The recent ICC rankings of the “greatest” cricketers of all time was so atrocious that it defies logic. The less said and written about it the better. Better rankings have been provided by Wisden and most recently by even Shane Warne.
Here is my list of the Top 10 Batsmen and Bowlers of all time. But please note that this is not a “ranking” as different statistical models have different rankings…with the exception of the legendary Sir Don Bradman who is unanimously rated as the best. So this list shows the greatest “10″ in any order you like and is not a “rank”.
Batsmen :
1. Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), often referred to as The Don, was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time.Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has been claimed to be statistically the greatest achievement in any major sport.
The story that the young Bradman practised alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball is part of Australian folklore.Bradman's meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years. Before his 22nd birthday, he had set many records for high scoring, some of which still stand, and became Australia's sporting idol at the height of the Great Depression.
During a 20-year playing career, Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him, in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull, "worth three batsmen to Australia". A controversial set of tactics, known as Bodyline, was specifically devised by the England team to curb his scoring. As a captain and administrator Bradman was committed to attacking, entertaining cricket; he drew spectators in record numbers. He hated the constant adulation, however, and it affected how he dealt with others. The focus of attention on his individual performances strained relationships with some team-mates, administrators and journalists, who thought him aloof and wary. Following an enforced hiatus, due to the Second World War, he made a dramatic comeback, captaining an Australian team known as "The Invincibles" on a record-breaking unbeaten tour of England.
A complex, highly driven man, not given to close personal relationships, Bradman retained a pre-eminent position in the game by acting as an administrator, selector and writer for three decades following his retirement. Even after he became reclusive in his declining years his opinion was highly sought, and his status as a national icon was still recognised—more than 50 years after his retirement as a Test player, in 2001, the Australian Prime Minister John Howard called him the "greatest living Australian". Bradman's image has appeared on postage stamps and coins, and he was the first living Australian to have a museum dedicated to his life. On the centenary of his birth, 27 August 2008, the Royal Australian Mint issued a $5 commemorative gold coin with his image.
On 19 November 2009, Sir Don Bradman was inducted into th
2. Sachin Tendulkar
This article contains the achievements of Sachin Tendulkar, an Indian cricketer, who has set various records and received numerous awards for his cricketing skill, particularly in batting. Below is a list of some of the achievements he has made in his career thus far.
- On his Test debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the third youngest debutant (16y 205d). Mushtaq Mohammad (15y 124d) and Aaqib Javed (16y 189d) debuted in Test matches younger to Tendulkar. Since then, there have been 2 players who were younger than Sachin on their Test Cricket debut: Hasan Raza - Pakistan (14y 227d), the current youngest debutant, and Mohammad Sharif - Bangladesh (15y 128d).
- Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches (177).
- Highest run scorer in the history of Test cricket with 14692* Test runs.
- Career Average (1989–2010, 177 Tests, 14,692 runs) at 56.94
- Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and Brian Lara. Lara took 213 innings, Sachin 223 and Border 259.
- Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches.
- Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings.
- Sachin Tendulkar (8145) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home.
- Sachin Tendulkar (29) world record of Centuries in Tests away from home.
- First player to reach 12,000-13,000-14,000 Test runs.
- Holds the record for scoring most 1,000 Test runs in a calendar year. He has done it Six times - 2010 (1562*), 2008 (1063), 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs), 2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs).
- Sachin Tendulkar is the fourth highest run-getter in a single calender year in Test History. He has scored 1562 runs in 2010 and is behind Mohammad Yousuf (1788 runs in 2010), Viv Richards (1710 runs in 1976) and Graeme Smith (1656 runs in 2008).
- Highest number of Test centuries(51), overtaking Sunil Gavaskar's record (34). On October 10, 2010 in Bengaluru (Bangalore) against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy's second and final Test match Sachin Tendulkar reached a milestone. With a single to third man, Tendulkar reached his 6th double century and his 49th test century.
- Highest number of 150+ score in Test Cricket (20)
- When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century. Only Mushtaq Mohammad had scored a century at a younger age by 1990. Tendulkar's record was bettered by Mohammad Ashraful in 2001/02 season. The record for previous youngest Indian centurion was held by Kapil Dev.
- Tendulkar's record of five centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record.
- Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side. Gavaskar held the previous record (205 against West Indies in Bombay - 1978/79 season)
- Tendulkar has scored centuries against all Test playing nations. He was the third batsman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten. The current list also includes Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist and Marvan Atapattu.
Batting | Fielding | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opposition | Matches | Runs | Average | High score | 100s | Catches | |
Bangladesh | 7 | 820 | 136.66 | 248* | 5 | 6 | |
England | 24 | 2150 | 54.42 | 193 | 7 | 19 | |
Australia | 31 | 3151 | 60.59 | 241* | 11 | 19 | |
New Zealand | 22 | 1532 | 49.41 | 217 | 4 | 10 | |
Pakistan | 18 | 1057 | 42.28 | 194* | 2 | 8 | |
South Africa | 25 | 1741 | 42.46 | 169* | 7 | 13 | |
Sri Lanka | 25 | 1995 | 60.45 | 203 | 9 | 12 | |
West Indies | 16 | 1328 | 57.73 | 179 | 3 | 14 | |
Zimbabwe | 9 | 918 | 76.50 | 201* | 3 | ||
Overall | 177* | 14692* | 56.94* | 248* | 51 | 106 |
[edit] ODI
Highlights of Tendulkar's ODI career include:Game appearances:
- Matches Played: 444 ( Joint record with Sanath Jayasuriya )
- Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185
- Most Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds
- Inning appearances: 431 ( Most ). First to appear in 400 innings in ODI matches.
- On his debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant. Only Aaqib Javed debuted in ODI matches younger than Sachin Tendulkar. Since then, there has been 4 players who were younger than Sachin on their ODI debut: Hasan Raza (Pakistan) - the current youngest debutant, Mohammad Sharif (Bangladesh), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) and Ramveer Rai (UAE)
- Most runs in an ODI Innings: Sachin Tendulkar holds the record for maximum number of runs scored in one ODI innings. He is the only batsman to score 200 runs (147ball 25x4 3x6) in an ODI against South Africa.
- Most runs: 17,598 Runs at the rate of 45.12 runs for every time he has gotten out (as of 18 October 2010). He is the leading run scorer in the ODI format of the game and the only player ever to cross the 14,000-15,000-16,000 and 17,000 run marks.
- First player to reach 10,000-11,000-12,000-13,000-14,000-15,000, 16,000 and 17,000 ODI runs.
- Holds the record for scoring 1,000 ODI runs in a calendar year. He has done it seven times - 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2007
- Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.
- Tendulkar is the only batsman to score over 3000 runs against any opponent (Australia). Tendulkar is also the only batsman to achieve the feat runs against two opponents - Sri Lanka is the other team.
- After Sachin crossed the 10,000-run mark in ODIs, only seven other players have managed to cross the milestone: (Sanath Jayasuriya, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Inzamam ul Haq, and Jacques Kallis). Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs
- Tendulkar has scored 1833 runs in finals; Tendulkar also ranks very high in terms of all-time averages in finals: among those who've scored at least 1000 runs in finals, only three have a higher average. One of them is India's current coach, Gary Kirsten - in 20 innings, he scored 1019 runs at an excellent average of 69.73. Tendulkar's stats are very similar to those of Viv Richards, who averaged 55.73 at a strike rate of 84.78 in 17 finals.
- Tendulkar holds the record for the highest individual score in a One Day International when he scored 200 not out breaking the previous record of 194 in the India v. South Africa ODI on 24 February 2010. This also saw him become the first male cricketer in the planet to score a double century in a One Day International. Earlier Belinda Clark has scored 229* in women cricket.
- Tendulkar holds the record for the most fours ( boundaries ) in an innings. He hit 25 fours in the innings against South Africa on on 24 February 2010 when he scored double century.
- Only player to score 5, 150+ (186*, 152, 163*, 175 and 200*)scores in ODI cricket, followed by Sanath Jayasuriya of Srilanka with 4, 150+ scores in ODI
- Most centuries: 46
- Only cricketer to ever score a double hundred in the ODI format - against South Africa at Gwalior, India.
- Most centuries against an opponent - 9 vs. Australia.
- Most centuries vs. Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
- Most centuries in Final Matches 6 & India Win All Matches
- Most centuries against One Team - Australia 20 (11 test+9 ODI)
- Most Fifties: 93.
- Highest number of 50+ scores in ODIs - 139 (46 Centuries and 93 Fifties).
- Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs along with Ricky Ponting
- Most Fifties in World Cup Matches(13)
Calendar Year record:
- Most ODI runs in a calendar year: 1,894 ODI runs in 1998.
- Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998
- Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 6,609 runs in 136 matches that includes 21 century partnerships and 23 fifty run partnerships. The 20 century partnerships for opening pair is also a world record.
- Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999 at the LBS, Hyderabad
- Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches - a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
- Most runs (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20 March 2007) in World Cup Cricket History including 4 centuries & 13 fifties with a best score of 152* against Namibia in 2003 world cup
- 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup
- Player Of The World Cup Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Barry Anderson Richards (born 21 July 1945) is a former South African batsman. A right-handed "talent of such enormous stature", Richards is considered one of South Africa's most successful cricketers. He was able to play only four Test matches - all against Australia - before South Africa's exclusion from the international scene in 1970. Even in that brief career, against a competitive Australian attack, Richards scored 508 runs at the high average of 72.57. Richards' contribution in that series was instrumental in the 4-0 win that South Africa inflicted on the side, captained by Bill Lawry. His first century, 140, was scored in conjunction with Graeme Pollock's 274 in a famous 103-run partnership.
With such limited international exposure, Richards plied his trade in first class cricket between 1964 and 1983, becoming a prolific batsman with 28,358 runs. He scored 80 centuries, including a best of 356, at an overall average of 54.74. He also scored 8,506 one day runs, with 16 further centuries. Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1969, Richards scored runs for Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Natal, South Australia, Transvaal and in World Series Cricket, and has been described as "one of the finest talents of the 20th century" further to which "the merest suggestion that he does not belong among the definitive all-time greats will spark violence in most bars in South Africa."
4. Viv Richards
Richards was a very powerful right-handed batsman with an extremely attacking style, besides being an excellent fielder, and a handy off-spin bowler. He is often regarded as the most devastating batsman that ever played the game by cricketers, journalists, fans and others alike, and played his entire career without a helmet, across the 17 years from 1974 till 1991.
Several prominent personalities including former cricketer and legendary fast bowler and all-rounder Imran Khan and noted writer John Birmingham are of the opinion that Richards was the best ever batsman against genuine fast bowling. Many other former players of the game rate him extremely high overall as a batsman. Ian Chappell rates him the second-greatest batsman he ever saw after Sir Garfield Sobers,[10] while for Barry Richards, Ravi Shastri and Neil Fairbrother, he remains the best batsman they ever witnessed.[10][11][12] Wasim Akram rates Richards the greatest batsman he ever bowled to, ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Martin Crowe. Martin Crowe, arguably the greatest batsman to have ever emerged from New Zealand, rates Viv Richards as the greatest, the most destructive, and the most intimidating batsman he ever saw. Richards was also Crowe's cricketing idol along with Donald Bradman, Garfield Sobers and Greg Chappell.
The ICC came out with their rankings for the best batsmen and bowlers in the history of the game for both the longer and shorter versions. The ratings for Test Cricket had Vivian Richards ranked at 5 after Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Len Hutton, Sir Jack Hobbs, and Peter May. The ODI ratings again had Richards comfortably perched at 1 followed by Zaheer Abbas and Greg Chappell. These rankings were based on the level achieved by the batsmen at their respective peaks and did not take other factors into consideration, on account of which, they were considered controversial by some followers of the game.
In 2004, in a poll by ESPN, participated in by 15 of the leading names in cricketing history, Richards was voted the third greatest ever player after Bradman and Sobers, and the second greatest ever batsman after Bradman. He was also voted the greatest cricketer since 1970 by another poll ahead of Ian Botham and Shane Warne. That poll saw both Botham and Warne vote for Richards, and in the opinions of both, Richards is the greatest batsman they ever saw. In 2006, in a study done by a team of ESPN's Cricinfo magazine, Richards was again chosen the greatest ODI Batsman ever. Former cricketer Derek Pringle also rates Richards to be the best batsman ever in the history of Limited Overs Cricket.
His fearless and aggressive style of play, and relaxed but determined demeanor made him a great crowd favorite and an intimidating prospect for opposition bowlers all over the world. The word "swagger" is frequently used to describe his batting style. His batting often completely dominated opposing bowlers.He had the ability to drive good-length balls from outside off-stump through midwicket, his trademark shot, and was one of the great exponents of the h
5. Garry Sobers
Mangalore, Jan 20: Dayanand Kamath (67), former Ranji Trophy cricket all-rounder, passed away at home here on Thursday. He was a bachelor. He is the third Mangalorean Ranji player to die in a year's time. While Ganapati Rao died in August last year, Gopal Pai passed away in December.
Born on Nov 4, 1943 of Upendra Kamath and Indira Bai, he studied in Canara High School here. While studying at St Aloysius, he got selected for playing for the Mysore university team and was the champion on debut year.
The same year, he got selected for 1963-64 series of the Ranji Trophy and regularly played until 1969. Between 1966 and 1969, he represented the south zone. One of the best-rememberd performances is his smashing of five sixes in a single over from Padmakar Shivalkar of west zone at Baroda, which record has remained unsurpassed until date. He had played with the likes of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, M L Jaisimha, Abid Ali, Budhi Kunderan and others.
A consistent left-hand batsman and bowler, he could spin new ball or a worn ball very deceptively. Those who watched him closely had observed a resemblance between Gary Sobers and his actions.
He played for the west zone team against the visiting Gary Sobers-led West Indies team in 1967 and had displayed his skill in all departments. Besides a formidable spell of bowling, he had scored 44 runs in that match, which had ended in a draw. He had impressed the Cabribbeans so much that they fondly called him the 'Gary Sobers of India'.
Kamath was the eighth in a family of five brothers and five sisters. One of his brothers, Sadashiva, another good player, had died quite young.
6. Brian Lara
The West Indies Cricket Board announced their final squad for February’s ICC World Cup 2011 on Wednesday.
There were a few surprises in the 15-member squad of West Indies as the selectors recalled Guyanese batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan.
Sarwan returns to the team after he had been left out of the national team’s rain-marred tour of Sri Lanka in November 2010. Sarwan’s last appearance for his country was in the One Day International series at home against South Africa in May-June 2010. However, he was subsequently dropped in the series due to fitness issues and his indifferent form in the domestic circuit of the country.
The 30-year-old is one of the most experienced West Indian players in the international circuit, having played 156 ODIs. He has 5,098 runs under his belt with a strike rate of 77.52. The nimble right-handed batsman is famous for his confident and precise footwork.
Sarwan, who took over the captaincy from Brian Lara after the 2007 World Cup, before being succeeded by Chris Gayle, has had a rough season with his domestic team. Sarwan, who captained his side, averaged 21.33 in three games with one-half-century for Guyana before his team was knocked out in the league stage.
Following his indifferent form in the domestic circuit, the WICB did not offer Sarwan a central contract in September 2010 that baffled him. He questioned the selectors’ decision saying he was getting “mixed signals” from them.
However, the selectors decided to make him a part of the squad due to his excellent ODI record in India, where West Indies will be playing five of their group matches of the World Cup. Sarwan has played 15 matches on Indian soil, smashing five half-centuries with an average of 57.30.
The 15-man squad will be led by Darren Sammy, who succeeded Gayle in 2010 when the former skipper refused a WICB contract. Gayle, the rebel veteran player who recently went unsold in the Indian Premier League auctions, also found himself in the squad.
Fellow rebel players who had also turned down Board contracts, Dwayne Bravo and hard-hitting Kieron Pollard, were also named in the 15-man squad. The three players were selected after they took part in the domestic tournament deemed as a qualification ground for the World Cup squad by the WICB.
Left-arm orthodox specialist spinners Sulieman Benn and Nikita Miller will be vital for the squad as the sub-continent is known to produce spin-friendly decks.
However, Jamaican pace bowler Jerome Taylor was left out of the squad while Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach were included as the pace options. Andre Russell, the fast bowling all-rounder, will be getting the chance of a lifetime to play in the World Cup.
Another surprise in the squad was the selection of Carlton Baugh, who would be donning the gloves as a wicketkeeper ahead of Denesh Ramdin.
The WICB’s chairman of selectors, Clyde Butts stated that the selection committee deliberated extensively and they have come up with a “good mix of players who will be able to do well in the Asian conditions.”
WICB rescheduled the ODI series against Sri Lanka that was cancelled due to heavy rains in 2010. They will play three ODIs in Sri Lanka from 31 January to 6 February, 2011 which will provide them an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the sub-continent conditions ahe
7. Jack Hobbs
Sports Flowery Branch claims top spot at 8-AAAA swim meet
The lingering effects of the winter storm that hit North Georgia last week turned the first-ever 8-AAAA swim meet into a three-team affair Saturday at the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center. Ten of the region's 11 schools were scheduled to compete in the event, but seven of the teams pulled out of the meet due to travel issues associated with the snowstorm. Habersham Central head coach Jeanie Huddleston said the decision was made last Friday to go ahead and hold the event with three teams since it would have been impossible to reschedule the meet this late in the season. "Due to the weather, several teams ended up not being allowed to travel to Habersham for the meet," said Huddleston. "Flowery Branch and Clarke Central were both able to travel and enjoyed the smaller meet. Since it was a smaller meet, swimmers had more opportunities to swim different events and win their respective events. We plan to do a region meet again next year and hopefully we won't have poor weather." Flowery Branch took top honors in the abbreviated meet, winning the overall title with 716 points. Clarke Central was second with 713 points, while HCHS finished with 485 points. Scott Weyrich picked up Habersham Central's lone individual win in the boys' 100-yard breaststroke. Weyrich, a freshman, posted a time of 1:13.79 to win the race, touching the wall just in front of Flowery Branch's Sean Bart, who finished with a time of 1:14.02. HCHS' Justin Gallagher was fifth with a time of 1:27.73, with Cameron White sixth at 1:32.60. In the boys' 100-yard backstroke, Weyrich was third with a time of 1:01.80, just over a half-second behind Flowery Branch's Zack Miller-Hogg, who won the race with a time of 1:01.39. Clarke Central's Patrick Humphreys was second at 1:01.78. HCHS' Justin Rodriquez was seventh in the race at 1:32.85. David Rabern picked up a third place finish in the 50-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 25.82, while Martin was fifth at 26:27.28. Dylan Burrell was seventh at 30.04, Josh Cantrell was eighth at 31.19, Jobie Jeffers was 10th at 32.54, Jack Matthews was 11th at 35.24 and Timothy Herndon was 12th at 37.54. In the boys' 100-yard freestyle, Gallagher finished third with a time of 1:01.76. Wyatt Nicholson touched the wall just behind Gallagher, finishing fourth at 1:02.01 and Justice Barnes was fifth at 1:04.05. Burrell was eighth at 1:07.16 and Cameron White finished ninth at 1:07.41. Grason White, Justin Rodriquez, Jeffers and Matthews all finished in the top 16. Barnes posted a time of 7:23.44 to finish fourth in the boys' 500-yard freestyle while Jessica Whisnant finished ninth in the girls' race with a time of 9:02.26. Nicholson was fourth in the 200-yard freestyle race, posting a time of 2:24.24, while Martin was sixth at 2:28.19. In the boys' 200-yard freestyle relay, the team of Weyrich, Nicholson, Martin and Rabern finished as the runner-up to Clarke Central with a time of 1:43.18. The team of Barnes, Gallagher, Cameron White and Grason White finished fourth with a time of 1:59.02. The team of Burrell, Cantrell, Jeffers and Justin Rodriquez was sixth at 2:06.82. The relay team of Rabern, Martin, Nicholson and Weyrich finished second in the 400-yard freestyle race, touching the wall at 3:53.39. The team of Jeffers, Matthews, Rodriquez and Cantrell was sixth at 5:18.25. In the girls' division, Sarah Huff had a fifth place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing with a time of 1:42.71. Mary Katherine Ralston was ninth at 1:48.04, with Emily Thomason (2:02.24) finishing 10th and Ashley Peeples (2:13.11) placing 11th. In the girls' 50-yard freestyle, Devyn Carroll was seventh with a time of 36.81, followed by Krysta Tatara in ninth place at 37.49, Lacie Gunn in 10th place at 38.50, Jessica Whisnant in 11th place at 39.27 and Gladys Perez in 12th place at 48.66. In the 100-yard freestyle, Hannah Merritt placed seventh with a time of 1:17.21. Taylor Hames, Gunn, Carroll and Perez all posted top 15 times. In the girls' 100-yard backstroke, Mary McCay finished seventh at 1:42.01, with Huff ninth at 1:44.33. Cari Brewster finished seventh in the 200-yard freestyle, recording a time of 2:07.90, with Ralston eighth at 3:12.24. The Lady Raiders' relay team of Ralston, Thomason, Merritt and Tatara finished second behind Flowery Branch in the 400-yard freestyle race with a time of 5:32.76. The team of Brewster, Gunn, Huff and Whisnant finished fifth at 5:58.57, and the team of Carroll, Halie Hobbs, Rachel Wilson and Madeline Ward were seventh at 6:27.62. The girls' relay team of Ralston, Tatara, Brewster and Merritt finished third in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 2:21.49. The team of Carroll, Gunn, Huff and Emily Thomason was seventh at 2:37.40, and the team of Hobbs, Ward, Wilson and Whisnant finished eighth with a time of 2:43.90. |
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