Top 7 greatest all-rounders in men's International cricket — Ranked

During the third Test of the three-match series between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge, Ben Stokes induced Mitchell Santner to glove a bounce to become only the fourth player after Jacques Kallis, Kapil Dev, and Ian Botham to score 5000 Test runs and take 250 wickets, standing as one of the premier red-ball all-rounders. But is he among the top seven greatest all-rounders in men’s international cricket?

All-rounders are always the heartbeat of a side, thanks to their equal contribution with both bat and ball in hand. Even if they fail in one department, they always have the opportunity to make an impact and turn the game’s progress.

The label can be a little misunderstood. Rather than only being superb batters who bowl usefully in crunch situations, or elite bowlers who contribute lower-order runs, an all-rounder should be scaled as a player who batted regularly in the top eight besides making equal contribution with the ball to give their sides a five-man attack across formats.

These criteria ensure that eligible players have bowled regularly while scoring runs regularly with the bat, which fits them among the classical all-rounders across the three formats.

Who are the 7 greatest all-rounders in Men's International cricket history?

West Indies' Sir Gary Sobers is one of the premier all-rounders of the longest format, having amassed 8032 runs in 160 innings at an average of 57.78, with 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries, including an unbeaten 365. Besides that, he has also picked up 235 wickets in 93 Tests at an average of 34.03.

But with just one game in ODIs, can he find a place among the all-format all-rounders in men’s international cricket, especially when there are several other options?

#1 Jacques Kallis (South Africa)-

Statistically, there is no one better than Jacques Henry Kallis in terms of an all-rounder across the formats. He is the combination of Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan if one counts the longest format only. With 45 Test centuries, Kallis is only second to Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 red-ball centuries.

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He was often described as a reluctant bowler. At Leeds in 2003, an injury to their specialist pacer pushed the captain to use the all-rounder more than usual with the ball. The South Africa star ended with 292 wickets in Tests besides 273 wickets in ODIs. 

#2 Imran Khan (Pakistan)-

The former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, described Imran Khan as ‘a skinny boy with unruly mop of hair.’ Besides being lethal with the ball to produce the reverse swing for the very first time during the 1982-83 series against India when he had 40 wickets at 14, he could turn a game with his aggressive batting at any time.

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In 48 Tests as captain, that spanned between 1982 and his retirement in 1992, Imran averaged 52.3 with the bat in Tests and had a 20.3 average with the ball, which is unmatched excellence in Test history. He has shown his character of grinding even when he survived 162 balls on the final day in Lahore in 1990 to ensure a draw against the West Indies.

Moreover, he is a World Cup winner with 3709 runs in ODIs at 33.41 and 182 wickets at 26.61 with the ball, which puts him at number 2 in the list.

#3 Kapil Dev (India)

A revolutionary figure of the game, Kapil Dev, attended an Indian U-19 camp and wasn’t happy with a spoonful of vegetables in lunch to bowl fast. No Indian quick had ever taken 100 Test wickets, but getting past the landmark in just 16 months with pace, swing and bounce, Dev took 5/28 at the MCG in 1981 to record India’s first victory over a full-strength Australian side.

Only twice in his career of 184 innings did Dev not take the new ball. That shows the burden he had on his shoulders, along with the leadership of the Indian side. At Lord’s in 1990, he smashed four successive sixes to save the follow-on. Against West Indies, in 25 Tests, he averaged 30.8 with the bat and just 24.9 with the ball, which is a proud record to have for any player of the 90s.

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Who can forget his brilliance in the 1983 World Cup when the blue brigade won the tournament for the very first time. Against Zimbabwe, he blasted an unbeaten knock of 175 runs, which is a part of his 3783-run career in ODIs along with 253 wickets. 

#4 Shaun Pollock (South Africa)-

In the discussions of the greatest all-rounders, one hardly takes the name of Shaun Pollock. But he has shown dual skills over the years across the two formats of Tests and ODIs. In 108 Tests, he collected nearly 3800 runs at an average of 32.31 and picked up 421 wickets at an average of 23.11, having celebrated 16 five-wicket hauls. 

In ODIs, the right-arm pacer collected 393 wickets in 297 innings at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 39.90, having contributed 3519 runs in 205 innings at an average of 26.45 with one century and 14 fifties.

#5 Andrew Flintoff (England)-

In England’s cricket history, they always look at three players- Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, and Stokes as the premier all-rounders, and Flintoff is perhaps the only player to have success in both the red-ball and white-ball formats.

Renowned for his master blaster performance in the 2005 Ashes that saw England win the urn for the very first time since 1986/87, Freddie was a magnificent fast bowler along with his timely contributions with the bat.

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An average of 31.77 for his 3845 runs in Tests, along with 3394 runs at an ODI average of 32.01, have been phenomenal for Flintoff. More than the numbers, he used to bring the unmatched energy to the game.

#6 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Another of the greatest all-rounders of the game after Imran Khan for Pakistan has been Shahid Afridi, who, along with his destructive batting performance, was cunning with the ball as the former Indian commentator, Ravi Shastri, gave him the title of ‘Boom Boom.’

He burst onto the scene with a monstrous 37-ball century during an ODI against Sri Lanka on debut in 1996, a record which lasted for 17 years. His 476 sixes across formats are second only to West Indies’ Chris Gayle in the list of most sixes. Besides being a batter, he has also taken 395 wickets in ODIs and 48 wickets in Tests.

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He led the country for several years and was a real showman of the game with massive energy, who lifted his team everywhere and every time.  

#7 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)-

The seventh on the list of the greatest all-rounders in international cricket is the former Sri Lanka captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, whose all-round performance in ODIs was extraordinary, having collected 13430 runs at an average of 32.36 and 323 wickets at 36.75. 

Even in the longest format, Jayasuriya had close to 7000 runs and 100 wickets, including six four-wicket and two five-wicket hauls, putting him among the greatest of the country.

Apart from these seven players, the special mentions are also for Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, who was superb across the three formats along with India’s Ravindra Jadeja, Richard Hadlee of New Zealand, Sir Ian Botham of England, Sir Garfield Sobers of West Indies, Shane Watson of Australia and Wasim Akram of Pakistan.

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