Greatest Cricketers
Alphabetical order. Not on imdb: George Headley
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- Wasim Akram was born on 3 July 1966 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. He is an actor, known for Money Back Guarantee (2023), World Championship of Cricket (1985) and The Krypton Factor (1977).
- Although the West Indies was the dominant superpower of cricket throughout the 1980s, a tall Antiguan aspired to play in NBA in the United States. But his mother motivated him towards cricket and most importantly, towards fast bowling. What was NBA's loss became cricket's greatest boon and Curtly Ambrose stepped on the field, displaying his near prodigious talent right from his first delivery at international level. Initially seen as a natural successor to the outgoing great Joel "Big Bird" Garner, Ambrose forged a legacy of his own, with match winning performances one after the other as witnessed at Perth in 1992-93 where his spell read 7 wickets for just 1 run in a mere 5 overs, his fifer at Bridgetown which denied a strong, recently reinstated South Africa a victory and of course his figures of 6-24 against England at Port-of-Spain which demolished the tourists for just 46 in the fourth innings. His new ball partnership with his best friend and fellow pace icon Courtney Walsh ensured the West Indies remained a potent adversary despite the team's downward spiral post the loss of 1994-95 Sir Frank Worrell Trophy at home, however Ambrose from thereon was plagued by injuries having borne the brunt of bowling workload with Walsh with negligible support to the duo from the others in the line-up. Having burned himself out at the end of the century, Ambrose bowed out of the scene with 405 wickets to his name at an astounding average of barely 21, the best for any bowler, whether pace or spin, with 400 scalps or above.
Notoriously reclusive during his career with the renowned motto "Curtly talks to no man", Ambrose has been fairly more approachable lately, with his smile being as joyful for interviewers as terrorizing him taking his bowling positions was, particularly for the best batsmen in the world. - One of the world's greatest all-round cricketers, and an undoubted world class player in the England sides of the 1980s, whose ability to turn the course of a game with either bat or ball was best seen in the 1981 series against Australia. In 102 Test Matches for England he scored 5200 runs, including 14 centuries, and took 383 wickets, including his best performance of 8 for 34 runs. In 116 One-Day Internationals he scored 2113 runs, his best being 79, and took 145 wickets, his best being 4 for 31 runs.
- Generally regarded as the greatest cricketer ever to play the game, Don Bradman averaged 99.94 runs per innings during his illustrious career. He continued to play test cricket until the age of 40, when in 1948 he led an Australian team touring England, UK. The team did not lose a match on that tour and are now legendary, they are known as The Invincibles.
- In the game of cricket, some judge batsmen by the number of runs they make while some are judged based on the manner and in the circumstances they are made. By either criteria, with both formats in mind, Rahul Sharad Dravid is unarguably one of the greatest of all-time.
The son of a food scientist and a professor of architecture, Dravid represented the state of Karnataka in the Indian Domestic Circuit. With years of consistent performances, he finally made it to the 1996 Indian touring party for England. When told by coach Sandeep Patil that he would finally get to bat at Lord's, his face just lit up. Joining fellow debutante and future skipper Saurav Ganguly, Dravid made highly polished, textbook strokes before unfortunately falling for 95. During the following years, Dravid maintained high levels of his trademark consistency but wasn't able to convert fifties into centuries. This dilemma came to an end at Johannesburg, when against pace legend Allan Donald at his peak, he registered scores of 148 and 81. From there on, there was no looking back. And entering into the 21st century, Dravid became the centrefold of India's batting line-up, with India finally starting to win tests overseas, Dravid trailing only Sachin Tendulkar for the title of India's greatest batsman ever.
But like all greats, Dravid too lost form in the middle years starting from India's disastrous exit from the 2007 World Cup. Working hard to remodel his technique, Dravid finally found his touch on India's otherwise disastrous tour of England in 2011 where despite his 3 centuries, India was whitewashed 4-0. And after an individual poor showing in another 4-0 series whitewash, this time in Australia, Dravid, knowing fully both cricket viewers and critics will come for his blood, announced his retirement from international cricket.
"The Wall", as he is fondly called by the global cricket community, continues to contribute to India as one of the guiding lights to youngsters, nurturing their skills before they become the mainstray of the National team.
One of the nicest men to ever grace the sport, Dravid has unquestionably carved his name as one of the greatest of all-time. - A near to flawless batting technique, unmatched patience when on the crease and an insane appetite for runs combined together made Sunil Manohar Gavaskar. Born in Mumbai in 1949, Gavaskar proved to be a batting prodigy in the first class circuit, leading to his international debut on the tour of the Caribbean in 1971. What most expected from the little man was a steady stream of runs. But what they got, was a non-stop cascade as he ended the series with 774 runs at a whooping average of 155. All of a sudden, Gavaskar was a subject of immense curiosity in the international cricket community. But following his unreal debut, the following couple of seasons were mediocre to say the least. Questions started to be raised if Gavaskar's feats in his debut series were a fluke. But larger-than-life as Gavaskar was, he proved his cynics wrong hitting a miraculous 101 on a broken Old Trafford pitch against the devastating quartet of Bob Willis, Chris Old, Mike Hendrik and John Snow. Restored to confidence with another storybook accomplishment, Gavaskar was once again the man cricket world admired and bowlers dreaded, displaying a wide array of strokes in all corners of the globe. As the saga continued, Gavaskar kept bringing landmark after landmark to his name, the most immortal ones among them being his 221 in the fourth innings chasing 438 against England at The Oval, overtaking Geoffrey Boycott as the highest run scorer in test history, beating Sir Don Bradman's 35 year old record of 29 test centuries and finally becoming the first cricketer to scale 10000 runs. And his farewell innings in 1987 became another heralded story as batting on a crumbling Bangalore wicket against arch rivals Pakistan, Gavaskar scored 96 in a heartbreaking loss, with the display of India's complete reliance on Gavaskar proven by the fact that the next highest contribution to Indian total was extras conceded by Pakistani bowlers, with 27.
Gavaskar bowed out of the scene with 10122 runs averaging 51, over 9500 of the tally coming as an opener. He had famously said "Others will definitely get there, but the one who gets it first is the one always remembered". True to his words, despite the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid having surpassed him by quite a distance, Sunil Gavaskar continues to be regarded, both domestically and internationally, as India's greatest batsman of all-time. After all, the one who sets the benchmark has his own aura, Right !!!!! - Adam Gilchrist was born on 14 November 1971 in Bellingen, New South Wales, Australia. He is an actor, known for How to Stay Married (2018), The Ashes (1930) and Frank Worrell Trophy (1960). He is married to Melinda Sharpe. They have three children.
- W.G. Grace was born on 18 July 1848 in Downend, Bristol, England, UK. He was married to Agness Nicholls Day. He died on 23 October 1915 in Mottingham, Kent, England, UK.
- Richard Hadlee was born on 3 July 1951 in St Albans, Christchurch, New Zealand. He is an actor, known for Save Your Legs! (2012), Trans-Tasman Trophy (1985) and World Championship of Cricket (1985).
- Wally Hammond was born on 19 June 1903 in Buckland, Dover, Kent, England, UK. He died on 1 July 1965 in Kloof, Natal, South Africa.
- Jack Hobbs was born on 16 December 1882 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK. He died on 21 December 1963 in Hove, East Sussex, England, UK.
- Jacques Kallis was born on 16 October 1975 in Pinelands, Cape Town, South Africa. He has been married to Charlene Engels since January 2019. They have one child.
- Imran Khan was born on 5 October 1952 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. He is an actor, known for Silk Cut Cricket Challenge (1984), 1992 Cricket World Cup (1992) and World Championship of Cricket (1985). He has been married to Bushra Bibi since 18 February 2018. He was previously married to Reham Khan and Jemima Khan.
- A high back lift above the head, exquisite footwork, razor sharp eyesight and sudden swing of the bat 180°. The result ? The ball raced to the boundary or even cleared it before the fielders could move from their positions. No cricketer since Sir Don Bradman has had the appetite of massive runs, irrespective of how difficult the pitch or how formidable the bowling attack, as much as Brian Charles Lara. Born to Pearl and Bunty Lara, Brian from his school days aspired to play league football in England and represent his native Trinidad and Tobago on the global stage, something his classmate and best friend Dwight Yorke accomplished later as their sporting careers ran in parallel.
Making his debut against Pakistan in 1989-90, initial years were mediocre when compared to his visibly incredible prodigious talent. The wait bore fruit against Australia at Sydney in 1992 when in just his fifth test, Lara hit 277 and set the benchmark for the rest of his career. And barely an year later, Lara bought the world on its feat scoring 375 against England at Antigua, beating the previous record of 365 in 1958 scored by another West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers. Signed by Warwickshire in English County Cricket, Lara bought another landmark to his name hitting an unbeaten 501 against Durham in 1995, making him by far the biggest superstar on the global cricketing horizon.
But with the fame and continued individual success also came the decline of West Indies' supremacy as the best team in the world. Year after year, the West Indies lost test after test, series after series. Saddled with the captaincy of a squad in literal disarray, Lara's first overseas bout as a leader was an epic disaster as the West Indies was whitewashed by South Africa 5-0. Rubbing salt on the wound was his recurring eye infection and shoulder problem, restricting his signature wide variety of shots and thereby the huge scores he was known for. But world knew Lara was born out of a different mould altogether and would strike back to form when a difficult opportunity arose. In the subsequent home series against an Australian team which was soon to become one of greatest in cricket history, Lara alone carried his men on his shoulders, hitting 213, 153 and 100 in consecutive tests with the first 2 knocks being the sole reason West Indies drawing the series 2-2.
Yet again hitting a lean patch at the start of the 21st century, Lara soon found his touch in Sri Lanka against the world's top ranked bowler Muttiah Muralitharan, scoring 688 runs with 3 tons but these were yet again insufficient as West Indies were humiliated 3-0. Having reclaimed his self-confidence, Lara set about reclaiming his desired and deserved batting records as well, starting with the highest individual score of 400* in 2004, yet again against England, yet again at Antigua after Australian Matthew Hayden had scored 380 against Zimbabwe the same year, followed by the tally of highest runs scored in test cricket in 2005-06, surpassing another Australian Allan Border's decade standing accomplishment of 11174 runs, ironically against Australia in Australia in the midst of a brilliant innings of 226 at Adelaide.
The 2007 World Cup could have very well been Lara's swansong, but despite a promising start West Indies went from defeat to defeat and by the end of the second stage were knocked out of the tournament. Lara's farewell international match against England too went awry as a horrible mix up resulted in a run out and another loss for the West Indies.
Some would remember Brian Lara as a controversial figure whose illustrious presence coincided with the downfall of the West Indies cricket team. Most would remember him as the ultimate batting genius against whom, not even the greatest bowlers had answers. - Dennis Lillee was born on 18 July 1949 in Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
- Malcolm Marshall was born on 18 April 1958 in St. Michael, Barbados. He died on 4 November 1999 in Bridgetown, Barbados.
- Glenn McGrath was born on 9 February 1970 in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia. He has been married to Sara Leonardi-McGrath since 18 November 2010. They have one child. He was previously married to Jane Louise Steele.
- Deshabandu Muttiah Muralitharan is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002. He retired from Test cricket in 2010, registering his 800th and final wicket on 22 July 2010 from his final ball in his last Test match. Muralitharan holds the world record for the most wickets in both test and one-day cricket.
Muralitharan took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 502 wickets. He became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007. Muralitharan had previously held the record when he surpassed Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004, but he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was overtaken by Warne.
Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers in the game. Muralitharan held the number one spot in the International Cricket Council's player rankings for Test bowlers for a record period of 1,711 days spanning 214 Test matches. - Graeme Pollock was born on 27 February 1944 in Durban, Natal, Union of South Africa.
- Ricky Ponting was born on 19 December 1974 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. He is married to Rianna. They have one child.
- Viv Richards was born on 7 March 1952 in St. John's, Antigua, British West Indies [now Antigua and Barbuda]. He is married to Miriam Richards. They have two children.
- Kumar Sangakkara was born on 27 October 1977 in Matale, Sri Lanka. He has been married to Yehali Sangakkara since 2003. They have two children.
- Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, AO, OCC (born 28 July 1936), also known as Gary or Garry Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974, and is widely considered to be cricket's greatest all-rounder.
Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Sobers made his first-class debut for the Barbados cricket team at the age of 16 in 1953, and his Test debut for the West Indies the following year. Originally playing mainly as a bowler, he was soon promoted up the batting order. Against Pakistan in 1958, Sobers scored his maiden Test century, progressing to 365 not out and establishing a new record for the highest individual score in an innings, which was not broken until Brian Lara scored 375 in 1994. He was made captain of the West Indies in 1965, a role which he would hold until 1972. He would also captain a Rest of the World XI during their 1970 tour of England.
Overall, Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 8032 runs at an average of 57.78, and taking 235 wickets at an average of 34.03. He has the fourth highest batting average in Test cricket in the list of cricketers with more than 5,000 runs. In his 383 first-class matches, he scored over 28,000 runs and took over 1000 wickets, having spent time with South Australia and Nottinghamshire towards the end of his career. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket. He became a dual Barbadian-Australian citizen through marriage in 1980. By an act of Parliament in 1998, Sobers was named as one of the ten National Heroes of Barbados. - Actor
- Producer
Sachin is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.
He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and One Day International cricket
Sachin Tendulkar has been the most complete batsman of his time, and arguably the biggest cricket icon as well. His batting is based on the purest principles: perfect balance, economy of movement, precision in stroke-making, and that intangible quality given only to geniuses: anticipation. If he doesn't have a signature stroke - the upright, back-foot punch comes close - it is because he is equally proficient at each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will.- Fred Trueman was born on 6 February 1931 in Stainton, South Yorkshire, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Fred Trueman Bowls You Over (1994), Dad's Army (1968) and Stars on Sunday (1969). He was married to Veronica Lundy and Enid E. Chapman. He died on 1 July 2006 in Steeton, Keighley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK.
- Actor
- Producer
Shane Keith Warne (born 13 September 1969) was an Australian former international cricketer, widely regarded as one of the best bowlers in the history of the game. He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in the 1994 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. He was the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World 1997 (Notional Winner). He was named Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2004 in the 2005 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet and the only one playing at the time. He was also a cricket commentator and a professional poker player. He officially retired from all formats in July 2013.