To play cricket, one needs to have certain skills. All-rounders in cricket are the individuals that deserve the utmost respect. Here, we discuss the 20 greatest all-rounders in cricket.
Cricket has three game formats: Test, ODI, and T20. The matches can last from three hours to over five days, depending on the game’s format. Therefore, the sport will test the cricketers’ skills, patience, and endurance.
While playing in such challenging conditions, it is rare to find an all-rounder cricketer who excels in all positions they play. South African legend Jacques Kallis with an estimated net worth of $70 million as of 2024, is one such individual.
In today’s article, we will look at the top 20 greatest all-rounders in cricket.
First, let’s start with a quick overview of the list.
Quick Overview
Before we get into the list, here is a sneak peek of our article.
| Player’s Name | Country |
| 20. Wilfred Rhodes | England |
| 19. Monty Noble | Australia |
| 18. Tony Greig | England |
| 17. Lance Klusener | South Africa |
| 16. Abdul Razzaq | Pakistan |
| 15. Ben Stokes | England |
| 14. Shane Watson | Australia |
| 13. Shahid Afridi | Pakistan |
| 12. Andrew Flintoff | England |
| 11. Shaun Pollock | South Africa |
| 10. Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka |
| 9. Keith Miller | Australia |
| 8. Chris Cairns | New Zealand |
| 7. Richard Hadlee | New Zealand |
| 6. Kapil Dev | India |
| 5. Ian Botham | England |
| 4. Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh |
| 3. Imran Khan | Pakistan |
| 2. Gary Sobers | West Indies |
| 1. Jacques Kallis | South Africa |
20 Greatest All-Rounders in Cricket
We have prepared our list with the help of various internet sources.
20. Wilfred Rhodes
Starting off our list of the greatest all-rounders in cricket, we have Wilfred Rhodes as number 20. His career spanned from 1899 to 1930, and he played 58 Test matches.
Rhodes scored 2,325 runs and 127 wickets in Tests. Similarly, he was the first English cricketer to complete a double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches.
An all-rounder, Rhodes holds the world records for the most appearances made in first-class cricket (1,110 matches) and for the most wickets taken (4,204).
19. Monty Noble
Monty Noble is considered one of the greatest Australian all-rounders. From 1903 to 1909, he played 42 Tests matches and captained 15. Between 1893 and 1920, Noble scored 13,975 first-class runs and took 624 wickets.
Noble became the ICC Cricket Hall of Famer in June 2021 posthumously as one of the special inductees to mark the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship final.
18. Tony Greig
Former players and cricket pundits consider Tony Greig one of England’s leading international all-rounders.
He was an all-rounder well-known for bowling at a medium pace and off spin.
From 1975 to 1977, Greig was captain of the English cricket team and the Sussex County Cricket Club. After retiring from his playing career, he became a commentator.
17. Lance Klusener
Lance Klusener takes the number 17 spot for the greatest all-rounders in cricket. He is famous for his aggressive batting and his fast-medium swing bowling.
Klusener called himself a “fill-in bowler who can bat a bit” and was nicknamed “Zulu.” He played 49 Test matches in his career, making 1,906 runs and a 32.86 batting average.
After retiring from his playing career, Klusener began his coaching career. Currently, he serves as batting coach for the Zimbabwe men’s national team.
16. Abdul Razzaq
On number 16, we have an all-rounder from Pakistan. He played all game formats and is 44 year-old former cricketer Abdul Razzaq.
Razzaq made his ODI debut in 1996 against Zimbabwe, while he made his Test debut in 1999 against Australia.
He is a right-handed batsman and a medium bowler. He played 265 ODIs and 46 Test matches in his career.
15. Ben Stokes
Number 15 on our list of the greatest all-rounders in cricket is an English all-rounder, Ben Stokes. The 32 year-old is the captain of England’s Test team.
Stokes is well-known for his left-handed middle-order batting and right-arm fast bowling. During England’s 2015-16 tour, he set the Test world record for most runs in an innings at number six, scoring 258 against South Africa.
As of September 2022, Stokes is ranked second Test all-rounder in the world in the ICC Men’s Player Rankings.
14. Shane Watson
Shane Watson is a former cricketer on our list of the 14th greatest all-rounders in cricket.
He is a right-handed batsman and fast-medium swing bowler whose international career spanned from 2002 to 2016.
Watson has been the former world No.1 T20I all-rounder for 150 weeks. He holds several records in all three formats of the game.
Similarly, Watson is considered one of this era’s most influential white ball all-rounders. He has retired from all forms of cricket as of November 2020.
13. Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi is a former Pakistani cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He was a right-handed leg spinner and batsman who made his ODI debut in 1996.
Afridi’s Test match debut was in 1998, and his T20I debut was in 2006. During the 2009 T20 World Cup, he was named the player of the match in the final.
12. Andrew Flintoff
A former international cricketer, Andre Flintoff was a leading all-rounder in cricket.
The English cricketer played in all game formats and is known for being a fast bowler, middle-order batsman, and slip fielder.
In 1998, Flintoff made his Test debut for the country and soon became an integral part of the team. Later on, he served as captain and vice-captain of the team.
ICC consistently ranked Flintoff among the top international all-rounders in ODI and Test cricket.
11. Shaun Pollock
We have a former South African cricketer on our number 11 of the greatest all-rounders in cricket. He is widely considered one of the greatest fast bowlers and all-rounders.
Pollock is a genuine bowling all-rounder and former captain in all game formats. He held the record for most wickets by a South African in Tests and ODIs.
Pollock was named the 2001 Wisden Cricketer of the Year. In November 2021, he became the ICC Cricket Hall of Famer.
10. Sanath Jayasuriya
Sanath Jayasuriya is considered one of the greatest attacking batsmen of all time. The former Sri Lankan cricketer plus captain is famous for his match-winning all-round performances in all formats of cricket.
Jayasuriya’s international career lasted over two decades. During his career, he became the only player to score over 10,000 runs and capture more than 300 wickets in ODI.
Likewise, Jayasuriya is also considered one of the best all-rounders in the history of limited-overs cricket.
9. Keith Miller
Widely regarded as Australia’s greatest-ever all-rounder, Keith Miller is a legendary figure in cricket history.
He played 55 Test matches as a cricketer, recording 2,958 runs and a 36.97 batting average.
Miller was an all-rounder with the best statics in the sport’s history. He was a powerful striker and famous for bowling in varying ways to bemuse batsmen.
Similarly, he was a fine fielder and an acrobatic catcher.
8. Chris Cairns
On number 8 of the greatest all-rounders in cricket, we have former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns. He played both Test and ODI cricket and was captain for the latter.
Cairns made appearances in four ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments. He finished his Test career with 62 matches, recording a 33.53 batting average and 29.40 bowling average.
Cairns is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders players from New Zealand. In 2000, he was among the five cricketers named Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
7. Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders and finest fast bowlers and takes our number 7 spot on our list.
The former cricketer was the first bowler to pass 400 wickets in Tests.
In his 86 Test career, Hadlee took 431 wickets, the world record at the time. On April 3, 2009, he was honored as ICC Cricket Hall of Famer.
6. Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev is a former Indian cricketer famous for being a fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting middle-order batsman.
Dev is the only player in cricket history to take more than 400 wickets (434 wickets) and score more than 5,000 runs in Tests.
One of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history, Dev was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010.
5. Ian Botham
Ian Botham is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of his era. The former cricketer played in both Test and ODI for England.
Botham was well-known for being an aggressive right-handed batsman, fast-medium bowler, and primarily swing bowler.
He held the world record for the most Test wickets from 1986 to 1988 before it was broken.
In 2009, Botham became the ICC Cricket Hall of Famer.
4. Shakib Al Hasan
On number 4 of the greatest all-rounders in cricket, we have 37 years-old Bangladeshi cricketer Shakib Al Hasan.
He is currently the captain of the Test and T20I cricket of the Bangladesh national cricket team.
Al Hasan is well-known for his aggressive left-handed batting style in the middle order and controlled slow left-arm orthodox bowling.
He is ranked the world’s no. 1 all-rounder in ICC ODI and T20I Players rankings.
3. Imran Khan
Our next greatest cricket all-rounder is a former cricketer and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan.
The ICC Cricket Hall of Famer led his team to their first and only World Cup title win in 1992.
Khan was 18 years old when he began his international cricket career. In his career, he scored 3,807 runs and took 362 wickets in Test cricket.
Similarly, he built an unbeatable reputation from 1980 to 1988.
2. Gary Sobers
Widely considered one of the greatest cricketers and all-rounders, we have Gary Sobers at number 2 on our list. The former West Indies cricketer played between 1954 and 1947.
Sobers is well-known for his highly skilled left-handed bowling, aggressive batting, and excellent fielding. He played 93 Test matches, scoring 8032 runs with a 57.78 batting average.
His batting average is the fifth-highest batting average in Test cricket. Sobers became the ICC Cricket Hall of Famer in 2009.
1. Jacques Kallis
The title of the greatest all-rounder in cricket goes to former South African cricketer Jacques Kallis. He is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers and South Africa’s greatest batsman.
As of 2022, Kallis is the only cricketer to score more than 10,000 runs and take over 250 wickets in both ODI and Test matches.
In his Test career, he scored 13,289 runs and took 292 wickets and 200 catches.
Similarly, Kallis holds the record for the most Man of the Match awards in Tests (23). He became the ICC Cricket Hall of Famer in 2020.
Conclusion
As mentioned, being an all-rounder in cricket is a rare feat that only a few can achieve.
These players on the list deserve respect and a spot in cricket history for being the greatest all-rounder in the sport’s history.
