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155 Greatest Cricketers of All Time (Men’s): The Complete List (Updated 2023)

It’s time to discuss the greatest cricketers of all time. This ultimate list will feature 155 top cricketers across formats and eras—from WG Grace to Kieron Pollard.

Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo just retired as players from the IPL and left their imprints on T20 cricket. As T20s evolve and become central to the cricketing universe, why not make a list of the greatest cricketers of all time across formats and eras?

Contents

Key Takeaways

  • Over 250 cricketers were considered for this list. We consider Tests, ODIs, T20Is, T20 leagues, and first-class cricket played over 145 years.
  • Sir Donald Bradman is chosen as the Greatest Cricketer of All-Time with WG Grace, Sachin Tendulkar, Jack Hobbs, Shane Warne, Frank Worrell, and Sir Garfield Sobers close behind.
  • England (40), Australia (31), West Indies (24) dominated the list due to their rich first class and World Cup histories. The breakdown of the rest of the countries are as follows: India (14), Pakistan (13), South Africa (12), Sri Lanka (10), New Zealand (7), Zimbabwe (1), Afghanistan(1), and Bangladesh (1).

156-177 Greatest Cricketers: Unlucky to Miss Out

Those who were unlucky to miss out were:

Charles Bannerman, Johnny Tyldesley, Subhash Gupte, Mitchell Johnson, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, David Warner, Jeff Thompson, Shahid Afridi, Mark Waugh, Makhaya Ntini, Mike Brearley, Harbhajan Singh, Glenn Turner, Ben Stokes, Cheteshwar Pujara, Lance Klusener, Yuvraj Singh, Ian Healy, Vijay Hazare, Trent Boult, Ian Chappell, Saeed Ajmal

155 Greatest Cricketers of All Time: The Ultimate List

Picking the Top 155 players was a tough task, but do you know what was even tougher? Ranking them.

Without furthur ado, here is the list. Enjoy the classic photography and check out the videos linked under some players.

Disclaimer: The ranking is most likely going to not align with your views. Expect the unexpected. Several ‘great’ cricketers did not make the list (see the extended list of honorable mentions below) but the ones that did fundamentally helped change the game. Feel free to comment below on players who you think should be in the list.

155. Learie ‘Lord’ Baron Constantine (West Indies, 1921-1939)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Freelooters, Trinidad

An allrounder by trade, Constantine was one of West Indies’ early stars. More than his on-field accomplishments, he made an impact as a lawyer, politician, and Trinidad & Tobago’s High Commissioner to the UK.

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154. Alan Davidson (Australia, 1949-1963)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

An Australian left-arm pacer who “would be the most menacing new-ball bowler of his day” and was a handy batter in the lower order—The original Mitchell Johnson and Mitch Starc.

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153. Mitchell Starc (Australia, 2009-)

Major Teams: Australia, Australia U-19, New South Wales, Sydney Sixers, Yorkshire, Royal Challengers Bangalore

Speaking of Australian left arm pacers, Mitchell Starc. His World Cup exploits are alone to guarantee him a spot in the all-time list. Player of the Tournament when he helped Australia lift the trophy in 2015, he bettered himself in 2019 with the record tally of 27 wickets. Starc’s yorkers, early swing, and ability to clean up tails will be remembered forever.

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152. Stan McCabe (Australia, 1928-1942)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

Playing alongside Don Bradman, he was often overshadowed but was said to be a beautiful batter to watch. Even Sir Len Hutton remarked, “It would be hard to think of a greater Australian batsman. He had qualities that even Bradman hadn’t got.”He is best known for scoring 385 runs in that infamous Bodyline series.

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151. Sir Conrad Hunte (West Indies, 1950-1967)

Wisden remarks the Hunte “was one of the greatest West Indian batsmen of a great generation.” Even the great Desmond Haynes picked Hunte over himself in the All-Time Barbados XI “because he was simply the better batsman.”

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150. Godfrey Evans (England, 1939-1967)

Major Teams: England, Kent

ESPNCricinfo states that Evans was “arguably the best wicketkeeper the world has ever seen.” Played 91 Tests and even scored a couple of tons. Inflicted 1066 dismissals in his first-class career.

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149. Marvan Atapattu (Sri Lanka, 1988-2007)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Delhi Giant, Sinhalese Sports Club

From 0,0.0,1,0,0 to establishing himself as the backbone of Sri Lanka’s Test batting seven years later and ending with six double centuries is a beautiful story. Decent ODI player with 8500 runs as well.

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148. Hugh Tayfield (South Africa, 1945-1963)

Major Teams: South Africa, Rhodesia, Natal, Transvaal

Wisden remarks that Tayfield was “one of the greatest off spinners the game has ever seen.” Once took 9/113 in an innings.

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147. Sunil Narine (West Indies, 2009-)

Major Teams: West Indies, West Indies U-19s, Barisal Burners, Cape Cobras, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dynamites, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lahore Qalandars, Melbourne Renegades, Montreal Tigers, Oval Invincibles, Quetta Gladiators, Sydney Sixers, Trinbago Knight Riders, Trinidad & Tobago

Redefined three aspects of the T20 game—economical spin bowling, the mystery spin, and pinch hitting.

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146. Mulvantrai ‘Vinoo’ Mankad (India, 1935-1962)

Major Teams: India, Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Nawanagar

Although his name is infamously slandered for non-strikers run out, he was actually “one of the greatest allrounders India ever produced.”

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145. Richie Benaud (Australia, 1948-1964)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

Before he was the voice of cricket, he was remembered as one of Australia’s greatest captains. His aggressive captaincy led to the first tied Test in cricket’s history. As a leg spinning allrounder, he was the first man to complete the double of 200 Test wickets and 2000 runs.

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144. Rohit Sharma (India, 2006-)

Major Teams: India, India U-19, Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians, Mumbai

264, 209, 208*, 171*, 162, 159, 152*, 150.

An ODI legend with a penchant for the mammoth hundreds. Easy on the eye, one of the best IPL captains, a T20 World Cup winner, and one of the best pullers the game has ever seen.

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143. Bob Simpson (Australia, 1952-1978)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia

Played the third longest Test innings (743 balls) when he scored 311 against England in 1964. A leg-spinner allrounder who became an opening Test batter is a noteworthy achievement.

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142. Peter May (England, 1950-1963)

Major Teams: England, Cambridge University, Surrey

Although he had a decent Test career, his first-class stats are outrageous—27592 runs with 85 hundreds.

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141. Saeed Anwar (Pakistan, 1986-2003)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore, United Bank Limited, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan

A graceful left-hander, his 194 withstood the test of time until Sachin Tendulkar’s 200 broke his record. Anwar was the highest scoring opener in the 1990s in ODI cricket.

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140. Sir Clyde Walcott (West Indies, 1941-1964)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, British Guiana

One of the famous ‘3 Ws’ in West Indies’ middle order, he was a steady cog of West Indies’ middle order. 15 Test hundreds, 40 first class centuries, and Test average of 56.68. Fun fact, Walcott holds the record for the fewest ducks in career.

Also See: Sir Frank Worrell (#6), Sir Clyde Walcott (#134)

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139. Ted Dexter (England, 1956-1968)

Major Teams: England, Sussex, Cambridge University

Dexter scored 21150 first class runs with 51 centuries and had a 62-match Test career. He was known was his counter-attacking style of play.

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138. Sir Everton Weekes (West Indies, 1944-1964)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados

Weekes was one of the best in his time. Centuries in five consecutive innings, joint fastest to a 1000 Test runs, and ended with a Test average of 58.61.

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137. Shoaib Akthar (Pakistan, 1994-2011)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Chittagong Division, Durham, Islamabad Leopards, Khan Research Labs, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pakistan International Airlines, Rawalpindi, Somerset, Surrey, Worcestershire

An icon for Pakistan cricket and inspiration for fast bowlers around the world. Bowled the fastest recorded delivery at 161.3 kph, it’s a shame that injuries meant he had a start-stop career.

Also See: Brett Lee (#111), his chief competitor in the Pace Race.

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136. Basil D’Oliveira (England, 1964-1980)

Major Teams: England, Worcestershire

There’s a good reason why the England-South Africa trophy is named Basil D’Oliveira Trophy. As a South African-born mixed player, he was picked for England during the Apartheid era (known as the Oliveira affair). With 19,490 first class runs & important social legacy, he was named as South Africa’s Top 10 players of the century despite never representing the Proteas.

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135. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe, 1986-2006)

Major Teams: Zimbabwe, Essex, South Australia

The greatest Zimbabwean batter and scored the highest runs in an innings by any keeper (232*). Over 11,000 international runs across formats, Flower lead the way during Zimbabwe’s golden years.

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134. Wes Hall (West Indies, 1955-1971)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Queensland, Trinidad

The earliest in West Indies’ great line of pacers. Could bowl “close to 100 mph” and ended with 192 Test & 546 first class wickets.

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133. Rod Marsh (Australia, 1968-1984)

Major Teams: Australia, Western Australia

The most prolific bowler-keeper combination in the history of Test cricket is “c Rod Marsh, b Dennis Lillee” (95). World record holder for most Test dismissals at the time of his retirement, he was the best keeper Australia produced…until Ian Healy & Adam Gilchrist surpassed him.

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132. VVS Laxman (India, 1992-2012)

Major Teams: India, Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Lancashire

If you played the greatest innings of the twenty-first century, THAT 281*, you deserve to be on this list. Had a stellar Test career of performing under pressure with the lower order (and frequent back spasms).

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131. Stephen Fleming (New Zealand, 1991-2008)

Major Teams: New Zealand, Canterbury, Chennai Super Kings, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Wellington, Yorkshire

Solid opening batter & more importantly, a captain that stabilized New Zealand cricket.

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130. Andy Roberts (West Indies, 1969-1984)

Major Teams: West Indies, Combined Islands, Leeward Islands, Hampshire, Leicestershire, New South Wales

The face of West Indies’ pace quartet, his bouncers were ruthless. Apart from his 202 Test wickets, also had an effective ODI career—87 wickets at 20.35.

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129. Martin Crowe (New Zealand, 1979-1996)

Major Teams: New Zealand, Auckland, Central Districts, Wellington, Somerset

The greatest New Zealand batter of his generation and definitely one of the best captains. Hamstring Injury in the 1992 World Cup semi-final was a huge factor in their defeat. Apart from his cricketing talent, was one of the leading thinkers of the game.

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128. Clarrie Grimmett (Australia, 1911-1941)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Wellington

Credited for inventing the flipper, he was the second fastest to 200 Test wickets (and fastest before Yasir Shah) and the second oldest to take ten wickets in a Test match (44 years). New Zealand born Australian player.

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127. Tom Graveney (England, 1948-1972)

Major Teams: England, Queensland, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire

Another first-class giant—732 FC matches, 47.793 runs, 122 hundreds, and 233 fifties. Had a decent 79-Test career as well

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126. Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka, 1981-2001)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Sinhalese Sports Club

World Cup winning captain and helped propel Sri Lanka to the global stage. With over 7000 ODI runs, was a useful left-handed middle order batter.

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125. Greg Chappell (Australia, 1966-1984)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

Regarded as one of the best batters to ever don the baggy green. 7110 runs with 24 Test tons at 53.86 looks especially great given that batted in the era of the ferocious West Indian attack.

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124. David Gower (England, 1975-1993)

Major Teams: England, Hampshire, Leicestershire

One of the most elegant left-handed batters to play the game. 8,231 Test runs, 18 Test centuries, and 117 matches. Solid.

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123. Michael Holding (West Indies, 1972-1989)

Major Teams: West Indies, Canterbury, Derbyshire, Jamaica, Lancashire, Tasmania

Although 249 Test wickets at an average of 23.68 & 50.9 strike rate already puts him in the top echelons of world cricket, it was his impact with sheer pace and that menacing action that took him to the next level. An iconic commentator as well.

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122. Kieron Pollard (West Indies, 2007-)

Major Teams: West Indies, West Indies U-19, Adelaide Strikers, Barbados Tridents, Cape Cobras, Deccan Gladiators, Dhaka Dynamites, Karachi Kings, Kerala Kings, London Spirit, Melbourne Renegades, Multan Sultans, Mumbai Indians, Peshawar Zalmi, Somerset, South Australia, St. Lucia Stars, Stanford Superstars, Toronoto Nationals, Trinbago Knight Riders, Trinidad, Welsh Fire

With almost 12,000 T20 Runs at 150.25 SR, batting predominantly at the lower order, Kieron Pollard was arguably the first bona fide T20 globetrotter. A pioneer in T20 power-hitting and mainstay for the Mumbai Indians in their 5-peat, he was a crucial member of West Indies’ 2012 T20 World Cup victory.

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121. Michael Clarke (Australia, 2000-2015)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Hampshire, Pune Warriors

Had one of the greatest peaks of a Test batter. 1595 runs at 106.33 with 5 hundreds, including a 329* and a couple of double hundreds. Captain of Australia’s 2015 World Cup victory.

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120. Mark Boucher (South Africa, 1995-2012)

Major Teams: South Africa, Border, Cape Cobras, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore

The wicketkeeper during South Africa’s golden generation and the most prolific keeper of all-time. Unfortunately, a bail hitting his eye ended his career. Played 147 Tests and inflicted an iconic 999 international dismissals (555 Tests, 425 ODIs, 19 T20Is).

I will remember him for hitting the winning runs in that famous 434-438 match.

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119. Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka, 1983-2002)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Nondescripts Cricket Club, Kent, Auckland

107*(124), 3/42, & 2 catches—One of the best performances in a World Cup final. With over 15,000 international runs, Aravinda played his part in bringing Sri Lanka to the top tiers of world cricket.

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118. Joel Garner (West Indies, 1975-1992)

At 6 ft 8 inches, Garner towered above all and provided West Indies with that extra edge. With 259 Test wickets at 20.97 and 146 ODI wickets, he was one of the best. Holds the record for the best ODI economy (3.09) and won the 1979 WC final with a 5/38 show.

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117. Abdul Qadir (Pakistan, 1975-1994)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Punjab, Lahore, Habib Bank Limited

One of the best leg spinners of all time. What a classic action.

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116. Allan Donald (South Africa, 1985-2004)

Major Teams: South Africa, Free State, Warwickshire, Worcesterershire

Before there was Steyn, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, and Kagiso Rabada, there was Allan Donald. Bowled with menace and one of South Africa’s premier icons after they were reinstated in international cricket. Will also be remembered to be at the receiving end in the most infamous run-out of them all.”

Also Read: 16 South Africa World Cup Chokes and Heartbreaks: The Complete List

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Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Somerset, South Australia

115. Brett Lee (Australia, 1999-2012)

Major Teams: Australia, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, New South Wales, Otago, Sydney Sixers, Wellington

Probably the smoothest fast bowling action of all time. Over 700 international wickets, never compromised on pace despite injuries, THAT chainsaw celebration, and ended cricket career with a magnificent final over in the Big Bash.

Also See: Shoaib Akthar.

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114. Hashim Amla (South Africa, 2004-)

Major Teams: South Africa, Barbados Tridents, Cape Cobras, Derbyshire, Dolphins, Essex, Khulna Tigers, Kings XI Punjab KwaZulu-Natal, Surrey, Trinbago Knight Riders

Elegant, high-class opener, and a massively underrated ODI batter. 55 International centuries, fastest to 7000 ODI runs, a triple centurion, partnership maker. From blockathons to two hundreds in T20 cricket, versatility was Amla’s strength.

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113. Kevin Pietersen (England, 1997-2018)

Major Teams: England, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Dolphins, Hampshire, KwaZulu-Natal, Melbourne Stars, Nottinghamshire, Quetta Gladiators, Rising Pune Supergiants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, St. Lucia Zouks, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Surrey

The ODI series against home country, South Africa, would sum up his career. Had his doubters early on with the rebel style, but his gameplay was too good to ignore. The 2005 Ashes, 2010 T20 World Cup, and 2012 Test series victory in India. England legend, just left with self-inflicted unfortunate circumstances.

Also Read: 42 South African Born Cricketers Who Play for Other Countries: Can You Guess Them All?

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112. Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan, 1995-2008)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Islamabad Cricket Association, Lahore Badshahs, Pakistan International Airlines, Surrey, Sussex

Fastest bowler to take 250 ODI wickets, most wickets ever in a calendar year (twice), and most famously known for bringing the ‘Doosra’ to prominence.

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111. Michael Bevan (Australia, 1989-2006)

Major Teams: Australia, Tasmania, New South Wales, Yorkshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Sussex

Before MS Dhoni, Michael Bevan pioneered the ‘finisher’ role in ODI cricket. Averaging 53.98 after 232 matches, remaining unbeaten and hitting last-ball boundaries to win matches was his specialty.

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110. Hedley Verity (England, 1930-1939)

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire

1956 first class wickets at 14.90 average with best figures for 10/10 in an innings. Died as a prisoner of war in World War II.

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109. Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka, 1999-2019)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Kandurata Maroons, Moors Sports Club, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club, Wayamba, Surrey, Hampshire

A specialist of sorts. If ever a bowler was needed on spinning tracks in the fourth innings, it was Herath. 433 Test wickets and Sri Lanka’s only hope in the transition years.

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108. Kane Williamson (New Zealand, 2007-)

Major Teams: New Zealand, New Zealand U-19, Northern Districts, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Edmonton Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad

The best batter New Zealand ever produced and a shrewd captain. Lead the Kiwis to their first global title along with the 2019 ODI World Cup final.

Also Read: World Test Championship Final Review 2021

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107. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan, 2015-)

Major Teams: Afghanistan, Afghanistan U-19, Kabul, Adelaide Strikers, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Barbados Tridents, Comilla Victorians, Durban Heat, Kabul Eagles, Lahore Qalandars, Maratha Arabians, MI Cape Town, MI Emirates, Nangahar Leopards, Quetta Gladiators, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Sussex, Trent Rockets

Not many have seen a rise as exponential as Rashid Khan has in cricket. 501 T20 wickets in 374 T20 matches. Already a legend and sought out for, he has played in almost every league around the world. Afghanistan cricket rises when Rashid Khan rises.

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106. Virender Sehwag (India, 1997-2015)

Major Teams: India, Delhi Leicestershire, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab

You would think aggressive batting meant Sehwag would be dangerous in limited overs cricket. He was, but he truly changed the role of the opening batter in Test cricket. First ball boundaries and hitting double centuries in a single day was his forte. 319, 309, and 293 will be remembered forever.

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105. Lance Gibbs (West Indies, 1953-1976)

Major Teams: West Indies, British Guiana, South Australia, Warwickshire

First spinner to pass 300 wickets and accumulated 1024 first class wickets, he will go down as West Indies’ greatest Test spinner. Has a Test hat-trick and once bowled a miserly spell of 53.3-37-38-8. Wow.

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104. Brendon McCullum (New Zealand, 1999-2019)

Major Teams: New Zealand, Brisbane Heat, Canterbury, Chennai Super Kings, Glamorgan, Gujarat Lions, Kochi Tuskers Kerela, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lahore Qalandars, New South Wales, Otago, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sussex, Toronto Nationals, Trinbago Knight Riders, Warwickshire

Match after match, captain McCullum would announce that this journey was ‘the time of their lives’ in the 2015 World Cup hosted at home. Took New Zealand to the World Cup finals for the first time, brought NZ out of lows of 2012, and for all his T20 exploits, had the skill to score 302 vs India I’m a Test match. Retired with the fastest Test century of all-time. Also credited for launching the IPL with a remarkable 158.

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103. Arthur Morris (Australia, 1940-1955)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

One of the best Ashes batters, a member of the ‘Invincibles,’ Australian army man during World War II, and a rugby player, Morris can truly say he did it all.

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102. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka, 2001-2020)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Galle Cricket Club, Kandy, Kent, Galle Gladiators, Jamaica Tallawahs, St. Lucia Zouks, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Melbourne Stars, Rangpur Riders, Southern Express, Kent, Mumbai Indians

Malinga built a career out of pinpoint accurate yorkers and a slingy action. 4 wickets in 4 balls, couple of other hat-tricks, a T20 World Cup, and several IPL trophies with Mumbai Indians. Simply a legend.

Also Read: Lasith Malinga: The Slinga, Slayer, and SuperStar

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101. Shane Watson (Australia, 2000-2016)

Major Teams: Australia, Australia U-19, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Brisbane Heat, Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder, Canterbury, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, Dhaka Dynamites, Rangpur Rangers, Islamabad United, Quetta Gladiators, St. Lucia Zouks

History will regard Shane Watson in awe. Gifted with a rare combination of skills, he established himself as a fast-bowling order who could bat in the top order. Player of the tournament in the 2012 T20 World Cup, 2008 & 2013 IPLs, the 2009 Champions Trophy, and key play-off knocks with CSK in the 2019 IPL, he stood up on the big occasions. A successful Test opener between 2009-10 alongside Simon Katich speaks to his versatility.

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List of the 100 Greatest Cricketers of All Time

The Top 100 cricketers of all time will at least consist of all the 10,000 runs scorers (either format), or members of the 500+ (Test), 400+ (ODI) wicket taker group.

100. Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka, 1993-2017)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Basnahira South, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club, Delhi Daredevils, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Kalutara Town Club, Karachi Kings, Northern Districts, Peshawar Zalmi, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sebastianites Cricket and Athletic Club, Singha Sports Club, Surrey, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club

Dilshan is one of the most innovative cricketers of the modern era. Known for ‘The Dilscoop,’ he was one of the pillars of the Sri Lankan in their 2014 T20 World Cup victory, along with numerous other finals between 2007-2014. Also a handy off-spinner & acrobatic fielder.

Also Read: My Favorite Player from Each Country: Unity In Diversity XI – #5 Will Shock You

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99. Sourav Ganguly (1989-2012)

Major Teams: India, Bengal, Glamorgan, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune Warriors

Changed how India was viewed. Captained India to the 2003 World Cup final and several overseas Test victories. I will forever remember him for his ODI exploits and down the ground sixes.

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98. Monty Noble (Australia, 1893-1920)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, Queensland, Somerset

Noble is “regarded as the greatest Australian all-rounder ever produced by Australia.” In all, he took 624 first class wickets and hit 37 centuries as well.

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97. Younis Khan (Pakistan, 1998-2018)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Yorkshire, South Australia, Rajasthan Royals

One of the only constants in Pakistan’s era of uncertainty. 10,000 runs Test runs, crisis man in the 4th innings, solid ODI batter & slip fielder, and a T20 World Cup winning captain.

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96. Neil Harvey (Australia, 1946-1963)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, Victoria

One of the best Australia ever had. In just 79-Tests, he scored 21 tons and 24 half centuries. The fourth fastest to a 1000 Test runs.

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95. Bishan Singh Bedi (India, 1961-1982)

Major Teams: India, Delhi, Northern Punjab, Northamptonshire

Part of India’s spin quartet, Bedi had it all—the flight, guile, turn, and grace. With plenty of county experience, he ended with a mammoth 1560 first class wickets.

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94. Nathan Lyon (Australia, 2011-)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, New South Wales, Adelaide Strikers, Sydney Strikers

A mainstay in Australia’s bowling line up. Bowling on Australian pitches for the majority of his career, Lyon became the tireless figure. Consistent line and length. Ball after ball. For an entire decade. 450+ Test wickets and counting.

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93. Inzamam Ul Haq (Pakistan, 1986-2007)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Yorkshire

Forever taunted for the run-outs, hit-wickets, and fitness issues, Inzamam ul-Haq was the catalyst to Pakistan’s 1992 world cup win. Scored almost 12,000 ODI and 9,000 Test runs. Beautiful to watch.

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92. Ross Taylor (New Zealand, 2002-2022)

Major Teams: New Zealand, New Zealand U-10, Central Districts, Durham, Sussex, Middlesex, Victoria, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St. Lucia Zouks, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, Victoria, Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals

The best #4 ODI batter of all-time and between 2016-19, was the best ODI batter. Started as a leg side slogger and became a steady middle order batter. Nice to sign off with an unbeaten knock in New Zealand’s WTC win.

Also Read: Ross Taylor, An Underrated Cricketer Who Was A Giant Among New Zealand’s Greatest Generation

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91. Dwayne Bravo (West Indies, 2001-)

Major Teams: West Indies, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions, Chittagong Kings, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dynamites, Dolphins, Essex, Fortune Barishal, Kent, Lahore Qalandars, Maratha Arabians, Melbourne Renegades, Northern Superchargers, Paarl Rocks, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Surrey, Sydney Sixers, Trinbago Knight Riders, Trinidad & Tobago, Victoria, Winnipeg Hawks

614 T20 wickets, highest T20 wicket-taker of all time. Could hit sixes and bowl slow yorkers at will. A modern-day legend for the West Indies.

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90. Stuart Broad (England, 2005-)

Major Teams: England, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Kings XI Punjab, Hobart Hurricanes

Statistically, the second highest fast bowling wicket-taker of all-time. Speaks of his fitness. Could get hit for six sixes or bowl spells to remember forever. At one point, also a handy batter down the order.

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89. Daniel Vettori (New Zealand, 1996-2015)

Major Teams: New Zealand, Northern Districts, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Queensland, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Jamaica Tallawahs

705 international wickets, 6 Test hundreds, youngest Test player for New Zealand. One of the underrated greats of the game.

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88. Ravichandran Ashwin (India, 2010-)

Major Teams: India, Tamil Nadu, Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire

5 Test Hundreds. One of the greatest off spinners of all-time. Removed the stigma of non-strikers run-out almost single-handedly. Pioneered the ‘retired out’ in T20 cricket. Improved his batting to be a #3 in T20s, a decent finisher, Test match blockathon-specialist, off-spinner, leg-spinner, mystery spin, carrom ball. Has a succesfful YouTube channel. Cricket improviser at his absolute best. Ahead of his times.

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87. Jim Laker (England, 1946-1965)

10/53 & 19/90, Test figures that took Laker into greatness. With 1944 first class wickets, he had a stellar career throughout.

Major Teams: England, Essex, Surrey, Auckland

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86. Alan Knott (England, 1964-1985)

Major Teams: England, Kent, Tasmania

5 Test hundreds as a wicketkeeper, he was highly rated behind the stumps.

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85. Ray Lindwall (Australia, 1941-1962)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, Queensland

With a smooth action, Lindwall was Australia’s premier swing bowlers. Retired with 228 Test wickets and two centuries.

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84. Michael ‘Colin’ Cowdrey (England, 1950-1976)

Major Teams: England, Gentlemen, Oxford University, Kent

Cowdrey was the first man to play 100 Tests. His exploits in first class cricket are well known—42719 runs, 107 hundreds.

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83. Sir Geoffrey Boycott OBE (England, 1962-1986)

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire, Northern Transvaal

Although Boycott had his troubles off the field, on the field, he was one of the great ones. In his era, not many scored more than his 151 first class hundreds and 8114 Test runs.

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82. Keith ‘Nugget’ Miller (Australia, 1937-1959)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Nottinghamshire

Miller is regarded as Australia’s greatest ever all-rounder. Although 2958 runs & 170 Test wickets flatter to deceive now, it was the best figures for an allrounder at the time.

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81. Aubrey Faulkner (South Africa, 1902-1924)

Regarded as “one of the greatest allrounders,” he opened both the batting and bowling at times. Based on ESPNCricinfo’s weighted allrounder analysis, Aubrey Faulkner just edges out Keith Miller.

Major Teams: South Africa, Transvaal, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)

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80. Ken Barrington (England, 1953-1968)

Major Teams: England, Surrey

Perhaps England’s greatest middle order batter. Now has the ninth highest Test average (58.67) after 82 Tests.

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79. Graham Gooch (England, 1973-2000)

Major Teams: England, Essex, Western Province

Graham Gooch has perhaps scored the most runs. EVER. 44,846 First Class runs with 128 hundreds & 217 fifties to go along with 22, 211 List A runs with 44 hundreds and 139 fifties. In international cricket, he amassed 8900 Test runs, 4200 ODI runs, and 28 tons overall.

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78. Graeme Smith (South Africa, 1999-2014)

Major Teams: South Africa, Gauteng, Western Province, Somerset, Surrey, Cape Cobras, Rajasthan Royals

One of the greatest captains and grittiest opening batters of all-time. Batting with a broken hand against Mitchell Johnson in attempt to save a Test match will go down as one of the most courageous acts on the cricket field.

Also Read: Top 11 Cricketers Who Retired Too Early – The Lost Generation

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77. Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka, 1990-2012)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Basnahira North, Colts Cricket Club, Deccan Chargers, Hampshire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire

The only player to take 8 wickets in an ODI match and the spearhead of Sri Lanka’s fast bowling attack with 781 international wickets. Has a World Cup hat-trick, Test hundred, and ODI fifty as well.

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76. Sir Gordon Greenidge (West Indies, 1970-1992)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Hampshire

In modern cricket, one of the most dominant opening batters. 7558 Test runs and 37354 runs with 92 centuries. Had a stellar ODI career as well in World Cups—highest scorer of the 1979 World Cup.

Also See: Desmond Haynes (#69)

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75. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh, 2005-)

Major Teams: Bangladesh, Khulna Division, Dhaka Gladiators, Fortune Barishal, Adelaide Strikers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, Worcestershire, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi

One of the greatest all-rounders in the modern era. If the pitch has something to offer, his left-arm spin is tricky to tackle. A great show at #3 in the 2019 World Cup. In one phrase, a living legend of Bangladesh.

Also Read: Why Shakib And Co are the True Fab 5 of this Era

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74. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka, 1988-2012)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Colombo Cricket Club, Somerset, Mumbai Indians

Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, he has the most man of the match awards. Revolutionized ODI powerplay batting in 1996, and a great asset with the ball as well.

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73. Matthew Hayden (Australia, 1991-2012)

Major Teams: Australia, Queensland, Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Chennai Super Kings, Brisbane Heat

An epic conversion rate (30-100s, 29-50s) and one of the most dominant openers of the generation. Dancing down the wicket with broad shoulders, he sent tremors in the opposition bowlers.

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72. Alec Bedser (England, 1939-1960)

With 1924 first-class and 236 Test wickets under his name, Bedser is one of England’s most prolific swing bowlers.

Major Teams: England, Surrey

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71. Sir Alastair Cook (England, 2003-)

Major Teams: England, Essex

First England player to score 10,000 Test runs, Cook was the key constructor of England’s Ashes 2010 and India 2012 victories. Survived as an opener in one of the toughest eras to play fast and swing bowling. Best England Test batter (until Joe Root that is).

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70. Desmond Haynes (West Indies, 1976-1997)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Middlesex, Western Province

Making one half of the third-highest Test partnership (6482 with Greenidge) of all time (and highest at the time), Haynes was a modern-day giant. In ODI cricket, he scored 8,648 runs with 17 centuries, a record that stood until 1998.

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69. Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan, 1996-2011)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Lahore, Lancashire, Warwickshire

One of the most elegant batters of all-time. Scored 1788 runs in 2006 with 9 hundreds and 3 fifties, still a Test record.

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68. Robert George Dylan ‘Bob’ Willis (England, 1969-1984)

Major Teams: England, Surrey, Warwickshire, Northern Transvaal

One of the fastest English bowlers. Despite injuries, he took 325 Test wickets and played 90 Tests. Longevity and England fast bowlers is a common theme.

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67. Joe Root (England, 2010-)

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire, Trent Rockets

After being criticized for not converting fifties into hundreds, Joe Root’s stellar 2021 etched his name into greatness—1708 runs with six daddy hundreds. An ODI World Cup winner as well.

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66. Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka, 1997-2015)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Sinhalese Sports Club, Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab

Class batter. 11,000 runs+ in each format. Most runs on a single ground (2921 runs in Sinhalese, Colombo), seven double hundreds, and a knack for long-partnerships.

Also See: Kumar Sangakkara (#51)

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65. Sir Clive Lloyd (West Indies, 1963-1986)

Major Teams: West Indies, British Guiana, Lancashire

One of the most recognized left-handers in the game with the glasses & moustache, his calm demeanor was the feature that stood out the most. Playing over 100 Test matches and 490 first class matches, it was his captaincy with two ODI World Cups that crystalized his name in the hall of legends. Made a century in the inaugural World Cup final as well.

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64. Fred “The Demon” Spofforth (Australia, 1874-1897)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, Victoria

Spofforth is regarded as “Australia’s first true fast bowler.” First bowler to take a Test hat-trick, he zoomed to 94 wickets in only 18 career Test matches.

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63. Harold Larwood (England, 1924-1938)

Major Teams: England, Nottinghamshire

According to Larwood’s Wisden obituary, he was “one of the rare fast bowlers in the game to spread terror in opposition ranks by the mere mentions of his name.” If Don Bradman struggled, then Larwood must have been really, really good.

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62. Steve Smith (Australia, 2007-)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Worcestershire, Rajasthan Royals

Averaging 60.00 after 87 tests with 28 hundreds is no joke. Started as a leg-spinner batting at #8 and ended up becoming the greatest modern-day Test batter.

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61. Chris Gayle (West Indies, 1999-2022)

Major Teams: West Indies, Royal Challengers Bangalore, West Indies U-19, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Balkh Legends, Barisal Burners, Chattogram Challengers, Dhaka Gladiators, Dophins, Fortune Barishal, ICC World XI, Jamaica, Jamaica Tallawahs, Jozi Stars, Kandy Tuskers, Karachi Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lahore Qalandars, Lions, Matabeleland Tuskers, Melbourne Renegades, Quetta Gladiators, Rangpur Riders, Somerset, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Sydney Thunder, Vancouver Knights, Western Australia, Worcester

Although he is known for his big hitting and T20 exploits, Chris Gayle conquered all-formats over two decades. Just look at his record—14562 (T20), 13189 (List A), 13226 (First Class) runs, best of 333 in Tests, best of 215 in ODIs, 175* in T20s, and 117 in T20Is.

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60. Shaun Pollock (South Africa, 1991-2008)

Major Teams: South Africa, Dolphins, KawZulu-Natal, Durham, Warwickshire

From a family of cricketing greats, Shaun Pollock became the most prolific wicket-taker of his time with 829 international wickets. Great consistent bowling and an effective all-rounder.

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59. Tom Richardson (England, 1892-1905)

Major Teams: England, Somerset, Surrey, London County

Wisden’s obituary stated that “He will live in cricket history as perhaps the finest of all fast bowlers.” With 2104 first class wickets, best of 10/45 in an innings, and an average of 9.64 (11.06 average in Tests), he is certainly one of the best fast bowlers.

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58. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies, 1991-2015)

Major Teams: West Indies, Guyana, Durham, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Derbyshire, Guyana Amazon Warriors

With his side-on technique and under-the-eye stickers, one of the most recognized batters. A hard batter to dismiss, will go down as a West Indian legend with 164 Test matches, 30 Test hundreds, and over 20,000 international runs.

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57. MS Dhoni (India, 1999-)

Major Teams: India, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chennai Super Kings

Greatest ODI finisher of all-time and one of the best captains in international cricket & the IPL. Gave Indian fans a moment to cherish with a World Cup winning six. Genius behind the wickets as well.

Also Read: MS Dhoni and SK Raina Retire: An End of An Era

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56. Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (England, 1893-1920)

Major Teams: England, Sussex, Cambridge University, London County

Way ahead of his time, Ranjitsinhji “was probably one of the finest batsman of all time, not only in terms of runs scored but also because he brought new strokes to the game.”

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55. Javed Miandad (Pakistan, 1975-1996)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Karachi, Habib Bank Limited, Sind, Glamorgan, Sussex

According to ESPNCricinfo, Miandad is the “greatest batsman Pakistan ever produced.” With over 16,000 international runs, 31 centuries, and 80 FC centuries, that certainly seems to be the case.

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54. Brian Statham (England, 1950-1968)

Major Teams: England, Lancashire

100955 Balls, 2260 first class wickets, 16.37 average, these stats say it all.

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53. Alfred Percy ‘Tich’ Freeman (England, 1914-1936)

Major Teams: England, Kent

With 3776 first class wickets, Freeman is regarded as “one of the greatest slow bowlers the game has ever known.”

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52. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka, 1997-2020)

Major Teams: Sri Lanka, Kandurata, Warwickshire, Surrey, Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Like fine wine, Sangakkara grew better with age. Most runs in a calendar year across formats in 2014 and retired with 12,400 Test runs at an average of 57.40. A T20 World Cup winner and great keeper as well.

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51. George Alfred Lohmann (England, 1884-1897)

Major Teams: England, Surrey

Yes, he played in the nineteenth century, but the best career bowling strike rate (34.1) of all-time meant he was a class apart. A medium fast bowler, Lohmann took 112 Test and 1841 first class wickets.

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Top 50 Cricketers of All Time: The Absolute Greats

The next 50 are the absolute greatest cricketers of all time. They either played historic knocks, are highly spoken of, or changed the way the game was played.

50. Steve Waugh (Australia, 1984-2004)

Major Teams: Australia, South Australia, Kent, Somerset

Led Australia to an ODI World Cup and 16 consecutive Test wins. A middle order stronghold in Australia’s great generation with over 10,000 Test runs and 32 tons.

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49. Curtly Ambrose (West Indies, 1985-2000)

Major Teams: West Indies, Leeward Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Northamptonshire

One of the most lethal bowlers of his time, he bowled some of the best spells in memory. Just watch his 7-1 spell. Ended up with 630 international wickets.

Also Read: 24 Cricketers with Musical Talent Who Will Rock You Ft. Don Bradman, Sreesanth, and AB De Villiers

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48. Anil Kumble (India, 1989-2010)

Major Teams: India, Karnataka, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Surrey)

Kumble’s 10 wickets in an innings against Pakistan wrote his name in folklore. With 619 Test wickets & 337 ODI wickets, he was a central figure in India’s XI for over a decade.

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47. AB De Villiers (South Africa, 2003-2020)

Major Teams: South Africa, Northerns, Titans, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore

AB De Villiers could score the fastest hundred of all-time or could score 43 (297) in an attempt of a blockathon. The most versatile and innovative batter this world has ever seen. Also, Bangalore’s favorite son.

Also Read: Faf du Plessis & AB De Villiers’ Friendship: Broken Dreams of Faf and ABD

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46. Victor Trumper (Australia, 1894-1914)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

Wisden reckons that Trumper was “by general consent the best and most brilliant.” Was one of the fastest scorers of all-time at about 40 runs per hour.

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45. Rahul Dravid (India, 1992-2013)

Major Teams: India, Karnataka, Kent, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals

The glue that held India together. ‘The Wall’ played the most balls in the Test history (despite playing seven years less than Tendulkar). His versatility speaks volumes—Kept wickets, became an effective ODI floater, and hit three sixes in T20s. Major contributions in India’s overseas Test victories.

Also Read: What Rahul Dravid Taught Me, An Open Letter From a Cricket Fan to Those In Charge of Indian Cricket

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44. Hanif Mohammad (Pakistan, 1951-1976)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Karachi

The original ‘Little Master’, Hanif’s 970-minute 337 vs West Indies in 1958 is forever etched in history. His highest score was 499 in first class cricket. How unfortunate.

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43. Zaheer Abbas (Pakistan, 1965-1987)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Karachi, Sind, Gloucestershire

‘Known as the Asian Bradman,’ he is still the only Asian batter with 100 first-class hundreds. Prolific and elegant.

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42. Denis Compton (England, 1936-1964)

Major Teams: England, Middlesex

Eerily similar stats to Zaheer Abbas, but a tad ahead. 78 Tests, 5807 runs. and 123 first class hundreds. One of England’s greatest.

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41. Adam Gilchrist (Australia, 1992-2013)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Deccan Chargers, Kings XI Punjab

Revolutionized the role of the wicketkeeper. 9619 ODI runs at 96.94 SR and 5570 runs at 81.95 SR. After Gilchrist, wicketkeepers were expected to score runs and score them quickly.

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40. Courtney Walsh (West Indies, 1981-2001)

Major Teams: West Indies, Jamaica, Gloucestershire

Before Mcgrath, Anderson, & Broad, Walsh bowled the most balls in his Test career (30019) and took the most wickets by a fast bowler (519). Not to mention 1807 first class wickets.

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39. Allan Border (Australia, 1976-1996)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Essex, Gloucestershire

First captain from Australia to lift the World Cup trophy, he set an example for the Waughs and Pontings to follow. With more than 11,000 Test runs and 156 Test caps (record at the time), he was a constant for Australia for the better part of two decades.

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38. Waqar Younis (Pakistan, 1987-2003)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Surrey, Glamorgan

Credited for the ‘reverse’ swing, his bowled compilations are droolworthy to watch. 373 wickets at a strike rate of 43.4 and 416 ODI wickets puts him at the top of the crop.

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37. Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand, 1971-1990)

Major Teams: New Zealand, Canterbury, Nottinghamshire

The first bowler to 400 Test wickets, he is arguably New Zealand’s greatest cricketer.

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36. Dale Steyn (South Africa, 2004-2021)

Major Teams: South Africa, Cape Cobras, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad

Arguably the best fast bowler of all-time. Fast, pace, swing, consistency, he had it all. With a clean action, he dominated opposition at home and abroad. Unfortunately, freak injuries ended his career. Went past Pollock to become South Africa’s highest Test wicket-taker.

Also Read: Dale Steyn, The Embodiment of Simplicity and Intensity, Retires—The Greatest Fast Bowler of Them All

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35. Virat Kohli (India, 2008-)

Major Teams: India, Delhi, Royal Challengers Bangalore, India U-19

Will go down as the greatest ODI batter of all-time. Definitely the best chaser in the game, his peak across formats was second to none. Twice the T20 player of the World Cup, his aggressive attitude and captaincy was crucial to India’s rise in Test cricket.

Also Read: Virat Kohli’s 25 Best Innings Across International Formats (RANKED), 5 Ways Captain Virat Kohli Transformed Indian Cricket

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34. Imran Khan (Pakistan, 1969-1992)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Sussex, Worcestershire

The world has never seen an Imran Khan before, and never will again. Fast bowler, effective batter, philanthropist, a Prime Minister, and a top candidate for the best-looking cricketer of all-time.

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33. Ian Terence Botham (England, 1973-1993)

Major Teams: England, Durham, Somerset, Worcestershire, Queensland

In the golden era of all-rounders, Botham was arguably the best of the lot. About 7,000 international runs to go along with 528 wickets.

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32. Kapil Dev (India, 1977-1995)

Major Teams: India, Haryana, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire

Three decades after he retired, India is still looking for another Kapil Dev. A long term fast-bowling all-rounder, he captained India to their first World Cup triumph.

Also Read: 83 Movie Review – Does the Film Do Justice to India’s Unlikely Dream 1983 World Cup Journey?

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31. James ‘Jimmy’ Anderson (England, 2003-)

Major Teams: England, Lancashire, England U-19

The best swing bowler of all-time, it is his longevity and fitness that is remarkable. Two decades, 176 Tests, and 672 wickets. Brilliant!

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30. George Headley (West Indies, 1927-1954)

Major Teams: West Indies, Jamaica

Had it not been for World War II, who knows how much George Headley could have accomplished. Retired with an average of 60.83 after 22 Tests and 69.86 in 103 first class matches. Wisden remarked that “he scored an avalanche of runs with a style and brilliance few of any age have matched.” Must have been wonderful to watch.

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29. Derek ‘ Deadly’ Underwood (1963-1987)

Major Teams: England, Kent

Underwood claimed 2465 first-class wickets after bowling 139,783 balls along with 297 Test wickets.

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28. Sunil Gavaskar (India, 1966-1987)

Major Teams: India, Mumbai, Somerset

The first player to break the 10,000 run Test barrier, the ‘Little Master’ set the standards for opening batsmanship in cricket. Playing without helmets against the West Indies was a daring task for sure.

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27. Fred Trueman (England, 1949-1972)

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire, Derbyshire

Trueman was the first cricketer to 300 Test wickets. He had 2304 first class wickets to his name as well.

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26. Bill ‘Tiger’ O’Reilly (Australia, 1927-1946)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

Wisden remarked that O’Reilly was “probably the greatest spin bowler the game has ever produced” and Don Bradman is credited of saying, “he was the greatest bowler he had ever faced or watched.”

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Greatest 25 Cricketers of All Time: The Undisputable Legends

Time for the Undisputable Legends. These players are truly the greatest cricketers of all time.

25. Les Ames (England, 1926-1951)

Major Teams: England, Kent

According to Wisden, Ames was “without a doubt the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman the game [had] so far produced.” 418 stumpings, over 1,000 dismissals, and 102 first-class centuries.

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24. Glenn McGrath (Australia, 1992-2007)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales

The greatest line and length bowler the world has ever seen. He was instrumental in Australia’s World Cup wins. Holds the record for most World Cup wickets (71) and was the highest fast bowling Test wicket taker before Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad surpassed him.

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23. Dennis Lillee (Australia, 1967-1988)

Major Teams: Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Northamptonshire

If you can fox the great Sir Viv, you definitely have some skill. Broke the world record at that time and ended with 355 Test wickets.

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22. Robert Graeme Pollock (South Africa, 1960-1987)

Major Teams: South Africa, Eastern Province, Transvaal

ESPNCricinfo reckons that Graeme Pollock was “perhaps the finest left-hand batsman the game has ever produced.” Another casualty of South Africa’s international exile, Pollock’s 60.97 average in his short 23-Test career gave the world a glimpse of his ability to go along his 64 hundreds in 262 first class games.

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21. Herbert Sutcliffe (England, 1919-1945)

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire

First to score 4 Test centuries in a series and fastest to 1000 Test runs (12 innings), he was easily one of the greatest. Wisden’s obituary remarks that “he never knew a season of failure” as he would score over 50,000 first class runs with 151 tons.

World War I meant that he lost some early years and only started his career around the age of 25.

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20. Malcolm Marshall (West Indies, 1977-1996)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Hampshire

The cricket world lost a gem in 1999 when Malcolm Marshall passed away at the young age of 41 due to cancer. However, he will be remembered as one of the most feared fast bowlers of all-time. 376 wickets at a strike rate of 46.7 & 20.94 average. Just watch some of his bouncers.

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19. Barry Anderson Richards (South Africa, 1968-1983)

Major Teams: South Africa, Natal, Transvaal, Gloucestershire, Hampshire

South Africa’s exile meant Barry Richards could only play 4 Test matches, but still showed the world what he got—2 100s, 2 50s, and an average of 72.57. “One of the finest talents of the 20th century“, scoring 28,000 first class runs, 80 tons, and nine centuries before lunch display his greatness.

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18. Wasim Akram (Pakistan, 1984-2003)

Major Teams: Pakistan, Hampshire, Lancashire

Best left-arm fast bowler of all time, key to Pakistan’s rise, and took the most wickets by a fast bowler in ODI cricket. He was the hero of the 1992 World Cup final and with Waqar Younis, formed a pair of the ages. Still holds the highest score by a #8 in Test matches, 257*.

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17. Frank Wooley (England, 1906-1938)

Major Teams: England, Kent

58,959 runs. 145 centuries. 2066 Wickets. 978 first class matches. Wisden describes as “beyond doubt one of the finest and most elegant left-handed all-rounders of all-time.”

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16. Brian Charles Lara (West Indies, 1987-2010)

Major Teams: West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago

Brian Lara was one of the best left-arm batters of all-time His name will forever be etched in record books with 400* (Test) and 501* (first class). More than the numbers, though, you always wanted to watch him bat. Top notch elegance.

Also Read: Most Stylish Batsman Of The Modern Era

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15. Ricky Ponting (Australia, 1992-2013)

Major Teams: Australia, Tasmania

Ricky Ponting was one of the most dominant players of his generation. He ruled the world as a batter, fielder, and captain. Ponting holds the record for the fastest to 12,000 runs in both ODI and Test cricket, only behind Tendulkar. Ended with more than 27,000 international runs, 71 centuries, and 364 catches. However, his legacy is cemented with two World cup wins as captain.

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14. Sir Leonard ‘Len’ Hutton (England, 1934-1955)

129 first class hundreds in 513 matches. Not quite 99.96, but 40,140 runs at 55.51 is quite special. Handy leg spinner as well. Wisden remarked in Hutton’s obituary that he was “one of the greatest batsman the game has produced in all its long history.”

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire

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13. Jacques Kallis (South Africa, 1993-2014)

Major Teams: South Africa, Western Province, Warriors, Cape Cobras, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sydney Thunder, Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel, Middlesex, Glamorgan

Once playing against India, a stat came up that aptly described Jacques Kallis contribution in Test cricket. With runs and centuries, Kallis rivalled Tendulkar. With the ball, he was an equal to Zaheer Khan. One of the greatest allrounders of the game, 10,000+ runs in each format, and had a decent T20 career as well. Would take South Africa two players to replace the balance he provided the Proteas.

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12. Wilfred Rhodes (England, 1899-1930)

Major Teams: England, Yorkshire

Most prolific first-class wicket-taker of all time. 4204 wickets from 1110 matches. Close to 40,000 first class runs as well. Moreover, he had the longest first-class career with 30 years & 315 days. That’s commitment.

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11. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka, 1989-2014)

Alternative spelling: Muthiah Muralidaran

The best off-spinner of all-time and the most prolific international wicket taker of all-time with 1347 wickets. Taking the 800th Test wicket with his final ball will go down as the one of the iconic moments in the game. A 1996 World Cup winner to cap it off.

Major Teams: Sri Lanka

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10. Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander ‘Viv’ Richards (West Indies)

Major Teams: West Indies, Leeward Islands, Glamorgan, Somerset

Sir Viv Richards had just the right amount of talent, intimidation factor, and swag. One of the central pins of West Indies’ golden generation and way ahead of his time. Pioneer of modern ODI cricket.

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9. Walter Reginald ‘Wally’ Hammond (England, 1920-1951)

Major Teams: England, Gloucestershire

7249 Test runs with 22 hundreds in the era that he played is already a huge achievement. Add to that, 50,551 first-class runs with a mammoth 167 centuries, 185 fifties, and 732 wickets, he is definitely one to be remembered.

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8. Sydney Barnes (England, 1894-1930)

Major Teams: England, Staffordshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Wales

6,229 wickets at an average of 8.33 from club to Test matches. Most wickets ever in a Test series (49). S.C. Griffith, secretary of MCC summed it up perfectly, “The extraordinary thing about him was that all his contemporaries considered him the greatest bowler.”

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7. Frank Worrell (West Indies, 1941-1964)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Jamaica

Sir Learie Constantine described Worrell as, ” a happy man, a good man, and a great one.” Worthy middle order batter & allrounder with a knack of big hundreds, his influence as a social icon was far greater. First long-term black captain of West Indian cricket, he helped unify the islands and moved West Indies move into the success of the 70s & 80s. Unfortunately, passed away at the age of 42 with a rich legacy, nevertheless. Key player in the first Tied Test, the Australia-West Indies series is still named the “Frank Worell Trophy.”

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6. Sir Garfield St Aubrun ‘Garry’ Sobers (West Indies, 1952-1975)

Major Teams: West Indies, Barbados, Nottinghamshire, South Australia

The greatest all-rounder of all time. Shall I say more?

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5. Shane Warne (Australia, 1990-2013)

Major Teams: Australia, Victoria, Rajasthan Royals, Melbourne Stars

If you bowled the ‘Ball of the Century,’ took 708 wickets, and won a World Cup final on your own, you deserve to be in the Top 5 of every list. A larger-than-life icon who revolutionized leg spin. A leader that Australia never had as his later years with the Rajasthan Royals and T20 leagues showed. His death in 2022 shocked one and all.

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4. Sir John Berry ‘Jack’ Hobbs (England,1908-1930)

Major Teams: England, Surrey

Most prolific first-class batter of all-time. 61,760 runs, 199 centuries, 273 fifties, oldest Test centurion (at 46), and opened the batting and bowling in South Africa in 1910. The original ‘Master‘ and first cricketer to receive Knighthood.

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3. Sachin Tendulkar (India, 1989-2013)

Major Teams: India, Mumbai, Mumbai Indians

The greatest batsman the world in the modern era. Over 34,000 international runs, 100 hundreds, World Cup winner, and a beacon of hope for a billion people for over two decades.

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2. Dr. William Gilbert ‘WG’ Grace (England, 1865-1908)

Major Teams: England, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Gloucestershire, London County Cricket Club

Without Grace’s grace, we can only imagine how different cricket’s development as an official sport would have been in its early days. 44 years, 870 first class matches, 54,000 runs, 2800 wickets. Also practiced medicine and had that iconic beard.

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1. Sir Donald Bradman (Australia, 1927-1949)

Major Teams: Australia, New South Wales, South Australia

Not only regarded as the greatest Test batter of all-time in the world of cricket but also a well know trivia fact outside of the sport. 99.94. The elusive 4 runs. 6996. In fact, he scored 117 centuries in 234 matches at an average of 95.14 with the best of 452* in all first-class cricket. Technically gifted, daddy hundreds, Test captain, ‘Borderline’ series, leader of the ‘Invincibles’, and the comeback after World War II break. Legend in all senses.

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Extended List (By Country): The Honorable Mentions

These players are one of the best to have played for their nations. Several of these players played over 100 Test matches. However, due to the extensive competition, they did not make the Top 151 Greatest Cricket Players of All Time List.

Greatest Players of All Time #175-270

  • England: Patsy Hendren, Graeme Hick, Phil Mead, Douglas Jardine, Eoin Morgan, Ian Bell, Jos Buttler, Andrew Strauss, Alec Stewart, Dennis Amiss, Bernard Bosanquet, Mike Atherton, Maurice Tate, Graeme Swann, Charlie Parker, Andrew Flintoff, Frank Tyson, Graham Thorpe, Sir Pelham Warner, Bill Lockwood, John Jackson, Johnny Briggs, Hugh Trumble
  • West Indies: Alvin Kallicharran, Rohan Kanhai, Carl Hooper, Lawrence Rowe, Roy Fredericks, Vanburn Holder, Charlie Griffith, Andre Russell, Jackie Hendricks, Colin Croft, Ian Bishop
  • Australia: Dean Jones, David Boon, Bill Ponsford, Charles Turner, Bill Lawry, Mark Taylor, Aaron Finch, Clem Hill, Andrew Symonds, Geoffrey Marsh, Mike Hussey, Charlie McCartney, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood
  • India: Lala Amarnath, Mohammad Azharuddin, Erapalli Prasanna, Zaheer Khan, Mohinder Amarnath, Dilip Vengsarkar, S Venkataraghavan, B Chandrasekhar, Vijay Merchant, Gundappa Vishwanath, Vijay Manjrekar, Farokh Engineer, Javagal Srinath
  • South Africa: Trevor Goddard, Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten, Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Dudley Nourse, Mike Proctor, Jonty Rhodes, John Waite
  • New Zealand: Tim Southee, Glenn Turner, Stewie Dempster, Martin Donnely, John R Reid, Shane Bond, Martin Guptill, Ian Smith, Jack Cowie, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Bruce Taylor, Neil Wagner
  • Pakistan: Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Fazal Mahmood, Yasir Shah, Saleem Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Asif, Misbah Ul-Haq, Rashid Latif
  • Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews
  • Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah
  • Zimbabwe: Grant Flower, Brendon Taylor
  • USA: Bart King

Top 10 Greatest Cricketers of All-Time (By Country)

Who are the greatest Australian cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Australian cricketer of all-time is Sir Donald Bradman (#1). The Top 10 Australian cricketers in history are Don Bradman (#1), Shane Warne (#5), Ricky Ponting (#15), Dennis Lillee (#23), Glenn McGrath (#24), Bill O’Reilly (#26), Allan Border (#39), Adam Gilchrist (#41), Victor Trumper (#46), Steve Waugh (#50).

Who are the English cricketers of all-time?

The greatest England cricketer of all-time is Dr. WG Grace (#2). The Top 10 England cricketers in history are WG Grace (#2), Sir Jack Hobbs (#4), Sydney Barnes (#8), Wally Hammond (#9), Wilfred Rhodes (#12), Sir Len Hutton (#14), Frank Wooley (#17), Herbert Sutcliffe (#21), Les Ames (#25), and Fred Trueman (#27).

Who are the greatest Indian cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Indian cricketer of all-time is Sachin Tendulkar (#3). The Top 10 Indian cricketers in history are Sachin Tendulkar (#3), Sunil Gavaskar (#28), Kapil Dev (#32), Virat Kohli (#35), Rahul Dravid (#45), Anil Kumble (#48), Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (#56), MS Dhoni (#57), Ravichandran Ashwin (#88), and Bishan Singh Bedi (#95).

Who are the greatest West Indian cricketers of all-time?

The greatest West Indian cricketer of all-time is Sir Garfield Sobers (#6). The Top 10 West Indies cricketers in history are Sir Garfield Sobers (#6), Frank Wooley (#7), Sir Vivian Richards (#10), Brian Lara (#16), Malcolm Marshall (#20), George Headley (#30), Courtney Walsh (#40), Curtly Ambrose (#49), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (#58), and Chris Gayle (#61).

Who are the greatest Sri Lankan cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Sri Lankan cricketer of all-time is Muttiah Muralitharan (#11). The Top 10 Sri Lanka cricketers in history are Muttiah Muralitharan (#11), Kumar Sangakkara (#52), Mahela Jayawardene (#66), Sanath Jayasuriya (#74), Chaminda Vaas (#77), Tillakaratne Dilshan (#100), Lasith Malinga (#102), Rangana Herath (#109), Aravinda de Silva (#119), Arjuna Ranatunga (#126), and Marvin Atapattu (#149).

Who are the greatest South African cricketers of all-time?

The greatest South African cricketer of all-time is Jacques Kallis (#13). The Top 10 South Africa cricketers in history are Jacques Kallis (#13), Barry Richards (#19), Graeme Pollock (#22), Dale Steyn (#36), AB De Villiers (#47), Shaun Pollock (#60), Graeme Smith (#78), Aubrey Faulkner (#81), Hashim Amla (#114), and Allan Donald (#116).

Who are the greatest Pakistan cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Pakistani cricketer of all-time is Wasim Akram (#18). The Top 10 Pakistan cricketers in history are Wasim Akram (#18), Imran Khan (#34), Waqar Younis (#38), Zaheer Abbas (#43), Hanif Mohammad (#44), Javed Miandad (#55), Mohammad Yousuf (#69), Inzamam Ul-Haq (#93), Younis Khan (#97), and Saqlain Mushtaq (#112).

Who are the greatest New Zealand cricketers of all-time?

The greatest New Zealand cricketer of all-time is Sir Richard Hadlee (#37). The Top 10 New Zealand cricketers in history are Richard Hadlee (#37), Daniel Vettori (#89), Ross Taylor (#92), Brendon McCullum (#104), Kane Williamson (#108), Martin Crowe (#129), Stephen Fleming (#131), Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Glenn Turner.

Who are the greatest Bangladesh cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Bangladeshi cricketer of all-time is Shakib Al Hasan (#75).

Who are the greatest Afghanistan cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Afghanistan cricketer of all-time is Rashid Khan (#107).

Who are the greatest Zimbabwe cricketers of all-time?

The greatest Zimbabwean cricketer of all-time is Andy Flower (#132).

The Criteria

The goal of this list is that from these 152 greatest cricketers of all time, you can pick sub-lists of the “Greatest All-Rounders of All-Time,” “Greatest Fast Bowlers of All-Time,” etc.

So how did we pick the greatest cricketers of all time? Well, we considered it all—Impact, captaincy, World Cup contributions, longevity, legacy, and statistics (10,000 runs, player of the match awards, 5-fers, 10-fers, ICC Hall of fame, Wisden cricketer of the century list, etc.)

This was a tougher challenge than I had initially anticipated. So to narrow down our choices, if a player satisfied any of the criteria below, they were automatically added to the list:

  • Member of ICC’s Hall of Fame
  • 10,000 ODI or Test Runs
  • 500 Test Wickets, 400 ODI Wickets
  • Selected as the Six Giants of the Wisden Century or Wisden Cricketers of the Century

To understand a player’s true impact from before the 1950s, excerpts from Wisden’s Almanack and ESPNCricinfo were used (and cited).

*Note: Sydney Barnes, Don Bradman, W.G. Grace, Jack Hobbs, Tom Richardson, and Victor Trumper were selected as the Six Giants of the Wisden Century and Donald Bradman, Garfield Sobers, Jack Hobbs, Shane Warne, and Viv Richards were voted as Wisden Cricketer of the Century in 2000.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Greatest Cricketers of All Time

Sources: Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, ICC Hall of Fame, ESPN Cricinfo’s All time XIs

Who is the best cricketer of all time?

Sir Donald Bradman is considered the best cricketer of all-time, followed closely by WG Grace, Sachin Tendulkar, Jack Hobbs, Shane Warne, Frank Worrell, and Sir Garfield Sobers.

Who is the best batsman of all time?

Sir Donald Bradman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sir Jack Hobbs, Sir Frank Worrell, and Sir Viv Richards are the best batsman of all time. Sir Len Hutton, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Barry Richards, and Graeme Pollock are close behind.

Who is the best bowler of all time?

Shane Warne are Sydney Barnes are the best bowlers of all time. Behind them are Muralitharan, Wasim Akram, Malcolm Marshall, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Mcgrath, Fred Trueman, Jimmy Anderson, Dale Steyn, and Waqar Younis.

Who is the best all-rounder of all time?

Sir Garfield Sobers is the best all-rounder of all time with Jacques Kallis close behind. Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Jayasuriya, Shakib Al Hasan, Miller, and Faulkner also make the list.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2022. Originally published on 12/10/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

2022 T20 World Cup Review: The Quickest Review You Will Ever Find

2022 T20 World Cup Review Time!

Also Read: 2022 T20 World Cup Quickest Preview Ever: One Sentence Preview of all 16 Teams!

1. Afghanistan

Rain, rain go away, come again another day, little Rashid Khan wants to play. They never got to showcase their whole talent, did they? Ran Australia close with Rashid brilliance in Adelaide, Mujeeb’s Magic Ball, and Farooqi’s swing, some moments to cherish.

2. Australia

Foolish batting vs New Zealand, net run rate drops, never recovered, Stoinis only star, Starc-Cummins drop T20 credentials, Finch nearing the end.

3. Bangladesh

The Tigers were one win away from the semi-finals. That is already a big plus, isn’t it? Nothing was expected from them. Also Taskin’s menace and the elegance that Liton Das is.

4. England

Double World Champions, shall I say more? The talent that Sam Curran is, redemptions of Alex Hales & Ben Stokes, and Jos Buttler’s calm captaincy paves new era for England cricket. England’s message to the whole world – Change or Perish. This is the way to go in T20s.

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5. India

A script so predictable that is starting to get boring. Virat Kohli’s usual magic, India breezes to the semi-finals, and then packs their bags only to return home. But disappointment aside, That Haris Rauf shot, SKY’s 360 game, and the emergency of Arshdeep is what we will all remember.

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6. Ireland

Coming of age. The Campher-Dockrell recovery vs Scotland set the tone for this World Cup, Balbirnie led from the front, Stirling with his one great innings, Fionn Hand’s Ball vs Stokes, Tector’s 71, and wins versus West Indies and England. Ireland are big boys now.

7. Namibia

Set the World Cup on fire with a dominating victory against Sri Lanka in the first game. Almost through to the Super 12s with David Wiese’s heroics but unfortunately the long boundaries went against them.

8. Netherlands

South Africa will be scarred forever courtesy Roelof Van Der Merwe’s catch and all-round performance. Consistent bowling throughout, Tim Pringle’s glasses, Max O’Dowd’s class, Ackermann’s assault, eye injury to de Leede, Van Meekeren’s fast bowling arrival, and enough support from the rest of the crew.

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9. New Zealand

They came, they saw, they left from the knockout stages without conquering. Same old, same old. Glenn Phillips, Santner, and one innings each of Conway/Allen only positives.

10. Pakistan

Almost a replica of 1992. World Cup down under, lost the first couple, almost out. Then came the Shadab show versus South Africa and they never looked back. Naseem-Shaheen-Haris-Wasim made a potential fast bowling attack that challenged England, but an archaic batting strategy cost them.

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11. South Africa

The reflection of Rilee Rossouw. 100s or nothing. Dominated Bangladesh & India and lost must win games against Pakistan & Netherlands. Another legendary choke in the books.

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12. Sri Lanka

Good, but not good enough. Injuries meant they were not even close to replicating their Asia Cup heroics. Hasaranga among the wickets again. But Off-field controversies are not helping.

13. Scotland

Brilliant victory against the West Indies but will be disappointed. Had one door in the Super 12s but could not stop an Ireland comeback. An end of era, retirements forthcoming.

14. UAE

Great bowling attack, some power hits, and one win against Namibia. That’s better than most expected.

15. West Indies

Hetmyer missed flight, West Indies missed on common sense cricket. Crashed out of the first round. Digging themselves in a hole now.

16. Zimbabwe

The team to support in this World Cup, lead superbly by Sean Williams with charismatic Sikandar Raza as their main man. Defeated Pakistan and were close to the semis if they hadn’t panicked in the Bangladesh run chase. Chakaba solid behind the stumps, Ngarava the pick of the bowlers with Muzarabani and Brad Evans other positives.

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Thanks for reading the 2022 T20 World Cup Review article.

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2022. Originally published on 11/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

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Salary of Cricketers (Men’s) from Each of the 12 Nations (2022)—The Complete Guide

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.

This is Part II of our new series, Cricket & Finances. Here is the article from Part I of the series, How Much Do Different Types of Cricketers Earn Per Year (2022)? Salaries of Pujara, Stokes, Warner, Billings, Tim David Revealed! You don’t want to miss this one out!

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.

General Source (for highest paid in 2017): Cricket Monthly (ESPN Cricinfo)

12. Afghanistan Cricketer Salary: $20,000-40,000

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Afghanistan Cricket National Contract Estimated Salary

Estimated Salary Range: $20,000-$40,000 (which may vary depending on the contract grade)

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
  • Grade B: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Naveen Ul Haq, Gulbadin Naib, Hazratullah Zazai
  • Grade C: Samiullah Shinwari, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Javed Ahmadi, Amir Hamza, Ikram Alikhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Ihsanullah Janat, Nasir Jamal, Qais Ahamd, Shapoor Zadran, Sayed Ahmad, Mohammad Yamin Ahmadzai, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Zahir Khan, Fareed Ahmad, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Afsar Khan, Karim Janat, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Hamid Hassan
  • Grade D: Mohammad Shahzad, Mirwais Ashraf, Aftab Alam, Wafadar Momand, Dawlat Zadran

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.

Sources: Contract List, Annual Report, Etisalat Signs up as Official SPL Sponsor

11. Zimbabwe Cricketer Salary: $44,000-90,000

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Estimated Salary Range: $44,000-$90,000

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.

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:

  • Grade X: $60,000
  • Grade A: $42,000
  • Grade B: $24,000
  • Grade C: $18,000
  • Rookie: $3,600

Zimbabwe Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Graeme Cremer was the highest earned Zimbabwe cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $90,000.

Sources: Herald, Cricinfo 2013, Annual Report, Nineteen Zimbabwe women offered central contracts for 2022-23 (espncricinfo.com)

10. Ireland Cricketer Salary: $90,000-100,000

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Estimated Average Salary: $94,800

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 South African 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.

List of Centrally Contracted Ireland Cricketers 2022-23

  • 2-year Contracts: Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
  • 1-Year Contract: Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Ben White, William Porterfield (now retired)

Sources: Cricket Ireland offers 12 two-year central contracts as part of improved men’s contract system (cricketworld.com)

9. Bangladesh Cricketer Salary: $55,000-212,000

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Maximum Possible Salary: $211,950 (Top Tier Contract + 3-format Maximum Match Fees)

Minimum Possible Salary: $54,950 (Bottom Tier Contract + T20Is only)

Bangladesh Cricket National Contract

  • Top Tier: $60,000
  • Mid-Tier: $30,000
  • Bottom Tier: $15,000

What Are Match Fees for Bangladesh Cricketers?

  • Test: $7,000 (600,000 BDT)
  • ODI: $3,500 (300,000 BDT)
  • T20I: $2,350 (200,000 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

List of Bangladesh Centrally Contracted Cricketers 2022-23

  • All-format: Shakib Al Hasan, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam
  • Tests and ODIs: Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan
  • Tests Only: Mominul Haque, Ebadot Hossain, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shadman Islam, Yasir Ali, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul Islam
  • ODIs and T20Is only: Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman, Afif Hossain

Bangladesh Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Shakib Al Hasan was the highest earned Bangladesh cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $140,000.

Sources: Shakib Al Hasan among five Bangladesh players offered all-format central contracts (espncricinfo.com), ESPNCricinfo, BCB Guidelines

8. Pakistan Cricketer Salary: $72,000-280,000

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Estimated Average Range: $72,300145,350 (with some players with higher salaries due to negotiations)

Pakistan Cricket National Contract

  • Top Tier – Red Ball: $56,400 (12,600,000 PKR)
  • Top Tier – White Ball: $51,600 (11,400,000 PKR)

What Are Match Fees for Pakistani Cricketers?

  • Test: $3,800 (838, 530 PKR)
  • ODI: $2,300 (515,696 PKR)
  • T20I: $1,735 (372,075 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.

Pakistan Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

In 2017, Sarfaraz Ahmed was the highest earned Bangladesh cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $270,000.

Sources: Pakistan’s leading players agree to amended central contracts (espncricinfo.com), GeoTV, ESPN Cricinfo, ICC, Hindustan Times

7. Sri Lanka Cricketer Salary: $65,000-351,000

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Maximum Possible Salary: $351,000 (A1 Contract + 3-format Maximum Fees)

Minimum Possible Salary: $65,000 (D3 Contract + ODI Player Only)

Sri Lanka Cricket National Contract and Player List

  • A1: $100,000 (Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella)
  • A2: $80,000 (Angelo Mathews, Kusal Perera)
  • A3: $70,000 (Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis)
  • B1: $65,000 (Dasun Shanaka, Suranga Lakmal (now retired))
  • B2: $60,000 (Lasith Embuldeniya, Wanindu Hasaranga)
  • B3: $55,000 (Lahiru Thirimanne, Pathum Nissanka)
  • C1: $50,000 (Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera)
  • C2: $45,000 (Dinesh Chandimal, Lakshan Sandakan)
  • C3: $40,000 (Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana (now retired)
  • D1: $35,000 (Oshada Fernano, Ramesh Mendis)
  • D2: $30,000 (Danushka Gunathilaka, Lahiru Kumara)
  • D3: $25,000 (Akila Dananjaya, Ashen Bandara)

*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.

Sri Lanka Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Angelo Matthews was the highest earned Sri Lankan cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $320,000.

Sources: Cricinfo

6. South Africa Cricketer Salary: $70,000-468,000

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Maximum Possible Salary: $468,793 (Top Tier contract + All 3-format Maximum Match Fees)

Estimated Average Salary Range: $68,000-$185,000 (1.1-3 million South African Rands)

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.

South African Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Faf Du Plessis was the highest earned South African cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $440,000.

List of Centrally Contracted South African Players 2022-23

Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, Quinton de Kock, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen

“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.”

– Firdose Moonda, Cricinfo

Source: Cricinfo

Also Read:

  1. Part I – How Much Do Different Types of Cricket Players Earn
  2. Part III – Richest Cricket Leagues
  3. Part IV – Richest Cricket Boards

5. West Indies Cricketer Salary: $140,000-300,000

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Maximum Possible Salary: $266,720 (Top Tier + All 3-format Maximum Match Fee)

Minimum Possible Salary: $140,250 (Bottom Tier Contract + Tests only)

Average Salary: $236,726.43

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.

West Indies Cricket Contracted Players List 2021-22

  • All-Format Contract: Jason Holder
  • Red Ball Only: Kraigg Brathwaite, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kyle Mayers, Kemar Roach
  • White Ball Only: Fabien Allen, Darren Bravo, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Alzarri Joseph, Nicholas Pooran, Hayden Walsh Jr.
  • Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith have been added for the 2022-23 contract list

*An interesting note in CWI’s statement: ‘A number of players were not retained because they did not meet the minimum requirements.’

West Indies Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Jason Holder was the highest earned West Indian cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $270,000.

Sources: Cricinfo – Match Fees, West Indies Board, Cricinfo

4. New Zealand Cricketer Salary: $258,000-500,000

Embed from Getty Images

Maximum Possible Earnings: $450,000 (highest retainer + 3-format max match fees)

Minimum Possible Earnings: $258,498 (lowest retainer + T20I match fees only)

New Zealand Cricket National Contract 2022

  • Retainer: $236,000-$336,000 USD ($367,196-$523,396 NZD)

New Zealand Cricket Match Fees (Per Match)

  • Tests: $6,600 USD ($10,250 NZD)
  • ODIs: $2,500 USD ($4,000 NZD)
  • T20Is: $1,607 USD ($2,500 NZD)

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.

New Zealand Cricket Highest Paid (2018)

Kane Williamson was the highest earned New Zealand cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $289,000.

New Zealand Cricket Contract List 2022-23

Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Source: Stuff.co.nz Press Release, ICC, Stuff.Co.Nz – Women’s Cricket Salary Doubles

3. India Cricketer Salary: $191,000-1.3 Million

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Indian Cricket National Contract Retainer Fee and Players 2022-23

Maximum Possible Earnings: $1,295,302 (Grade A+ Contract + Maximum fees for a 3-format player who plays in the XI)

Minimum Possible Earnings: $191, 235 (Grade C Contract + Minimum Fees for 1-format player who is on the sidelines in every game)

  • Grade A+: Rs. 7 Crores ($877,800)
    • Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah
  • Grade A: Rs. 5 Crores ($627,000)
    • Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami, Rishabh Pant
  • Grade B: Rs. 3 Crores ($376,200)
    • Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammad Siraj, Ishant Sharma
  • Grade C: Rs. 1 Crore ($125,400)
    • Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Mayank Agarwal

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)
  • 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.

Indian Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Virat Kohli was the highest earned Indian cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $1,000,000.

Sources: BCCI Player List, ICC Report 2021, ESPNCricinfo Match Fees, NDTV – 2022 Contract Report

2. England Cricketer Salary: $350,000-1.5 Million

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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)

England Cricket Central Contracts

  • Full Contract (Max): $1.125 million (925,000 pounds)

*Between 2016-2021, contracts were separated based on formats (figures below) but now are divided between central contracts, increment contracts, and pace bowling development contracts.

  • Red Ball Only: $790,000 (650,000 pounds)
  • White Ball Only: $300,000-365,000 (250,000-300,000 pounds)

What Are Match Fees for England Cricketers?

  • Tests: $17,600 (14,500 pounds)
  • White Ball: $5,500 (4,500 pounds)

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.

England Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Joe Root was the highest-paid cricketer from England (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $1,380,000.

England Cricket Contract List 2022-23

  • Full Contract: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Eoin Morgan, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
  • Increment Contracts: Dom Bess, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone
  • Pace bowling development contracts: Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Olly Stone

Sources: The Cricketer, ECB Financial Statements & Annual Reports

1. Australia Cricketer Salary: $362,500-1.75 Million

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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)

Australia Cricket National Contract

  • Minimum Contract: $300,000
  • Average Contract: $800,000

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.

What are Match Fees for Australian Cricketers?

For a player in the XI for these formats, an Indian 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.

Australia Cricket Highest Paid (2017)

Steve Smith was the highest earned Australian cricketer (from central contracts & match fees only), estimated around $1, 470,000.

Australia Cricket Contract List 2022-23

Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Sources: Big names miss out in CA contract shake-up | cricket.com.au, Contracted Players

Also Read:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Salary of Afghanistan cricketers?

$20,000-40,000

What is the Salary of Australian cricketers?

$362,500-1.75 Million

What is the Salary of Bangladesh cricketers?

$55,000-212,000

What is the Salary of England cricketers?

$350,000-1.5 Million

What is the Salary of Indian cricketers?

$191,000-1.3 Million

What is the Salary of Irish cricketers?

$90,000-100,000

What is the Salary of New Zealand cricketers?

$258,000-500,000

What is the Salary of Pakistani cricketers?

$72,000-280,000

What is the Salary of Sri Lankan cricketers?

$65,000-351,000

What is the Salary of South African cricketers?

$70,000-468,000

What is the Salary of West Indian cricketers?

$140,000-300,000

What is the Salary of Zimbabwean cricketers?

$44,000-90,000

Photo Courtesy: Embeded from Getty Images

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 08/10/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Should Virat Kohli be a part of India’s T20 World Cup Squad?

Should Virat Kohli…be in India’s T20 World Cup squad? Should he not? The burning question in every Indian fan’s mind. Rohit Sharma is getting increasingly annoyed with every press conference (Here are his conferences after the 1st ODI and 2nd ODI vs England).

Virat Kohli has now been rested for the West Indies 5-match T20I series. India’s series against South Africa and Ireland gave a hint of India’s new aggressive gameplay and how the future might look without Kohli. These five games against the West Indies will make it clear, can India survive without Virat Kohli?

Here is my take—Virat Kohli should be in the Indian T20 World Cup squad but as a floater, not the #3 batter.

Also Read: 54 Contenders for the Indian 2022 T20 World Cup Squad — Do Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli Deserve a Spot?

Table of Contents

  1. What are the Pros of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
  2. What are the Cons of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?
  3. Virat Kohli’s T20I Stats Since December 2020 (Post-Pandemic Break)
  4. Possible Scenarios for Virat Kohli
  5. Final Thoughts

What are the Pros of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?

Several international players have come to Virat Kohli’s defense. Rohit Sharma reiterated that even though each player suffers from ups and downs in his or her career, the player’s quality never reduces. Here are some other reasons why a player like Virat Kohli might be valuable in a T20 World Cup.

  • Experience matters in a World Cup
  • Great record across formats in Australia consistently for the past 14 years
  • Player of the tournament in 2014/2016 T20 World Cups. Single handedly carried India.
  • Although IPL record is poor, his recent T20I stats have been pretty decent
Embed from Getty Images

Virat Kohli’s T20I Stats Since December 2020 (Post-Pandemic Break)

One of the misconceptions from Virat Kohli’s bad form is due to all formats getting mixed – Tests, ODIs, T20Is, and IPL. He has horrid IPL seasons and been found out at the Test level at times as well, but in ODIs and T20Is, he has been pretty solid.

  • In Australia (December 2020)
    • 9 (9)
    • 40 (24)
    • 85 (61)
  • Vs England in India (Match 2021)
    • 0(5)
    • 73*(49)
    • 77*(46)
    • 1(5)
    • 80*(52)
  • T20 WC
    • 57 (49) vs Pakistan
    • 9 (17) vs New Zealand
    • DNB vs Afghanistan
    • 2* (2) vs Scotland
    • DNB vs Namibia
  • West Indies (Feb 2022)
    • 17 (13)
    • 52 (41)
  • England (July 2022)
    • 1 (3)
    • 11 (6)

Source: Virat Kohli StatsGuru

In summary, since Dec 2020, Virat Kohli in T20Is has stats:

17 matches, 15 innings, 514 runs, 46.72 average, 134.55 SR, best of 85, 6 fifties, 1 duck

Here are his overall career T20I stats:

99 matches, 91 innings, 3308 runs, 50.12 average, 137.66 SR, best of 94*, 30 fifties, 3 ducks

What are the Cons of Having Virat Kohli in India’s T20 World Cup Squad?

Now that we have discussed some of the positives, now let us discuss what is on everybody’s mind. Kapil Dev, Venkatesh Prasad, and lots of other cricketers have asked for players to be picked on form and merit, not reputation.

Also Read: 3 Unfairly Treated Cricketer: Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi, Prithvi Shaw

So, what are the cons of Virat Kohli in a T20 World Cup side?

  • Low Strike Rate in the Modern T20 Age
  • Needs some time to get going unlike a Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, or Deepak Hooda at #3, who can continue the momentum
  • Can get bogged down by spin in T20s during the middle phase
  • Does not offer another skill (bowling, keeping, and unfortunately, no longer captaincy)

To give a complete picture, here are Virat Kohli’s stats in the last three IPLs:

  • IPL 2020
    • 15 matches, 466 runs, 42.36 average, 121.35 SR, 3 50s, best of 90*
  • IPL 2021
    • 15 matches, 405 runs, 28.92 average, 119.46 SR, 3 50s, best of 72*
  • IPL 2022
    • 16 matches, 341 runs, 22.73 average, 115.99 SR, 2 50s, best of 73
Embed from Getty Images

So, is there a way to fitting Virat Kohli in the squad while considering both of these things?

The answer is YES. Virat Kohli can play a similar role to what Steve Smith played during Australia’s 2021 T20 World Cup victory run.

Possible Scenarios for Virat Kohli

Since India are going with an ultra-aggressive batting approach, there will be volatile days when the team may collapse. Going for 225 everyday, the team might end up collapsing for a score below 100.

In this case, a Grant Elliot-esque insurance policy is needed. For India, Virat Kohli can be that insurance policy (In the current setup, either Dinesh Karthik comes in earlier to do this role or Axar Patel has been sent to delay DK’s entry. In both cases, India lost momentum. Virat Kohli instead of Axar Patel would be the ideal scenario)

Here are some get possible scenarios:

  1. If openers have a blazing start, send in Sanju Samson-Suryakumar Yadav-Hardik Pandya, etc. depending on the situation/number of overs left. Push Virat Kohli down the order until absolutely necessary.
  2. If an opener gets out early, still send Suryakumar Yadav in hoping he will continue the positive approach. However, if another wicket falls during this tricky phase, send Virat Kohli at #4 to stem the flow of wickets.
  3. While chasing, if it is a tricky small run-chase in difficult batting conditions, send Virat Kohli at #3.
  4. Another option is to carry him in the World Cup squad without playing him in the XI. In case another batter is horridly out of form during the World Cup or gets injured, Virat Kohli can adapt to whatever role is necessary.

In this way, India will still be utilizing Virat Kohli’s core skills and experience rather than expecting him to be India’s modern T20 #3 batter.

Final Thoughts

Rohit Sharma made it clear in his press conference that each player will be given confidence, especially since India are trying to play with a new approach. Failures will happen, but judgements should not be made based on one or two series.

Based on his recent IPL stats, Kohli should not make it. Based on his recent T20I stats, he should be in contention for the World Cup, but not necessarily a certainty. But based on captain Rohit Sharma’s statements, Virat Kohli will be on that plane to Australia and more than likely, in the XI. So, why not give him our full support as fans?

These were my two cents. I have presented you with both perspectives. What do you think? Which side are you on?

Here is the Quora article that instigated this idea.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 07/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Why Was the SuperSub Rule Removed from Cricket

The SuperSub was one of the most innovative laws in recent Cricket’s history but unfortunately was short lived.

Also Read: 15 Cricket Problems That Needs to Be Solved in the Next Decade | How to Fix Cricket 101

What was the Super Sub Rule?

At the beginning of a One Day International (ODI) match, the teams would list 12 players, where the twelfth man actually could make a tangible impact in the game — The Super Sub.

They could either replace a bowler and finish their quota, be picked as a wicketkeeper (which usual substitutes could not without special permission) or could replace a batter for the remainder of the game.

Embed from Getty Images

Who Was the First SuperSub in Cricket?

Vikram Solanki, pictured above, was the first SuperSub. On July 7th, 2005 he became the first SuperSub after replacing Simon Jones (but didn’t get to bat since England finished the chase early).

Source: 7th July, 2005: England’s Vikram Solanki Becomes Cricket’s First-ever Super-sub

When was the SuperSub Rule Implemented?

The SuperSub Rule briefly lasted between 2005 and 2006, but due to its controversial nature, was removed by 2006.

Why did the SuperSub Innovation Fail?

The Super Sub rule failed due to the rigidity in the system.

The substitute player had to be picked before the toss. Hence, variations in the game could nullify the substitute selection. What if a team went with four pace bowlers and the ball started to stop a bit? What if a team needed an extra batter after an early collapse? The Super Sub could not flow with the game and hence, it failed to bring the results it once promised.

In addition, teams brought specialist fielders to replace bowlers to keep energy in the field, which was frowned upon by the opposition.

The X Factor Rule in Big Bash

The Big Bash is now trying out some innovations like the X-Factor.

The X-Factor has the chance of substituting a player after the 10th over in a T20 game, thereby giving both teams a fair level playing field and flexibility.

Read about the X-Factor and other innovations in the Big Bash described by former Australian coach Darren Lehmann.

If ODI Cricket is to Survive, SuperSub and Other Innovations Need to Comeback

At a time when ODI cricket is struggling to find relevance, South Africa are willingly forfeiting an ODI series and jeopardizing their World Cup direct qualification chances to accommodate home grown T20 Leagues, innovations like the SuperSub should be added again.

If the ICC doesn’t act now, the ODI game is good as over.

What do you think? What other innovations could make the ODI game relevant again?

**

Check out the Quora response here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What was the Super Sub Rule?

At the beginning of a One Day International (ODI) match, the teams would list 12 players, where the twelfth man actually could make a tangible impact in the game — The Super Sub.
They could either replace a bowler and finish their quota, be picked as a wicketkeeper (which usual substitutes could not without special permission),or could replace a batter for the remainder of the game.

Who Was the First SuperSub in Cricket?

Vikram Solanki, pictured above, was the first SuperSub. On July 7th, 2005 he became the first SuperSub after replacing Simon Jones.

Why did the SuperSub Innovation Fail?

The Super Sub rule failed due to the rigidity in the system since the substitute player had to be picked before the toss.

How long did the SuperSub rule last?

The SuperSub rule lasted about one year, between 2005 and 2006.

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 07/14/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

County Championship 2022 Predictions – Most Runs, Most Wickets, Winners!

By Nitesh Mathur, Broken Cricket Dreams, 4/07/2022

Today was such a pleasant day for cricket—The County Championship 2022 began, going back to the two-division structure from the ‘pre-pandemic’ era.

8 concurrent matches (I watched the Essex Vs Kent game), friendly exchanges on social media, centuries for Nick Browne & Sir Alastair Cook (yep still going strong!), Somerset bundled for 180 by Hampshire, and lots of young talent on show!

And when there is a new tournament, there is #BCDPredictions. The County Championship is long! It ends at the end of September. So, here are the predictions of our friends from Twitter and Facebook here so we can compare at the end of the journey, who got most Predictions right!

For predictions from the IPL and other Test series, check the #BCDPredictions Challenge archive here.

Also Read: The Comedy of Overs: Shakespearean Parody Starring English Cricket, The Hundred, And County Cricket; County Cricket-Hundred Debate from an Outsider’s Perspective: Can They Co-Exist?

The Categories

The categories for the County Championship 2022 Predictions are:

#MostRuns, #MostWickets, #WinnerDiv1, #WinnerDiv2, and #LookingForwardTo.

As a reminder, the two divisions are structured as follows:

Division OneEssexGloucestershireHampshireKentLancashireNorthamptonshireSomersetSurreyWarwickshireYorkshire
Divisiion TwoDerbyshireDurhamGlamorganLeicestershireMiddlesexNottinghamshireSussexWorcestershire

*If you have not submitted your predictions, there is still time! You can send the predictions in the form below or tag us in Twitter.

My County Championship 2022 Predictions

Due to my personal affinity for Alastair Cook, I went with Essex for Division I, but will be following several domestic and international stars.

Specifically would love to see openers Rory Burns & Dom Sibley return to top form after an indifferent last year in Test cricket. Sam Curran is returning from injury, stalwarts Jimmy Anderson, Hashim Amla, & Darren Stevens are still around, while South Africans Simon Harmer, George Linde, and Kyle Abbott can wreck mayhem on their day.

For the overseas stars, I am looking forward to out-of-favor Cheteshwar Pujara and Pakistani internationals in Mohammad Abbas, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan. Tom Haines & Josh de Caires are some popular youngsters to watch.

Also Read: Why The World Needs Sam Curran: Calm, Charismatic, Courageous

The Predictions

1. In-Depth Football and Cricket

  • #WinnerDiv1: Hampshire
  • #WinnerDiv2: Nottingshamshire
  • #MostRuns: Dom Sibley
  • #MostWickets: Kyle Abbott
  • #LookingForwardTo: Vince’s cover drives, underdogs pulling off upsets, youngsters making themselves known.

2. Brian Painting

  • #WinnerDiv1: Surrey
  • #WinnerDiv2: Notts
  • #MostRuns: Hashim Amla
  • #MostWickets: Simon Harmer
  • #LookingForwardTo: Watching cricket at New Road in the spring sunshine, The Cheltenham cricket festival, Naseem Shah bowling, Ollie Pope batting

3. Bex #DenlyMemeTeam

Oh I’ve got no idea, but I’d go for the same winners here (no bias, of course). Looking forward to watching Joe Denly bat and Simon Harmer bowl.

Also Read: Joe Denly and Joe Biden: The Importance of Being Joe

4. Longbob Jimshanks

  • #WinnerDiv1: Surrey
  • #WinnerDiv2: Notts
  • #MostRuns: Matt Renshaw
  • #MostWickets: Kemar Roach
  • #LookingForwardTo: Robin Smith not being at Headingly

Also before you check out the rest of the predictions, check out BCD’s other social media pages and consider subscribing to our newsletter. It would really help support this website.

5. Adam Sutherland

  • #WinnerDiv1: Essex
  • #WinnerDiv2: Nottinghamshire
  • #MostRuns: Ollie Pope
  • #MostWickets: Simon Harmer
  • #LookingForwardTo: Watching Amla and Pope bat together at the Oval.

6. Massimo

  • #WinnerDiv1: Lancashire
  • #WinnerDiv2: Notts
  • #MostRuns: Jake Libby
  • #MostWickets: Ethan Bamber
  • #LookingForwardTo: Shaheen Afridi, Tim Murtagh and Ethan Bamber rolling through sides in div 2

7. Saoirse del Tufo

  • #WinnerDiv1: Essex
  • #WinnerDiv2: Durham
  • #MostRuns: Burns
  • #MostWickets: S Cook
  • #LookingForwardTo: Most Excited by this Essex team, a bunch of young talented players and some Stevo specials!

8. James McCaghrey

  • #WinnerDiv1: Essex
  • #WinnerDiv2: Notts
  • #MostRuns: Haines
  • #MostWickets: Abbas
  • #LookingForwardTo: Pope making a massive score, Haines attacking and Cook taking wickets.

9. Andy Heustice

“Jordan Cox, Ollie Robinson in batting, Matt Milnes and Harry Podmore in bowling. Young Zimbabwean all rounder Tawanda Muyeye who might play a few games.”

– On players to watch out from Kent

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2022. Originally published on 04/07/2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

History of Women’s Cricket World Cup – Everything You Need to Know to Prep Yourself for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup

The 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup is right around the corner, and we are here all for it!

Women’s cricket has become mainstream over the last decade, especially with the breakthrough 2017 ODI World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup final, but how much do we really about it?

The general public can remember who won the 1979 Cricket World Cup, Kapil Dev’s 1983 catch, Wasim Akram’s 1992 swing, South Africa’s collapses, and Australia’s dominance in men’s cricket. Here we will educate ourselves about the Women’s Cricket World Cup—How many World Cups have happened, what happened in each world cup, who is the highest runs scorer, wicket taker, and much more!

By the end of this article, you will know everything from history to prepare yourself for the upcoming 2022 Cricket World cup.

Table of Contents

Facts About Women’s Cricket World Cup

Did You Know?

  1. Cricket’s first ODI World Cup was the 1973 Women’s Cricket World Cup, not the 1975 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
  2. Denmark played cricket? That’s right. While teams like Ireland and Netherlands made their impact in men’s world cup in the 2000s, teams like Ireland, Denmark, and Netherlands made their Women’s World Cup debut from the 1988 & 1993 world cups onwards.
  3. In the 1973 World Cup, Jamaica & Trinidad and Tobago played as separate nations, not under West Indies.
  4. Belinda Clark scored 229* in the 1997 World Cup vs Denmark, the highest ODI score across cricket at that time.
  5. In the 1973 & 1982 World Cup, an International XI was fielded as one of teams, comprised of players from England, New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia, India, Trinidad, and Jamaica.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Also Read:

  1. 20 Years of Mithali Raj And Jhulan Goswami: Eternal Legends for Indian & Women Cricket
  2. What Can Ellyse Perry Not Do?
  3. Case For 5-Day Tests In Women’s Cricket?
  4. Need For Change in Women’s Cricket: Hoping Against Hope
  5. Controversy Alert: Who Cares About Women’s Cricket Anyway?

Stats

Most Wins

How Many Times Have They Won?Runners-Up
Australia6 (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013)2 (1973, 2000)
England4 (1973, 1993, 2009, 2017)3 (1978, 1982, 1988)
New Zealand1 (2000)3 (1993, 1997, 2009)
India02 (2005, 2017)
West Indies01 (2013)

Most Runs

World CupsMatchesRunsBestAverage50s/100s
Debbie Hockley (New Zealand)1982-2000451501100*42.8810/2
Jan Brittin (England)1982-1997361299138*43.303/4
Charlotte Edwards (England)1997-2013301231173*53.527/4
Belinda Clark
(Australia)
1993-2005311151229*60.576/1
Mithali Raj
(India)
2000-202231*113910954.239/2

*will be playing the 2022 ODI World Cup

Most Wickets

World CupsMatchesWicketsBest Figures4/5
Lyn Fullston
(Australia)
1982-198820395/272/2
Carole Hodges
(England)
1982-199324374/33/0
Clare Taylor
(England)
1988-200525364/132/0
Jhulan Goswami
(India)
2005-200228364/162/0
Cathryn Fitzpatrick
(Australia)
1993-200525333/182/0

Most Dismissals

World CupsMatchesDismissals
(Catches/Stumpings)
Best
Jane Smit
(England)
1993-20052940 (22/18)4 (2/2)
Rebecca Rolls
(New Zealand)
1997-20052232 (24/8)4 (4/0)
Anju Jain
(India)
1993-20052431 (14/17)5 (3/2)

Most Catches

World CupsMatchesCatches
Jan Brittin
(England)
1982-19973619
Jhulan Goswami
(India)
2005-20172816
Lydia Greenway
(England)
2005-20131814

1. 1973 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: England

Winner: England 🥇

Runners Up: Australia 🥈

  • Teams: 7 (England, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Young England, International XI)
  • Format: Round Robin (6 matches each), 21 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Enid Bakewell (264) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Rosalind Heggs (12) – Young England

Fun Fact: England were captained by Rachael Heyhoe Flint, who is quoted to be the “WG Grace of women’s cricket.”

Embed from Getty Images

2. 1978 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: India

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: England 🥈

  • Teams: 4 (Australia, England, New Zealand, India)
  • Format: Round Robin (3 matches each), 6 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Margaret Jennings (127) – Australia
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Sharyn Hill (7) – Australia

Venue: New Zealand

Fun Fact: Australia won their first cricket world cup….first of their 20 world cups (5 men’s ODI, 1 T20 WC, 3 U-19 WC, 6 women’s ODI WC, 5 T20I WC)…WOW.

3. Hansells Vita Fresh 1982 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: New Zealand

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: England 🥈

  • Teams: 5 (Australia, England, New Zealand, India, International XI)
  • Format: Triple Round Robin + Final (12 matches each), 31 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Jan Brittin (391) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Lyn Fullston (23) – Australia (most in any women’s WC)

Fun Fact: Jackie Lord took 8-2-10-6 against India, women’s cricket best WC bowling figures to date. Electing to bat, NZ were bundled out for 80 in 58.5 overs via Diana Edulji’s 11.5-7-10-3 (60-over match). In reply, Lord helped bundle India for 37 in 35 overes.

Each team played each other THREE TIMES! Can you imagine that in today’s day and age? Also International XI makes a comeback.

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4. Shell Bicentennial 1988 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: Australia

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: England 🥈

  • Teams: 5 (Australia, England, New Zealand, Ireland, Netherlands)
  • Format: Double Round Robin + Playoffs (8 matches each), 22 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Carole Hodges (England)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Lindsay Reeler (448) – Australia
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Lyn Fullston (16) – Australia

Fun Fact: Ireland & Netherlands make their cricket world cup debut.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

5. 1993 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: England

Winner: England

Runners Up: New Zealand

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, England, Australia, India, Ireland, West Indies, Denmark, Netherlands)
  • Format: Round Robin + Playoffs (7 matches each), 29 matches total
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Jan Brittin (416) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Julie Harris (15) – New Zealand, Karen Smithies (England)

Fun Fact: The 1993 WWC was on the verge of being cancelled before a last minute £90,000 donation. Denmark comes into the cricketing market.

Embed from Getty Images

6. Hero Honda 1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: India

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: New Zealand🥈

  • Teams: 11 (Australia, England, South Africa, Ireland, Denmark, Pakistan, New Zealand, India, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, West Indies)
  • Format: Round Robin (2 groups) + Quarter-Finals + Semi-Finals + Finals, 33 matches totals
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Debbie Hockley (456) – New Zealand (most in any women’s WC)
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Katrina Keenan (13) – New Zealand

Fun Fact: Belinda Clark 229* (pushing Australia to 412/7, best WC score ever till date) and Charlotte Edwards’ 173 broke ODI batting world records, Pakistan collapsed for 27/10 (lowest ever WC score), and Jhulan Goswami, on ball duty, was inspired to take up the sport as a child. The beginning of professionalization of women’s cricket (from skirts/culottes to trousers)

Embed from Getty Images

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7. CricInfo 2000 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: New Zealand

Winner: New Zealand 🥇

Runners Up: Australia 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands)
  • Format: Round Robin + Semi-Finals + Finals, 31 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Lisa Keightley
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Karen Rolton (393) – Australia
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Charmaine Mason (17) – Australia

Fun Fact: A classic Australia Vs New Zealand final in New Zealand, who actually won their first (and only) ODI World Cup. The 2015 men’s world cup was actually just a revenge battle.

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8. 2005 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: South Africa

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: India 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, India, New Zealand, England, West indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Ireland)
  • Format: Round Robin + Semi-Finals + Finals, 31 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Karen Rolton (Australia) (Rolton boasts the best WC average across women’s WC – 74.92)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Charlotte Edwards (280)
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Neetu David (20)

Fun Fact: Featured a star cast—Belinda Clark, Lisa Sthalekar, Karen Rolton, Lisa Keightley, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Edwards, Katherine Brunt, Isa Guha, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra, Neetu David, Anisa Mohammeda clash of generations.

Embed from Getty Images

9. ICC 2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: Australia

Winner: England 🥇

Runners Up: New Zealand 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies)
  • Format: 2 Groups + Super Six + Final, 25 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Claire Taylor (England)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Claire Taylor (324) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Laura Marsh (16) – England

ICC Team of the Tournament:

  1. Suzie Bates (NZ), 2. Shelley Nitschke (Aus), 3. Claire Taylor (Eng), 4. Mithali raj (Ind), 5. Charlotte Edwards (C – Eng), 6. Kate Pulford (NZ), 7. Sarah Taylor (WK – Eng), 8. Amita Sharma (Ind), 9. Katherine Brunt (Eng), 10. Priyanka Roy (Ind), 11. Laura Marsh (Eng), 12. Sophie Devine (NZ)

Fun Fact: Ellyse Perry makes her ODI World Cup debut at the age of 18 taking 3/40 in Australia’s first match of the World Cup.

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10. ICC 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: India

Winner: Australia 🥇

Runners Up: West Indies 🥈

  • Teams: 8 (England, Sri Lanka, West Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan)
  • Format: 2 Groups + Super Six + Final, 25 matches total
  • Player of the Tournament: Suzie Bates (New Zealand)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Suzie Bates (407) – New Zealand
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Megan Schutt (15) – Australia

Fun Fact: India & Pakistan were the two teams that failed to qualify for the Super Sixes, while West Indies qualify for the Finals for the first (and only) time.

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11. ICC 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup

Venue: England & Wales

Winner: England

Runners Up: India

  • Teams: 8 (Australia, England, New Zealand, West indies, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan)
  • Format: Round Robin + Final
  • Player of the Tournament: Tammy Beaumont (England)
  • Highest Run-Scorer: Tammy Beaumont (410) – England
  • Highest Wicket Taker: Dane van Niekerk (15) – South Africa

ICC Team of the Tournament:

  1. Tammy Beaumont (Eng), 2. Laura Wolvaardt (SA), 3. Mithali Raj (C- Ind), 4. Ellyse Perry, 5. Sarah Taylor (WK – Eng), 6. Harmanpreet Kaur, 7. Deepti Sharma, 8. Marizanne Kapp (SA), 9. Anya Shrubsole (Eng), 10. Alex Hartley (Eng), 12. Natalie Sciver (Eng)

Fun Fact: Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171* in the semi-finals caught Australia. India lit up the tournament only to fall short due to a Shrubsole caused collapse in the final. Game changer for women’s cricket, bringing new fans to the game.

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Sources: ICC History, Cricinfo

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49 South African Cricketers Who Left Their Country for Kolpak Deals

Time for another World XI with Twists – Kolpak South African Cricketers Edition.

Huge revelation today – Quinton de Kock bid adieu to Test Cricket at the age of 29 after India brushed them aside in the first Test at Centurion. For more than a decade, South Africa have suffered a loss of talent to England through the Kolpak deal and now they have lost yet another great player, this time to overkill of cricket.

Table of Contents

Also Read: Cricket Self-Implodes: Thailand, The ICC, COVID, Racism, Sex, And Overkill of Cricket – Cricket Controversies 2021, End of Cricket as We Know it?

What Has South African Cricket Been Through Recently?

From being the #1 Test side for over a decade to becoming the “team in transition,” things have been far from ideal for South African cricket fans.

AB De Villiers retired from all of cricket, finally quashing the “Will he-Won’t he-Should he Return” debate. Faf du Plessis (retired from Tests to focus on T20I comeback), Imran Tahir, and Chris Morris have been shunted out from national selection due to their T20 leagues commitments. Dale Steyn hung up his boots, while Vernon Philander, Hashim Amla (lack of form) and Morne Morkel (now an Australian citizen) retired prematurely and took Kolpak deals post-retirement. In 2021, the domestic system has been restructured, SJN (Social Justice and briefly Nation Building) report has sparred nobody including Boucher-Smith, and the QDK kneeling controversy has further added to the fuel.

Only the 4/5 wins and positive brand of cricket in the 2021 T20 World Cup was a shining light. That too ended in a traditional disqualification due to net run rate.

However, since Brexit the Kolpak deal no longer holds, and the players are eligible for comeback. Blessing Muzarabani has been a ray of hope for Zimbabwe while David Wiese (ex-South African international) had a stellar T20 World Cup with Namibia. Wayne Parnell became the 1st official Kolpak player to make a comeback while Duanne Olivier is inching closer and closer.

Can Kolpak South African cricketers revive the Proteas ill-fated destiny?

Today’s Twist

Build 2 World XIs:

(1) A current XI of Kolpak South African Exodus players who are eligible for a South African comeback (Note they do not have to be contracted by a domestic team yet. Only that they are not retired and could comeback sometime in the future)

(2) An All-Time Best XI of Kolpak Players (retired)

The Catch

The XI needs to have five bowlers & a wicketkeeper.

*Note this does NOT include the list of players who were born in South Africa and are now settled in different countries representing England, Australia, New Zealand, Namibia, Netherlands, USA, etc. Those players are in the list linked below.

South African Cricketers Who Play For Other Countries: Labuschagne, Neil Wagner,…Can you Guess the Rest?

Quantifying South Africa’s Talent Drain

Overall around 69 cricketers have taken up Kolpak deals at some points in their career (49 from South Africa, 6 Zimbabwe, 2 New Zealand, and 12 West Indies – 7 Barbados, 3 Jamaica, 1 Trinidad and Tobago, 1 Guyana).

Additionally, around 39 cricketers were born in South Africa but have represented other countries & left South Africa earlier like Devon Conway and Kevin Pietersen. Then there are some like Dawid Malan (born in England, raised in South Africa, went back to England for international cricket) and Dane Piedt (left for USA but has not played an international for them yet), who are in neither of those lists.

Hence, there are at least 80 high profile cricketers that were from South African origin but did not represent the Proteas for at least some portion of their careers (Remember SA was banned from international cricket due to Apartheid in the 1980s, which was the beginning of the exodus).

Let us add another layer. Due to overkill of cricket, politics, and financial opportunities, AB De Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Morne Morkel, and Graeme Smith retired relatively early. Others took up coaching opportunities outside, further weakening the domestic circuit.

*Grant Elliot is a South African born cricketer, who played for New Zealand and later took a Kolpak deal after retiring from New Zealand duty.

What do you think about Kolpak South African cricketers’ comeback? COMMENT BELOW AND LET US KNOW!

Current Kolpak XI Eligible for South African Comeback

From the 49, here are 14 Kolpak South African cricketers who are eligible for an international comeback. Practically, the reserve South African XI disappeared in a decade.

1. Stiaan van Zyl (2016)

  • International Debut: December 16-19, 2014 (101*) International Matches: 12 Tests
  • Age Left: 30 Age Now: 34
  • County Team: Sussex
  • Previous Teams: Cape Cobras, Western Province, South Africa A
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Boland

Claim To Fame

Stiaan van Zyl became the 100th player to score a Test century on debut and yet, he left for England after just 12 Tests.

What did South Africa Miss?

A top order batter who could bowl fast medium, South Africa missed the balance (especially after Kallis’ retirement), reserve depth in batting, and a weaker domestic system without a batter of his caliber.

2. Richard Levi (2014)

  • International Debut: February 6, 2012 International Matches: 13 T20Is
  • Age Left: 26 Age Now: 33
  • County Team: Northamptonshire (earlier Somerset)
  • T20 Teams: Mumbai Indians
  • Previous Teams: Cape Cobras, Western Province, South Africa A, South Africa U-19, South Africa XI
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Has not played again in SA domestic circuit yet

Claim To Fame

Fastest T20I hundred (off 45 balls against New Zealand in 2012) at that time. Also had most sixes in a T20I (13) in that innings. Played only 13 T20Is before heading out.

What did South Africa Miss?

A swashbuckling opening batter in limited overs (Think Brendon McCullum-Martin Guptill-Colin Munro esque) who was ahead of his times when the T20 format was in its infancy. Could have been an ideal foil for QDK-Amla at the top in T20Is.

3. Rilee Rossouw (2016)

  • International Debut: August 20, 2014 International Matches: 36 ODIs, 15 T20Is
  • Age Left: 26 Age Now: 32
  • County Team: Hampshire
  • T20 Teams: Dambulla Giants, Khulna Tigers, Multan Sultans, Quetta Gladiators, Melbourne Renegades, Royal Challengers Bangalore
  • Previous Teams: Free State, Eagles, South Africa A, South Africa U-19
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Knights (T20)

Claim to Fame

After beginning his international career with a series of ducks, he stabilized his spot in the international team with 3 ODI hundreds, 7 fifties and two T20I fifties (here is his 78 vs Australia, where he overshadowed the likes of QDK, Miller, and Duminy).

Played the 2015 ODI World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup. Now sought after in T20 leagues around the world.

What did South Africa Miss?

The messiest exit of all and the one that hurt the most. South Africa had heavily invested in Rossouw, and he had become the next big middle order player in the South African line-up, one that would almost certainly replace the great AB De Villiers. Rossouw exited over an iPhone email to coach Russell Domingo and even spelled Domingo’s first name incorrectly. Scored a century in his last ODI (122 vs Australia) and was the player of the series in that series (311 runs). Little did Protea fans know that it was to be his final time in South African colors.

4. Heino Kuhn – WK (2018)

  • International Debut: July 6-9, 2017 International Matches: 4 Tests, 7 T20Is
  • Age Left: 33 Age Now: 37
  • County Team: Kent (Northerns earlier)
  • Previous Teams: Titans, South Africa A
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): North West

Claim To Fame

Overall 11,000 first class runs with 24 hundreds and 58 fifties. Did not light up the international circuit in his short stay, but is a stalwart of South African domestic circuit.

What did South Africa Miss?

Left after CSA conveyed the message to him that his chances at international cricket would be limited. The domestic circuit was further weakened by his exit in his first class prime.

5. Colin Ingram (2014)

  • International Debut: October 8, 2010 Interational Matches: 31 ODIs, 9 T20Is
  • Age Left: Age Now: 36
  • County Team: Glamorgan
  • Previous Teams: Free State, Eastern Province, Warriors, South Africa A
  • T20 Teams: Islamabad United, Trinbago Knight Riders, St. Lucia Zouks, Oval Invincibles, Hobart Hurricanes, Adelaide Strikers, Delhi Capitals
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Has not played again in SA domestic circuit yet

Claim To Fame

With 3 ODI hundreds and 3 fifties in ODIs and a 78 in T20Is, he had a decent limited overs career. However, these days he is known for being the most famous South African T20 export, playing in almost all leagues around the world.

Has played some glittering knocks in the PSL.

What did South Africa Miss?

Stability in the middle order in limited overs cricket. It is clear after 15 years of T20I cricket that boundary percentage, pressure situation experience, and T20 leagues are the backbone of world winning T20I sides. Apart from Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, and AB De Villiers, Colin Ingram would have bolstered SA in this regard.

6. Dane Vilas – WK

  • International Debut: March 30, 2012 International Matches: 6 Tests, 1 T20I
  • Age Left: 30 Age Now: 36
  • County Team: Lancashire
  • Previous Teams: South Western Districts, Lions, Cape Cobras, South Africa A, South Africa XI
  • T20 Teams: Lahore Qalandars, Northern Superchargers
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Has not played again in SA domestic circuit yet

Claim to Fame

Has scored over 9700 first class runs with 22 centuries. Appeared in the movie Hansie as Allan Donald.

What did South Africa Miss?

SA missed out on a great wicket-keeping substitute. AB De Villiers took the burden as keeper for most of his career. and Quinton de Kock’s entry signaled the end of Vilas’ international career. However South Africa would have liked long-term wicket-keeping reserves just like India had Parthiv Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik, and Rishabh Pant in case of injury to MS Dhoni (or playing alongside for an extended batting order).

7. Hardus Viljoen (2016)

  • International Debut: January 13-15, 2016 International Matches: Only Test
  • Age Left: 26 Age Now: 32
  • County Team: Derbyshire (Kent earlier)
  • T20 Teams: Lahore Qalandars, Multan Sultans, Peshawari Zalmi, St. Lucia Zouks, Kings XI Punjab
  • Previous Teams: Easterns, Lions, Titans, South African Invitation XI
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Boland

Claim To Fame

Took Alastair Cook’s wicket first ball of his Test career (only Test).

Also mentioned in Faf du Plessis’ infamous hilarious toss interview.

What did South Africa Miss?

Reserve depth in the medium pace allrounder-finisher slot. After Viljoen, Wiese, & Parnell left, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, and Wiaan Mulder were the only names left. With Morris’ strained relationship with CSA and Phehlukwayo’s loss of form, SA does not have many options anymore. At only 32 and back in SA domestic circuit, there may be an opening for a comeback.

8. Wayne Parnell (2018)

  • International Debut: January 12, 2009 International Matches: 6 Tests, 66 OIs, 40 T20Is
  • Age Left: 28 Age Now: 32
  • County Team: Worcestershire (Sussex, Kent earlier)
  • Previous Teams: Cape Cobras, Eastern Province, Warriors, South Africa U-19, South Africa A
  • T20 Teams: Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Barbados Tridents, Pune Warriors, Delhi Daredevils
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Western Province

Claim To Fame

Youngest player to get a CSA contract after his early age/U-19 World Cup heroics, Parnell burst onto the scene around the 2009 T20 World Cup. Good performances lead to a great IPL deal, and Parnell became a rising star.

He played in a couple more World Cups but injuries meant other bowlers jumped ahead in the pecking order. He left for a Kolpak deal but has come back, still only 32.

What did South Africa Miss?

A left-arm seamer for variation. Marco Jansen grabbed eyeballs with his great debut against India, but that is exactly what South Africa have been missing. Among the Steyn-Morkel-Philander-Rabada-Nortje generation, there haven’t been as many left-arm swing bowlers in the last decade for South Africa apart from Parnell (like Boult, Starc, and Shaheen). Good allrounder as well.

9. Simon Harmer (2016)

  • International Debut: Jan 1-5, 2015, International Matches: 5 Tests
  • Age Left: 27 Age Now: 32
  • County Team: Essex
  • Previous Teams: Border, Warriors, Eastern Province, South African Universities, South Africa A
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Titans

Claim To Fame

He is well known for self-acclaimed statement that he is the best-off spinner in the world. With 719 first class wickets and the highest wicket-taker in England first class for the last five years, that may actually be true (along with Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin).

He has signed a 5-year contract with Essex as an overseas player till 2026.

What did South Africa Miss?

Although leg spinners were in demand in 2010s (Tahir) and left arm spinners are now at the top of the demand list (Maharaj, Shamsi, Fortuin, Linde), they have been missing a world class off spinner. Aiden Markram’s off-spin can only take you so far…

10. Kyle Abbott (2017)

  • International Debut: Feb 22-24, 2013 (Player of the match), International Matches: 11 Tests, 34 ODIs, 26 T20Is
  • Age Left: 29 Age Now: 34
  • County Team: Hampshire (Middlesex, Worcestershire other teams)
  • T20 Leagues: Pune Warriors, Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Lahore Qalandars
  • Previous Teams: Dolphins, Warriors, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa A
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Boland

Claim To Fame

With Steyn-Morkel-Philander at their peak, Abbott did not get consistent opportunities but made the most of it when he was given a chance, especially in limited overs. The 2015 World cup semi-final broke the backbone of the South African team as an injured Vernon Philander was picked (due to political interference/quota system) over Kyle Abbott, the man in-form. South Africa lost, and slowly began to crumble.

Abbott announced his Kolpak decision after everything had been confirmed (without informing CSA) on the same day as Rilee Rossouw—the ultimate double jolt.

What did South Africa Miss?

South Africa missed a smooth transition between the Steyn-Morkel generation and the Rabada-Ngidi generation. Abbott had been earmarked as the next leader in line but that did not happen. Thankfully, Rabada had a great couple of years and Nortje followed it up with a good partnership.

Abbott is back in SA although he has not yet committed to an international return. His first goal is to get back in form due to the Covid-induced break.

11. Duanne Olivier (2019)

  • International Debut: Jan 12-14, 2017, International Matches: 10 Tests, 2 ODIs
  • Age Left: 26 Age Now: 29
  • County Team: Yorkshire
  • Previous Teams: Free State, Knights, South Africa U-19
  • T20 Teams: Jaffna Stallions, Jozi Stars
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Lions

Claim To Fame

48 Test wickets in 10 matches at an average of 19.25, what a brilliant start to his career. In the second series against Pakistan, he took two 5-fers in a match and went onto take 24 wickets in the series (best haul in a 3-match series since 1902-03), thereby becoming the player of the series.

What did South Africa Miss?

When one door opens, another closes.

Abbott left on January 1st, 2017. Olivier began his journey on January 12th, 2017. It looked like South Africa had found a replacement right away. It worked in their favor for about two short years, before he was picked by Yorkshire. Broken dreams for South African fans again.

12. Marchant de Lange (2017)

  • International Debut: Dec 26-29, 2011, International Matches: 2 Tests, 4 ODIs, 6 T20Is
  • Age Left: 25 Age Now: 31
  • County Team: Glamorgan
  • Previous Teams: Eastern, Free State, Titans, Knights, Pretoria University, South Africa Academy
  • T20 Teams: Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Dambulla Giants, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Team Abu Dhabi, Bengal Tigers, Trent Rockets, Durban Heat
  • SA Domestic Team (Current): Has not played again in SA domestic circuit yet

Claim To Fame

In a bowling attack comprising of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, and Jacques Kallis, de Lange came up with figures of 23.2-3-81-7 in his debut bowling performance.

What did South Africa Miss?

Unfortunately, injuries meant he could never cement a place in the South African squad and hence, took the Kolpak deal in 2017. Still only 31 and the joint highest wicket taker in the Hundred, he could be a dark horse for a comeback.

Squad:

13. Cameron Delport (holds a British passport and signed with Essex – plays T20 leagues around the world)

14. Farhaan Behardien, former South African T20 captain, has signed with Durham (before Brexit so his future is safe with them) but has not played yet due to COVID.

*This does not include Dane Piedt & Juan (Rusty) Theron, who have gone to the United States as an alternate option.

List of All-Time Kolpak South African Players

South Africa Exodus XI

  1. Faf du Plessis (2007, came back again)
  2. Neil McKenzie (2010)
  3. Jacques Rudolph (2007, came back to SA again; later went back to England as an overseas player)
  4. Hashim Amla (2019)
  5. Ashwell Prince (2013)
  6. Justin Kemp (2008)
  7. Andrew Hall (2008)
  8. David Wiese (2017)
  9. Paul Harris (2006, came back again)
  10. Ryan Maclaren (2007, came back to SA again; later came back to England as an overseas player)
  11. Morne Morkel (2018)

First Choice Squad:

12. Alfonso Thomas (2008), 13. Lance Klusener, 14. Shaun Pollock (2008), 15. Nicky Boje (2008), 16. Vernon Philander (signed but cancelled), 17. Charl Langeveldt (2008), 18. Andre Nel (2009)

Squad: 19. Claude Henderson, 20. Greg Smith (2004), 21. Riki Wessels, 22. Charl Willoughby, 23. Martin van Jaarsveld, 24. Zander de Bruyn (2005), 25. Garnett Kruger, 26. Tyron Henderson (2007), 27. Dillon du Preez, 28. Dominic Telo, 29. Friedel de Wet, 30. Johan van der Wath, 31. Nantie Hayward (2008), 32. Johann Myburgh (2011), 33. Gareth Roderick (2012), 34. Alviro Peterson (2015), 35. Daryn Smit – WK (2017)

List of Non-South African Kolpak Players

  1. Dwayne Smith (2008, West Indies – Barbados)
  2. Brendon Taylor – WK/Captain (2015, Zimbabwe, later came back)
  3. Murray Goodwin (2005, Zimbabwe)
  4. Grant Flower (2004, Zimbabwe)
  5. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2017, West Indies – Guyana)
  6. Grant Elliot (2017, New Zealand)
  7. Brendan Nash (2013, West Indies – Jamaica, born in Australia)
  8. Wavell Hinds (2008, West Indies – Jamaica)
  9. Kyle Jarvis (2013, Zimbabwe)
  10. Blessing Muzarabani (2018, Zimbabwe, later came back)
  11. Fidel Edwards (2015, West Indies – Barbados, later came back)

Squad:

12. Ravi Rampaul (2016, West Indies – Trinidad & Tobago), 13. Ottis Gibson (2004, West Indies – Barbados), 14. Miguel Cummins (2019, West Indies – Barbados), 15. Tino Best (2017, West Indies – Barbados), 16. Pedro Collins (2007, West Indies – Barbados), 17. Corey Collymore (2008, West Indies – Barbados), 18. Jermaine Lawson (2008, West Indies – Jamaica, later moved to the USA), 19. Andre Adams (2008, New Zealand), 20. Anthony Ireland (2007, Zimbabwe)

What Was the Kolpak Deal?

The Kolpak ruling was named after Maros Kolpak (handball player from Slovakia) by the European Court of Justice. It was submitted on 28 November, 2000 and decided on 8 May, 2003.

County cricket had limited each team to have at most one overseas player. Earlier in 1995, the Bosman ruling had already admitted players from EU (like the Netherlands) to be considered as domestic players. The Kolpak ruling now allowed citizens of other countries with EU Association Agreements to have the same rights to work. Hence, a cricketer from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, or Barbados did not eat up the overseas spots of counties.

However, they had to give up their international career until the Kolpak contract expired.

Why Did Kolpak Deal End?

With Brexit, the UK withdrew from the European Union (effective 31 January, 2020), thereby ceasing the Kolpak deal.

FAQ

Can Kolpak players play for South Africa?

Yes, Kolpak players can now play for South Africa (beginning in 2022). They are already able to be picked domestic South African sides. Wayne Parnell has played a few ODIs upon his return and Duanne Olivier has starred in some Test matches.Wayne Parnell's photo in his comeback

Has Kolpak ended?

Yes, the Kolpak deals ended as of January 31st, 2020, when the United Kingdom officially left the European Union.

Why do South African cricketers leave South Africa?

South African cricketers leave South Africa for multiple reasons—financial opportunities, administrative drama, quota system, Apartheid, passport of another country through family citizenship, and decreasing value of the South African Rand (7.81 rands = $1 in Jan 30, 2012 to 18.52 on April 29, 2020).

How many cricketers took the Kolpak deal?

Overall around 69 cricketers took Kolpak deals at some points in their career (49 from South Africa, 6 Zimbabwe, 2 New Zealand, and 12 West Indies – 7 Barbados, 3 Jamaica, 1 Trinidad and Tobago, 1 Guyana).Kolpak South African cricketers graphic

Which Kolpak South African players are available for a national comeback?

Stiaan van Zyl, Richard Levi, Rilee Roussow, Heino Kuhn, Colin Ingram, Dane Vilas, Hardus Viljoen, Wayne Parnell, Simon Harmer, Kyle Abbott, and Duanne Olivier are eligible for a South African cricket team national comeback (or have already been picked).

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 12/31/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

Strongest Team in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup ? All 16 Complete Team Reviews

2021 T20 World Cup Team Review Time. Here is the complete dissection of every team. The best moments, analysis, stats, and what changes need to be made for each team to succeed in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup. Comment below on your favorite moment of this T20 World Cup and what you think about their prospects in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Table of Contents

1. Australia 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Australia—a name so synonymous to Cricket World Cups it is not even a surprise they somehow managed to win this one. Unlike most times, though, they were not even in Top 5 Favorites this time around. Even Bangladesh & Afghanistan were fancied more since Australia has lost their last 4 T20I bilateral series and were hammered 4-1 in Bangladesh.

Lots of good stories for Justin Langer’s group. A group of lovely characters, marked by Stoinis, Zampa, Wade, Maxwell combined with their star power in Warner-Smith-Cummins-Hazlewood-Starc deliver unlikely victory. Hazlewood’s accuracy, Zampa’s wicket-taking abilities, Warner’s consistency, Mitchell Marsh’s coming of age, Steve Smith’s boundary catching, and Stoinis-Wade’s finishing combined to make this a dangerous T20 side.

Now Australia has won everything—Women’s ODI & T20I World Cups, U-19 World Cups, Men’s ODI & T20 World Cups & Champions Trophy. Looks like life is all good for Australia and free of Paine…

Australia’s World Cup In a Nutshell

ResultWinners (1st)
Wins/Losses6/1
Best MatchSemi-Finals Vs Pakistan
(Feat Wade’s 3 consecutive sixes to Shaheen Afridi)
Highest Run ScorersDavid Warner (289)
Highest Wicket TakersAdam Zampa (13), Josh Hazlewood (13)
X FactorsMitchell Marsh’s Dream Final, Matthew Wade-Marcus Stoinis Partnership, Cummins at the Death
Luck Factor
(Or the Lack of)
Aaron Finch Wins All the Tosses
Broken DreamsStarc 4-0-60-0 in the Final. Does he merit a place in the 2022 T20 World Cup Squad?

What Does Australia Need to Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Home World Cup, expectations on them. No team has won two consecutive T20 World Cups or a T20 World Cup at home. Now, they have a good T20 core group from which they can challenge the rest of the world. The real question here is—Can Australia continue playing the same brand of cricket?

2. New Zealand 2021 T20 World Cup

New Zealand are the best all-format team to beat at the moment, aren’t they? 2 ODI World Cup finals in a row (2015, 2019), current World Test Championship holders, and now the runners up in a T20 World Cup. Just like Australia, not many expected them to get to semi-finals, let alone the finals. With an early loss to Pakistan, things did start positively for them. Credit to them, they strangled India, survived threat against Namibia, and continued on their marching way before the Neesham-Mitchell assault shocked England.

Positives? Mitchell’s inspirational promotion & Top 3’s solo performances (Mitchell’s 72*, Williamson’s 85, & Guptill’s 93, Southee’s economical World Cup, shining Boult & Sodhi (if we take out Sodhi’s final), roaring Milne in his comeback, and Neesham, who finally gets his revenge.

Negatives? Conway-Phillips-Seifert had been one of the reasons for NZ’s success in T20I’s over the past year, but none of them had a stellar performance. Conway played a crucial recovery innings in the semi-finals, Phillips (once a keeper) bowled some tight off spin and hit Zampa for a six in the final, but other than that, nothing much of note. Also Guptill’s 27 (35).…say no more.

New Zealand’s World Cup In a Nutshell

ResultRunners Up (2nd)
Wins/Losses5/2
Best MatchSemi Finals Vs England
Highest Run ScorersKane Williamson (216)
Martin Guptill (208)
Daryl Mitchell (208)
Highest Wicket TakersTrent Boult (13)
X FactorsDaryl Mitchell – the Opener, Neesham – the Finisher, Fielding Unit, Southee Reinvents Himself
Broken DreamsLockie Ferguson ruled out before the WC; Devon Conway injures himself by punching his bat after his semi-final dismissals; Misses the Final; New Zealand struggle early on and ends up on the runners up podium again.

What Does New Zealand Need to Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

New Zealand made it to the final on the back of good strategy and smart cricket. However, it is unlikely that this squad will succeed again in 2022 in Australian conditions. Do all three of Ish Sodhi-Todd Astle-Mitchell Santner fit in the 15? Does Martin Guptill continue or will Finn Allen be given a chance? Can both Adam Milne & Lockie Ferguson make the XI? Where does Tim Seifert fit in the equation? So many questions, less than 335 days, as Jimmy Neesham puts it.

3. Pakistan 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Will Pakistan get a better chance? World Cup in the UAE, Babar Azam & Mohammad Rizwan in the form of their lives, bowling good as usual, fielding better than ever, Asif Ali finally coming into his own, and the 40 year youngsters Hafeez and Malik matching everybody else.

5 group matches, 5 different player of the match awards. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shoaib Malik. And the most runs of the tournament by their captain Babar Azam?

How did they get here? By completely dominating the match against India (via Shaheen’s opening spell including that ball to KL Rahul), completed a low scorer against NZ, crushed Afghanistan with Asif Ali’s 4 sixes, and brushed Scotland & Namibia by batting first.

Pakistan, who have been disappointed by NZ and England cricket boards, were writing a lovely beautiful story. However, just as in the 2010 T20 WC semi final against Australia, the story went off track. A left handed middle order batter finished it off with consecutive sixes against Pakistan’s best bowler. It was Mike Hussey Vs Saeed Ajmal 11 years ago. It was Matthew Wade Vs Shaheen Shah Afridi this year.

Pakistan’s World Cup In A Nutshell

ResultSemi-Finalists
Top of Group 2
Wins/Losses5/6
Best MatchBreak WC Jinx Vs India
Asif Ali’s 4 Sixes Crushes Afghan Spirits
Highest Run ScorersBabar Azam (303)
Mohammad Rizwan (281)
Highest Wicket TakersShadab Khan (9)
Haris Rauf (8)
Shaheen Shah Afridi (7)
X FactorsHaris Rauf’s death bowling, Shaheen Shah Afridi in the Powerplay, Imad Wasim-Shadab Khan’s miserly spells, Babar-Rizwan partnerhship, Malik-Asif Finishing
Broken DreamsHasan Ali’s Form
Lose a Close Semi-Final After Winning 5/5 Group Matches and dominating 35 overs of the semi=final

What Does Pakistan Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Although Pakistan were possibly the best team throughout this year, they will have to make several changes next year due to conditions. A 150-160 score may not be defendable, the bowling combinations might need to be tweaked, and some young aggresive batters like Haider Ali will need to be placed in the XI.

4. England 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

I have two points of view on this England campaign. One can say that just like Pakistan, it was an underwhelming campaign since they dominated the group stages and failed to finish the semi-final like the Carlos Brathwaite final 5 years ago.

On the other hand, England were already missing Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran. During the tournament, they lost Tymal Mills, their best death bowler, and Jason Roy. The fact that they still dominated the tournament shows the marvelous depth in English cricket right now.

The positives? Moeen Ali’s all round package, Chris Woakes’ opening spells, Tymal Mills’ international comeback, Adil Rashid’s magic, Livingstone’s off-spin/leg-spin, and Jos Buttler’s century.

England’s World Cup In A Nutshell

ResultSemi-Finalists
Top of Group 1
Wins/Losses4/6
Best MatchDestroying the West Indies for 55
Semi-Finalist Vs NZ (Loss)
Highest Run ScorersJos Buttler (269)
Highest Wicket TakersAdil Rashid (9)
Moeen Ali, Tymal Mills, Chris Woakes (7)
Liam Livingstone, Chris Jordan (6)
X FactorsTymal Mills’ death bowling, Moeen Ali’s all-round show; The Beast that is Buttler
Broken DreamsFavorites fail to lift the T20 World Cup again; Tymal Mills & Jason Roy out injured mid-tournament; Morgan-Livingstone underwhelm with the bat

What Does England Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Given Eoin Morgan’s batting form, he is almost nearing the end of his England journey although his captaincy was still top notch. Ashes is around the corner, and it is too soon to predict squads since injuries/retirements/mental health breaks are around the corner due to their grueling schedule. Malan & Moeen might stay, but Morgan might not make the XI if Stokes is back. If England can find depth & consistency in their death bowling (need to look past Jordan & Tom Curran), then this golden generation might have lift the T20 World Cup trophy.

5. South Africa 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

One of the two teams that would go back with positives. Despite the Quinton de Kock Controversy early on, South Africa held themselves up nicely under captain Temba Bavuma.

Anrich Nortje was devastating throughout the tournament, even a sub-par Kagiso Rabada got a hat-trick, Killer Miller came back to win a thriller against Sri Lanka, Rassie Van der Dussen-Aiden Markram made huge strides, and spinners Markram-Maharaj tied down the opposition. The peak of their journey was the final match where they defeated tournament favorites England, and dented their confidence going to the semi-finals.

The only two blips? The narrow loss against Australia in the opening game of the Super 12s and the slow chase against Bangladesh meant they finished they barely failed to qualify due to net run rate.

I had anticipated South Africa would miss ABD, Faf, Tahir, and Morris but evidently they made it work.

South Africa’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result3rd in Group 1
Wins/Losses4/5
Best MatchDefeat Tournament Favorites England
Highest Run ScorersRassie van der Dussen (177)
Aiden Markram (162)
Highest Wicket TakersAnrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius (9)
Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada (8)
X FactorsNortje-Shamsi brilliant with the ball, Markram-van der Dussen brilliant with the bat, The Return of Killer Miller, and Temba Bavuma’s captaincy
Broken DreamsQuinton de Kock & Cricket South Africa’s miscommunication and mini-scandal
Failing to Qualify for the Semi-Finals on NRR again

What Does South Africa Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

South Africa need more stability in their middle order. The bowlers can defend middling scores in all conditions, but inconsistency in batting and lack of death is holding them back. They have a good core, if they do not get the Group of Death again, they will definitely be semi-finalist contenders.

6. Sri Lanka 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

The most improved and watchable team of the T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka was the only team in the first week to look a class apart. In the Super 12s, they began positively with an improbable chase against Bangladesh and pushed England to the edge. However, they never really recovered from their last over loss against South Africa.

Asalanka & Rajapaska were the pick of the batters, opposition had no clue for their mystery spin, and Lahiru Kumara’s aggressive attitude and speed took opposition by surprise. Wanindu Hasaranga is having a dream year, and he was one of the standouts of this World Cups, both with the bat and the ball.

Sri Lanka’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result4th in Group 1
1st in Group A
Wins/Losses5/3 (Overall)
2/3 (Super 12s)
Best MatchChase 172 Vs Bangladesh Against All Odds
Highest Run ScorersCharith Asalanka (231)
Pathum Nissanka (221)
Bhanuka Rajapaksa (155)
Highest Wicket TakersWanindu Hasaranga (16)
Mahesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara (8)
X FactorsWanindu Hasaranga’s All-Round Show, Lahiru Kumara’s aggression, Nissanka-Asalanka-Rajapaksa form core for the future
Broken DreamsLose Steam Towards The End After Winning 5 Overall

What Does Sri Lanka Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

From 2015, Sri Lanka had been in grave transition. They finally found a group of players they can persist with in the near future. Hasaranga, Asalanka, & Rajapaksa defined this team with their positive brand of cricket. Finally opener Pathum Nissanka and mystery spinner Theekshana are really good prospects for Sri Lanka. If the seniors—Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, captain Dasun Shanaka, (maybe Chandimal & Matthews as well?) and the pacers Chameera-Kumara can come together, they might be the dark horse for the next World Cup.

Unfortunately just failed the direct qualification to the Super 12s, so have to go through the double qualification once again.

7. India 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

A tough tournament for Indian fans.

A dismal loss against Pakistan, a week long break, no intent against their WC arch-nemesis, New Zealand, and three spirited efforts against Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia to boost their net run rate. However, NZ’s victory against Afghanistan ensured India was never really in the tournament apart from outside mathematical calculations. It was the vulnerability against left arm seamers and good fast bowling once again that left India on the backfoot against Pakistan & NZ respectively.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s control in the middle overs and the intent shown by KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma at the end were some positives for India.

India’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result3rd in Group 2
Wins/Losses3/2
Best MatchChase 89 Vs Scotland In 7.3 Overs
Highest Run ScorersKL Rahul (194)
Rohit Sharma (174)
Highest Wicket TakersJasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja (7)
Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami (6)
X FactorsR Ashwin’s economical middle overs; Rahul-Sharma opening partnership (when they played with freedom)
Broken DreamsIndia loses against arch-nemesis NZ; First WC Loss to Pakistan; Favorites crash out without a fight; Shami suffers social media abuse; Kohli’ bows out captaincy career without a title

What Does India Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Revamp their whole squad might be a rash decision, but something out of the ordinary is needed. Although some bold decisions were taken for this tournament, more game time is needed for a new-look T20I team. KL Rahul & Rohit Sharma should stay opening partners, Suryakumar, Pant, Bumrah, & Jadeja should remain in the fray, but the rest is up in the air, especially for Australian conditions.

Does Kohli fit in or do India do what England did to Root? Ashwin has been good, but Chahal definitely merits a place back. What about the Hardik Pandya problem? Can India find batters that in the top 4 that can bowl? India have the players, but maybe it is a curse rather than a blessing in ICC tournaments for this immense depth.

8. Afghanistan 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Afghanistan did not have the worst of tournaments and were in contention till the very last day of the Super 12s, but there is a feeling that they could have done better.

In these conditions, Rashid-Mujeeb-Nabi were devastating individually but could not all fire together. The openers gave them spark, but not consistently. Najibullah Zadran was in his peak for, Hamid Hassan was back, and captain Mohammad Nabi batted with responsibility. Muscular Gulbadin Naib had a decent outing, and so did Naveen-ul-Haq. The only team to bat first with confidence and defend scores, their change of strategies in the crunch game against India did not work out for them.

Post the Pakistan game, it all just fell apart. 4 sixes in a row prompted freak retirement announcement by senior batter Asghar Afghan in the middle of the tournament. They could not manage to upset India or NZ, which is all that was needed.

Afghanistan’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result4th In Group 2
Wins/Losses2/3
Best MatchCrush Scotland By 130 Runs
Highest Run ScorersNajibullah Zadran (172)
Mohammad Nabi (127)
Highest Wicket TakersRashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (8)
X FactorsMystery Spinners; Nabi-Najibullah late order hitting; Zazai-Shahzad provide some good starts
Broken DreamsDid not upset any of the big 3 in the group—NZ, Pakistan, & India
Tough close loss against Pakistan and subsequent retirement of Asghar Afghan in the middle of the tournament derailed their campaign

What Does Afghanistan Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

First they need to ensure no administrative turmoil. For the last two World Cups now, they have had captaincy changes right before the tournament. Afghanistan might be upbeat for next year since many of their players have BBL experience in Australia. All they need ais a couple of fast bowlers and Qais Ahmed back, and this team can outdo any other on a given day.

9. Namibia 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

The story of the tournament by far.

First time qualifying for a cricket world cup since 2003 and guess what? Not only winning one game but THREE GAMES! Defeated the European trio of Ireland (full member), Netherlands, and Scotland and got a direct entry to the 2022 T20 World Cup.

The middle order, led by David Wiese, was their saving grace but their disciplined bowling, led by Trumpelmann & Wiese, kept them in the game, even against the likes of Pakistan and New Zealand. Trumpelmann’s 3-wicket opening over & JJ Smit’s finishing heroics over Scotland was the highlight of their tournament. Kudos to captain Erasmus for playing the tournament with a broken finger.

Namibia’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result5th in Group 2
2nd in Group A
Wins/Losses3/5 (Overall)
1/4 (Super 12s)
Best MatchDefeat Full Member Ireland
Win First Super 12 Match (Vs Scotland)
Highest Run ScorersDavid Wiese (227)
Gerhard Erasmus (151)
Highest Wicket TakersJan Frylinck (9)
David Wiese (6)
Ruben Trumpelmann (6)
X FactorsLower Middle Order
Trumpelmann’s Opening Spells
Broken DreamsNone Really. Except for their opening game against Sri Lanka, they competed well throughout the tournament even against Full Members

What Does Namibia’s Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

If Namibia need to improve and go one step further, they need to add a bit of spice to their bowling attack. For their first 10 overs, they are good but need to keep opposition down at the death. Can they make it to the Super 12s again?

10. Scotland 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Scotland experienced high highs and suffered low lows.

From 53-6 in their opening game against Bangladesh, a Chris Greaves inspired victory gave them victory over Bangladesh. They dominated the early groups with 3 wins in 3 matches. They nosedived with a 130-run loss against Afghanistan’s spin in the first match of the Super 12s and never recovered. Their only hope was against Namibia which they made a game out of, but still lost.

The bowlers came to the party, especially Mark Watt (1/19, 1/23, 1/23, 1/23, 1/22, 1/13, 1/20, 0/41) but their famed batters let them down.

Scotland’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result6th in Group 2
1st in Group A
Wins/Losses3/5 (Overall)
0/5 (Super 12s)
Best MatchStun Bangladesh (Feat Chris Greaves)
Highest Run ScorersRichie Berrington (177)
George Munsey (152)
Matthew Cross (135)
Michael Leask (130)
Highest Wicket TakersJosh Davey (9)
Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal (8)
Mark Watt (7)
Chris Greaves (6)
X FactorsWatt’s Economical (6.13) Consistency, Berrington’s Fifties, Fast Bowlers Accurate, Leask’s Power Hitting, The Rise of Chris Greaves, Matt Cross’s Commetnary Behind the Stumps
Broken DreamsKyle Coetzer & Heralded Top Order Suffer Collective Failure

What Does Scotland Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Are Scotland’s golden era ageing or was it just the conditions? The good thing is they have qualified for the 2022 T20 World Cup by the virtue of qualifying for the Super 12s. They need batting depth and power hitters to complement their bowlers. Should still make it past the early group into the Super 12s next year.

11. West Indies 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Well the Last Dance was not meant to be. Only one win overall, and that too by 3 runs.

Not only did West Indies not qualify for the semi-finals, they had a horrible time. Bundled out for 55 against England, they never really figured out what their approach will be. Go all guns blazing like Lewis tried or hang in there like Lendl Simmons? Gayle-Pollard-Russell were almost no shows, and Jason Holder as replacement (who should have been in the squad in the first place) was the only spark.

Akeal Hosein was the find for West Indies, filling Fabian Allen’s left arm spin shoe perfectly as were Pooran-Hetmyer briefly. It was good to see Bravo & Gayle having fun in what may be their last T20I.

West Indies’ World Cup In A Nutshell

Result5th In Group 1
Wins/Losses1/4
Best MatchWins a Low Scoring Thriller Vs Bangladesh
Highest Run ScorersShimron Hetmyer (127)
Highest Wicket TakersAkeal Hosein (5)
X FactorsAkeal Hosein’s Opening spells & fielding; Pooran-Hetmyer
Holder’s comeback
Broken Dreams55 All Out
Obed McCoy Injury
Lendl Simmons’ Slow Show
Dwayne Bravo Retires
Chris Gayle (almost) retires
Horror show for T20 stars Gayle, Pollard, Russell
Hat-trick Dream Unfulfilled

What Does West Indies Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

A completely rejig of the squad is needed. Hetmyer, Pooran, Lewis, Holder, Fabian Allen, Akeal Hosein, and even Kieron Pollard might stay but it is the end of the road for Gayle, Bravo, Russell? and Rampaul. It would be interesting to see if Roston Chase stays and if ‘rotating the strike’ will come into their T20 philosophy. West Indies of the 2010s changed T20 cricket with their boundary hitting but they need to move on with the times.

12. Bangladesh 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Where do I even start?

I was a fan of the rising Bangladesh ODI team and had them as a semi-finalist possibility, but this team was a complete no-show. Expected to do well in spinning UAE conditions and after dominating Australia & New Zealand at home in dust bowls, this was a huge let down.

For the first time in recent WCs, the seniors did not stand up (Shakib in the first few games apart) which exposed the gaps in the rest of the team. The likes of Liton Das, Soumy Sarkar, and Afif Hossain have not really become consistent cricketers that Bangladesh needed.

The worst part was the last couple of games. Losing a WC happens, but giving up without a fight was truly disappointing as they were skittled for 73 and 84 respectively against Australia & South Africa.

Taskin Ahmed’s comeback spirit and Mahedi Hasan were the only positive.

Bangladesh’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result6th in Group 1
2nd in Group B
Wins/Losses2/6 (Overall)
0/5 (Super 12s)
Best MatchBangladesh Survive Oman Scare
Highest Run ScorersMohammad Naim (174)
Mahmudullah (169)
Highest Wicket TakersShakib Al Hasan (11)
Mahedi Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman (8)
X FactorsTaskin Ahmed’s Energy
Mahedi Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan in the early stages
Broken DreamsMahmudullah’s captaincy decisions
Mushfiqur Rahim’s lack of form
Liton Das’s Horror Show
Youngsters Fail To Rise to the Occasion
Mustafizur Expensive
Shakib Al Hasan’s Injury

What Does Bangladesh Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

The next generation of Bangladesh cricket need to come in. Already the likes of Saif Hasasn, Najmul Hossain Shanto, leg spinner Aminul Islam, U-19 winning captain Akbar Ali among others have been selected for the Pakistan T20I series while Mushfiqur Rahim is dropped. I expect the Fab 4 to be in the squad in Australia, but maybe not a regular XI spot. This is the step in the right direction, but one year is too less for a T20I team to develop. It may take a few years to bounce back.

13. Oman 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Oman will have mixed feelings from this World Cup.

First of all, they were wonderful hosts and made sure the tournament started off the right foot (beautiful background as well). After winning the first game against PNG comfortably, they would have felt they are almost into the Super 12s, but they let the tense game against Bangladesh slip.

Captain Zeeshan Maqsood’s 3 wicket over, Jainder Singh-Aqib Ilyas’ opening partnership, Singh’s celebrations, and Bilal Khan’s pinpoint yorkers marked Oman’s tournament.

Oman’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result3rd in Group B
Wins/Losses1/2
Best MatchZeeshan Maqsood, Oman’s openers crush rusty PNG
Highest Run ScorersJatinder Singh (113)
Aqib Ilyas (93)
Highest Wicket TakersBilal Khan, Zeeshan Mazsood (5)
Kaleemullah, Fayyab Butt (4)
X FactorsJatinder Singh-Aqib Ilyas Opening Partnership
Broken DreamsHad a foot in the door early on, but could not maintain momentum; This was a good chance to qualify to the next round since all matches were at home

What Does Oman Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

They need to go back and qualify for the 2022 T20 World Cup. They need to make sure their middle order batters can endure pressure moments. Qualification cycles can be difficult, so we do not know if we will see them again. With Zimbabwe back in the qualifiers, it will just be harder.

14. Ireland 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

All was well and good with the world when Curtis Campher took 4 wickets in 4 balls and Ireland hammered the Netherlands. However, Sri Lanka’s big defeat rocked their NRR and a rising Namibia overthrew them as the ‘Associate giant.’

It was just destiny. Ireland upset the big teams 15 years ago to gain respect for the Associate nations, and now when they are a Full Member, a stronger set of Associate nations are beginning to upset them.

Josh Little the only positive for them apart from Campher.

Ireland’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result3rd in Group A
Wins/Losses1/2
Best MatchCurtis Campher, Mark Adair Destroy Netherlands
Highest Run ScorersPaul Stirling (75)
Highest Wicket TakersCurtis Campher (6)
Josh Little, Mark Adair (5)
X FactorsCurtis Campher, The Double Hat-trick Man (or 4-in-4?)
Broken DreamsFull Member Ireland seem to be regressing in T20Is despite strides in ODI cricket

What Does Ireland Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Ireland’s golden generation has ended, and it will take a while for the young guns to pick up but T20 cricket is just not suited to their styles. Probably the end of the road for Kevin O’Brien. Honestly, I do not see Ireland see improving much unless T20 franchise leagues start acquring talent like Paul Stirling and Josh Little.

15. Papua New Guinea 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Papua New Guinea brought the world to the Cricket World Cup. Although they did not win any games, their family-like spirit took the fans by delight.

The partnership between Assad Vala and Charles Amini against Oman displayed that these bunch of players possess a lot of talent if they are given the environment to flourish. Some good hitting at the end by Doriga as well against Scotland to keep the game interesting.

Papua New Guinea’s World Cup In A Nutshell

Result4th in Group B
Wins/Losses0/3
Best MatchScotland Vs Papua New Guinea
Highest Run ScorersAssad Vala (80)
Kiplin Doriga (64)
Highest Wicket TakersKabua Morea (6)
X FactorsCharles Amini-Assad Vala show the flair in their side
Brilliant diving catches and disciplined fielding throughout
Broken DreamsGo Home With No Wins

What Does Papua New Guinea Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

They have to go through qualification again. The next World Cup is near their home in Oceania, but is their World Cup qualification dream too far?

16. Netherlands 2021 T20 World Cup Team Review

Netherlands were a rising team over the last couple of years, but questionable selections and lack of preparation due to COVID-19 meant they could not carry their form in the tournament.

106/10, 44/10 and losing to Namibia after scoring 164/4. Not much of note apart from Max O’Dowd’s form. They came in with good form and called upon RTD & RVDM, but performances did not add up.

Netherlands’ World Cup In A Nutshell

Result4th in Group A
Wins/Losses0/3
Best MatchNone
Highest Run ScorersMax O’Dowd (123)
Highest Wicket TakersPieter Seelar, Fred Klaassen, Brandon Glover (2)
X FactorsMax O’Dowd continues his good form
Broken DreamsThe great Ryan Ten Doeschate retires without a proper sendoff (does not get selected for the last match)

What Does Netherlands Need To Do For the 2022 T20 World Cup?

They just need to play more between World Cups. They have a South Africa tour coming up. Hopefully they can gain good experience and build confidence. Will need to qualify again however.

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© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 11/21/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

New Zealand Vs England Semi Final #1 – T20 World Cup 2021 Match #43 Quick Review! Classy Neesham, Gritty Mitchell Deliver Thrilling Victory

New Zealand Vs England Quick Review – Late heist by the Kiwis stun favorites England.

Match Details, Scorecard, & Video Highlights

Scorecard: New Zealand Vs England Video Highlights

Toss: New Zealand won the toss and chose to field first.

Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena & Marais Erasmus

What Actually Happened – New Zealand Vs England

  • Winner: New Zealand won by 5 wickets
  • Scores: England 166/4 New Zealand 167/5
  • Player of the Match: Daryl Mitchell 72* (47)
  • Best Figures
    • Tim Southee (4-0-24-1)
    • Liam Livingstone (4-0-22-2)
  • Most Runs
    • Moeen Ali 51* (37)
    • Daryl Mitchell 72* (47)

Moments of The Day: Neesham Has His Day as England Shocked

  • Moeen Ali & Dawid Malan, two batters of completely distinct styles of play with #3 as their preferred positions worked together to recover England after a slow start. From 53/2 in 8.1 overs, they took it to a solid 116 in the next 7 overs. Great ball striking from both, especially Moeen at the end to shift the momentum England’s way.
  • We have talked a lot about Devon Conway on this channel since his NZ debut, but he had not lit the tournament a light. Today was his day. When he came in, Chris Woakes had taken the two stars out—Guptill & Williamson. Although Conway was not the man of the moment, his strikes flipped the narrative on which Neesham and Mitchell could capitalize. Took them from 13/2 in 2.4 overs to 95/3 in 13.4.
  • Daryl Mitchell was not supposed to be New Zealand’s premier all rounder, but was picked over the dangerous Colin de Grandhomme. Mitchell was not supposed to be NZ’s opener. That should have been a toss up between Munro & Seifert. He was not supposed to be hitting the shot that would help NZ meet Australia in the final. Grant Elliot did that already in 2015. However, he did all three with the presence of his parents in the crowd. Dream moment.

Never lose hope even if you are struggling at the beginning. He struggled to get into the NZ side for years due to their all rounder depth. Today he could not hit anything and was going at a snail’s pace 28* (28). Neesham came, Neesham conquered, Mitchell started, stayed, and finished. 44 runs in the last 19 deliveries including a 6,6,4 to end the game with an over to spare.

Drama of the Day

A New Zealand-England knockout game was bound to have drama. The wounds (or happiness) runs deep from that day in July of 2019.

  • Bairstow, Livingstone, & The Catch – 2 years ago, Trent Boult, one of modern Cricket’s best boundary riders, stepped onto the boundary while completing a relay catch with Guptill. Stokes 6, Neesham bowling, NZ’s hopes crumble. Today it was Neesham batting. Similar ball, Neesham swings it to a similar part of the ground, and Bairstow-Livingstone complete a relay catch. Except Bairstow had touched the rope. History repeats itself, doesn’t it mate?
  • Bairstow, Livingstone, & The Non-Catch – The VERY NEXT ball, Neesham hits it again and mistakes it. The catch is their for the taking….and Livingstone freezes. He did not go for the catch, Neesham survived, and eventually New Zealand wins.
  • Jimmy Neesham did not make the 2015 CWC in NZ because Corey Anderson & Grant Elliot were selected. He contemplated early retirement in the years he was not picked. He came back, almost got NZ across the line with a Super Over Six in 2019, but was heartbroken. I am glad he is finally back – 2 sixes in the 17th over then another one an over later. Needing 57 in 4 overs, Neesham changed it to . The game changer of this semi finals.

He is not done though. He did not celebrate when the team won nor did he leave when the team left. Just reflecting on his mayhem and froze for a while.

Broken Cricket Dream of the Day: Devon Conway’s Broken Hand

  • Conway was playing so well. However when he got out on 46, stumped to part-timer Liam Livingstone he was disappointed in himself. He reacted by hitting the bat.
  • Now it is known he broke his hand due to that. Ruled out of the T20 World Cup Final and the India series that follows right after.

Also Read: 200th Article Special: 5 Things I have Learned From My Journey of Cricket Writing

T20 World Cup Points Table, Most Runs, Wickets, Catches, Dismissals

No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table, Highest Run Scorer, Highest Wicket Taker, Most Catches, and Most Dismissals. We will keep updating it in every article!

  • Babar Azam – 303 runs (Pakistan, 6 Matches), David Warner – 236 runs (Australia, 6 matches)
  • Wanindu Hasaranga – 16 wickets (Sri Lanka, 8 Matches), Adam Zampa – 12 wickets (Australia, 6 matches)
  • Calum MacLeod 8 catches (Scotland, 7 Matches), Steve Smith – 7 catches (Australia, 6 matches)
  • Matthew Wade – 8 dismissals (Australia, 6 Matches)

Also, if you have not yet read our T20 World Cup Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:

  1. A Review – Group A 2021 T20 World Cup Squads Dissected: Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka
  2. B Review – Group B 2021 T20 World Cup Squads Dissected: Bangladesh, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Scotland
  3. 1 Review – Group 1 2021 T20 World Cup Squads Dissected: Australia, England, South Africa, West Indies
  4. 2 Review – Group 2 2021 T20 World Cup Squads Dissected: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, New Zealand

© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, 2021. Originally published on 11/02/2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).

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Image Courtesy: Graphic (original work), Kyle Coetzer – Photo by Francois Nel-ICC/ICC via Getty Images, Mahmudullah – Photo by Mike Hewitt-ICC/ICC via Getty Images