10 Shortest Cricketers Of All Time

Cricket has produced so much exciting talent since the first ball was played. The game mainly depends on skills and techniques. But height can play a significant role as well, especially for the bowlers. Tall guys like Marco Jansen, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Ishant Sharma, Chris Gayle, and Jacob Oram are a few of the tallest guys in recent memory. Contradictorily, there are multiple active and former individuals whose heights are not on the taller side. In this article, we’ll discover 10 cricketers with the shortest heights ever to play cricket.

10. Sachin Tendulkar

Let’s start the list with Sachin Tendulkar. After legendary Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar gained the nickname ‘Little Master,’ which refers to his brilliance along with his height. Tendulkar is 5’41, ruled international cricket for almost 25 years, and is one of the greatest to ever cross the boundary line, recording 100 international centuries (51 Test 100s, 49 ODI 100s) and 164 half centuries (68 ODI 50s, 96 ODI 50s). He faced legendary bowlers like Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, and James Anderson in their prime days.  

9. Kedar Jadhav

The Indian all-rounder also stands at 5’41. He made his debut for team India in 2014 and played 73 one-day international and 9 T20 international matches. Before retiring from cricket, he made 1389 ODI runs in 73 matches with an average of 42.09, including a couple of 100s and six 50s, and 122 T20I runs with a 20.33 batting average, including a half-century.

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8. Tatenda Taibu

The former Zimbabwe international is standing at 5’41. The wicketkeeper-batter became the youngest captain when he was only 20; the Zimbabwe cricket board announced his name as the skipper. At 19, he was named as the vice-captain of the senior team for the tour of England in 2003. For his nation, Taibu played 28 Test matches, 150 ODIs, and 16 T20s. He even played in the Indian Premier League for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

7. Temba Bavuma

One of the shortest cricketers in modern-day cricket with 5’4”. Bavuma is the captain of South Africa in Test and ODI format. His name is scripted in the history book of South Africa as their first African Black batsman to pick in the Test squad. Under his leadership, SA was very close to lifting the World Cup, but in the end they did not succeed. The batter is a pillar in the top order, known for his classic batting style and shot selections.   So far, he has played 62 Test matches, 48 ODIs, and 36 T20Is for SA.

6. Gundappa Vishwanath

One of the most iconic figures in Indian cricket. His aggressive batting style back in the 70s is still a talking point among a part of cricket lovers. The batter stood 5’3”, played for India for almost 14 years, and scored 6,000 runs with an average of almost 40 by playing 90 Test matches.  

5. Mominul Haque

The left-handed Bangladeshi batter, standing at 5’3”, is one of the best Test batsmen the team ever had. The prolific batter also showed his captaincy skills when Bangladesh had to play against New Zealand without their then regular captain, Shakib Al Hasan to an ICC ban. Mominul led his nation to a historic test win. Scoring back-to-back 11 fifties is another golden chapter in his cricket career.

4. Parthiv Patel

Standing at 5’25”, Parthiv Patel was the youngest cricketer to debut for team India at the age of 17 in 2002. Despite his short height, Patel lacked no keeping and batting abilities. He made a significant impact on Indian cricket. He became the youngest wicketkeeper in Test after making his debut in the format at Trent Bridge. Patel played 25 Tests, 38 ODIs, and a couple of T20Is.

3. Mushfiqur Rahim

One of the shortest cricketers of all time, the Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter’s height is 5’25, one of the best cricketers in the country. The cricketer has amassed over 13 thousand runs across Tests and ODIs. Rahim’s unbeaten 219 is his career-best innings so far. Rahim is a pivotal player for Bangladesh cricket in all three formats.

2. Walter Cornford

As per records, Walter Corford is the second shortest cricketer to ever play an official cricket match. After a mind-boggling domestic career, he was selected for the England national team and played a significant role during England’s tour to New Zealand in 1930. In the series, Cornford, involved in 5 catches and 3 stumpings, stood at 5’.

1.  Kruger van Wyk

South Africa-born Kruger van Wyk was the shortest ever cricketer, according to the record book. The wicketkeeper-batter with a 4’9” height had an impressive domestic career but was never called up for national duties for a long duration. Later, he represented New Zealand after playing for Northern (later known as Titans). Under his leadership Wizards won their first-ever Test Championship title. The former cricketer had played 9 Tests for New Zealand.