Cricket is a sport that is enjoyed by many people around the world. There are many great cricket players, but there are a few who stand out above the rest. These are the top five cricket players of all time.
Sir Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, often referred to as “The Don”, was an Australian cricket player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Bradman’s career Test batting average of 99.94 is often cited as statistically the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport. Bradman was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1930 and was knighted in 1949 for services to cricket. He died in 2001 aged 92.
Born in Cootamundra, New South Wales, Bradman played his first Test match at the age of 19. He made a century in his first Test innings and followed up with a double century in his second Test. He was an automatic selection for the Australian team thereafter and played a total of 52 Test matches for Australia, scoring 6,996 runs at an average of 99.94, including 29 centuries. He is the only player to score a century in his first Test innings and a double century in his second innings, and he holds the world record for the most Test runs in a single day. He also holds the unique record of never being dismissed for a duck in Tests.
Bradman’s achievement of a Test batting average of 99.94 is often cited as the greatest statistical achievement by any sportsman in any major sport. He is the only player in Test cricket history to average more than 99 in a career. Bradman’s record of 19 Test centuries in a calendar year, set in 1930, still stands.
Bradman’s reputation as a batsman was based on his ability to score runs quickly and consistently. He developed a unique technique, which he used to great effect. He would often play shots all around the wicket, making it difficult for the fielders to predict where the ball was going. He was also an excellent fielder, particularly at leg slip, and a very good bowler, with a style similar to that of Ernest Tyldesley.
Sir Donald Bradman was a great Australian cricket player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. Bradman’s career Test batting average of 99.94 is often cited as statistically the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport. Bradman was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1930 and was knighted in 1949 for services to cricket. He died in 2001 aged 92.
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar is a legendary Indian cricketer and is often considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He made his debut for India at the age of just 16 and went on to play for more than two decades, representing India in Test matches, ODIs and T20Is. He is the leading run-scorer in both Test and ODI cricket, and is also the only batsman to score 100 international centuries.
Tendulkar was born into a middle-class family in Mumbai and started playing cricket at a young age. He was drafted into the Indian national team in 1989 and made his Test debut against Pakistan the following year. He quickly established himself as one of the best batsmen in the world, and his performances in the early 1990s earned him the nickname “Little Master”.
Tendulkar was a key member of the Indian team that won the 2011 World Cup, and he was also honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 2014. He retired from international cricket in 2013, after playing his 200th Test match.
Imran Khan
Imran Khan is a cricketer who represented Pakistan in international cricket. He is also the current Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Khan made his debut for Pakistan in 1971, and played until 1992. He captained the Pakistan team from 1982 to 1992, and led them to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. He was also the recipient of the 1992 World Cup Player of the Match award.
After retiring from cricket, Khan entered politics, and was elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1996. He later founded the Pakistan Movement for Justice, and became the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018.
Khan has been praised for his cricketing abilities and is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010.
Brian Lara
Brian Lara is a former international cricketer from Trinidad and Tobago. He is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score in both first-class and Test cricket, with 501 not out and 400 not out respectively.
Lara also holds the record for the highest individual score in a Test inning, which he set in 2004 against England. He is the only batsman to have scored a century, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century, and a quintuple century in first-class matches. Lara’s Test match average of 52.88 is the seventh-highest of all time, while his first-class cricket average of 57.00 is the second-highest in history behind only that of Sir Donald Bradman.
Lara was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours List. In 2000, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Lara has also been honored by the governments of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.