10. Allan Border
AB is the top Australian in my list after Don. The toughest cricketer, he was also an outstanding batsman and had been for more than a decade by the time. People remember his determination but he also had plenty of shots. He led from the front and remains a great example to youngsters.
9. Imran Khan
Tried to get a blance across the globe and this man was a superb all round cricketer who had the leadership and skill to take Pakistan to it's only World Cup triumph. For him, being a Pakistani, i must say he is a legend who will never die and all of us are his legacy
8. Muttiah Muralitharan
No matter what anybody thinks about his action, he is wonderful to bat against for the experience of facing a ball that turns so much. He has helped to turn Sri Lanka into a formidable side at home. It is also worth remembering the work he did in the aftermath of the tsunami when he gave so much hope to people in despair. And we all love that smile.
7. Brian Lara
Whether you played with him or against him, you were in awe of Brian Charles Lara. I loved his strut, his swagger and his ability to hit four after four with his high backlift and incredible placement. He had an amazing knack of playing match-winning innings all through his career and has constructed two of the three highest scores in Test history. At times it is felt as though one could bowl 100mph or spin it 14 feet and he still would not get out.
6. Curtly Ambrose
it was very difficult to split Curtly and Glenn McGrath, but I think Curtly had that extra half-gear as well as being just as accurate and clinical. He could take your head off if he wanted, and he did have that nasty streak. He turned a game – and the series – in Perth in 1992-93 with a spell of seven wickets for one run. His brilliance is uncommentable. Just look for his videos smashing the wickets and you will believe me!
5. Sanath Jayasuriya
I wonder why he is not given an outstanding ovation as he is a nightmare for bowlers in all types of cricket with over 13,000 ODI Runs with 28 hundreds and 270 sixes, he is listed in top five ODI Batsmen. And look at the bowling figures by this amazing cricketer, 316 ODI Wickets.... Unbelievable.... Thats y he is here in All Time Great Cricketers.
4. Glenn McGrath
He kept everything simple but effective. Although batsmen knew exactly what McGrath was about, he still beat them almost every time. He had that ability to take the big wicket and his longevity was incredible. By keeping things so tight he helped Australia to Rule Cricket for more than a decade. Don’t let him fool you over his batting: it really was terrible.
3. Wasim Akram
Being a left-armer gave an advantage but the ability to swing the ball from over or round the wicket, reverse or conventional, puts him among the great bowlers of my time. His whippy action made him harder to face and there was a spell at Rawalpindi in 1994 that was as fast as anything. The inventor, the master of swing indeed! I must say Cricket history has never ever produced any other bowler like him or better than him. Good enough with the bat to score a Test double-hundred.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
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 in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will. I personally say, i have never seen anybody so perfect is his field!
1. Sir Donald Bradman
He is beyond any argument, the greatest batsman who ever lived and the greatest cricketer of the 20th century. Only WG Grace, in the formative years of the game, even remotely matched his status as a player. And The Don lived on into the 21st century, more than half-a-century after he retired. In that time, his reputation not merely as a player but as an administrator, selector, sage and cricketing statesman only increased.
AB is the top Australian in my list after Don. The toughest cricketer, he was also an outstanding batsman and had been for more than a decade by the time. People remember his determination but he also had plenty of shots. He led from the front and remains a great example to youngsters.
9. Imran Khan
Tried to get a blance across the globe and this man was a superb all round cricketer who had the leadership and skill to take Pakistan to it's only World Cup triumph. For him, being a Pakistani, i must say he is a legend who will never die and all of us are his legacy
8. Muttiah Muralitharan
No matter what anybody thinks about his action, he is wonderful to bat against for the experience of facing a ball that turns so much. He has helped to turn Sri Lanka into a formidable side at home. It is also worth remembering the work he did in the aftermath of the tsunami when he gave so much hope to people in despair. And we all love that smile.
7. Brian Lara
Whether you played with him or against him, you were in awe of Brian Charles Lara. I loved his strut, his swagger and his ability to hit four after four with his high backlift and incredible placement. He had an amazing knack of playing match-winning innings all through his career and has constructed two of the three highest scores in Test history. At times it is felt as though one could bowl 100mph or spin it 14 feet and he still would not get out.
6. Curtly Ambrose
it was very difficult to split Curtly and Glenn McGrath, but I think Curtly had that extra half-gear as well as being just as accurate and clinical. He could take your head off if he wanted, and he did have that nasty streak. He turned a game – and the series – in Perth in 1992-93 with a spell of seven wickets for one run. His brilliance is uncommentable. Just look for his videos smashing the wickets and you will believe me!
5. Sanath Jayasuriya
I wonder why he is not given an outstanding ovation as he is a nightmare for bowlers in all types of cricket with over 13,000 ODI Runs with 28 hundreds and 270 sixes, he is listed in top five ODI Batsmen. And look at the bowling figures by this amazing cricketer, 316 ODI Wickets.... Unbelievable.... Thats y he is here in All Time Great Cricketers.
4. Glenn McGrath
He kept everything simple but effective. Although batsmen knew exactly what McGrath was about, he still beat them almost every time. He had that ability to take the big wicket and his longevity was incredible. By keeping things so tight he helped Australia to Rule Cricket for more than a decade. Don’t let him fool you over his batting: it really was terrible.
3. Wasim Akram
Being a left-armer gave an advantage but the ability to swing the ball from over or round the wicket, reverse or conventional, puts him among the great bowlers of my time. His whippy action made him harder to face and there was a spell at Rawalpindi in 1994 that was as fast as anything. The inventor, the master of swing indeed! I must say Cricket history has never ever produced any other bowler like him or better than him. Good enough with the bat to score a Test double-hundred.
2. Sachin Tendulkar
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 in each of the full range of orthodox shots (and plenty of improvised ones as well) and can pull them out at will. I personally say, i have never seen anybody so perfect is his field!
1. Sir Donald Bradman
He is beyond any argument, the greatest batsman who ever lived and the greatest cricketer of the 20th century. Only WG Grace, in the formative years of the game, even remotely matched his status as a player. And The Don lived on into the 21st century, more than half-a-century after he retired. In that time, his reputation not merely as a player but as an administrator, selector, sage and cricketing statesman only increased.
