea that only the Big 3 can keep the format alive.
Final Thoughts: The Big 3 Didn’t Mean to Kill It. But They Are
As fans, we want it all—packed stadiums in the Caribbean, epic five-Test rivalries, a thriving County game, an entertaining IPL season, the Poorans & Klaasens lighting up the 2026 T20 World Cup, an ODI game that still provides finishes like the 2019 WC Finals, return of the Champions League T20, room for Associates to grow, and much more.
Unfortunately, with a finite cricket calendar, a limited player pool, and every board, franchise, and broadcasters all acting rationally in their own self-interest, something has to give.
The Big 3 claim to be protecting Test cricket, but what have they actually sacrificed?
