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GREAT ALL-ROUNDERS OF ALL TIME IN THE CRICKET HISTORY Undoubtedly, a great bowler or a
great batter is a boon to a team to win the cricket tournament. In the history of cricket, there have been enough efficient bowlers and batsmen who added feathers to the cap of their teams.
However, a good all-rounder with good batting and bowling skills is a rare commodity for cricketers. Usually, the cricket world witnesses batting and bowling all-rounders. As a cricket lover, you would want to know about the great all-rounders who have equal batting and bowling potential.
Let’s go down to know about the great evergreen all-rounders in the cricket world.
Best All-rounders in Cricket
The queue for the greatest all-rounders of all time begins with the name, Garfield Sobers. Likewise, Kallis, Miller, and Khan, he is a threat to the opposing team due to his unbeaten batting and bowling capability.
One thing that sets Sobers apart from the rest of the players is that his proficiency equals the calibre of three great players. On the field, he is effective with both fast-medium and spin bowling. Initially, Garfield Sober was the selectors’ choice as a spin bowler for the West Indies team, with low batting. He took 235 wickets at an average of 34.03, leaving the fans amazed. Proceeding his cricket career, he emphasized his batting skills as well. He took his determination to an extent that he is recognized as one of the finest batsmen of all time.
With an average of 57.78, he is among the best all-rounders of all time compared to any batsman in cricket history, except the great Sir Donald Bradman. Scoring 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries, his renowned feat is 365 not out in 1958 against Pakistan. This was a set world record until broken by Brian Lara in 1994. Despite this, his record stands at the fifth highest score in test cricket. With this potential, he played as a brilliant fielder and captained the West Indies team.
In the modern era, Jacques Kallis can’t be questioned to nail the hit list of all-rounders and rates highly on the all-time list. With an average of 57.02, he is certainly among the few batters to hit 41 centuries and 55 half-centuries.
Currently, this is the highest average of any player, even higher than the megastars Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Rahul Dravid. Among the all-rounders, Kallis is technically a proficient batsman that is motivating for future cricketers. Generally, many all-rounder batters own unorthodox techniques while Kallis adds a very classical touch to give away multiple controlled shots during the match.
Indeed, Kallis is a fast-medium bowler who has taken 274 wickets with an average of 32.51. This may not match his batting record but he holds an impressive record. In the
upcoming cricket matches, he would add many international favours for his team as an all-rounder bowler.
Hailing from Pakistan, Imran Khan is a true gem for the Pakistan squad, being the finest cricketer ever. Out of the top all-rounders, Imran Khan is listed as number 3, joining the queue of the greatest cricketers. You would admire him for his best-remembered innings of taking 362 test wickets at an average of 22.81.
For many years, Imran Khan contributed as a quick bowling opener for the Pakistan team. For his bowling capability, he would be rated on the top in any era. During the progression of his career, he sustained more injuries and improved his prevalent batting skills. By the end of his cricket career, he played solely as a great batsman. It concluded that Imran Khan is one of the most efficient bowlers and batters of all time in the cricket world.
Hitting 6 centuries and 18 half-centuries, he played at an average of 37.69, dragging him into the list of only 8 players with big achievements of being ‘all-rounders triple’ of 300 wickets & 3000 runs.
Khan had the foresight and strategic mind to bring good luck to his Pakistan team to meet their full potential. When he climbed the ladder of success, he stood apart with this quality. After lifting the 1992 World Cup, Khan put an end to his career at 39.
Keith Miller was the first great all-rounder in test cricket in Australia. In the cricket world, he is best known as a fast-opening bowler who partnered with Ray Lindwall, becoming one of the greatest opening pairs of the test match.
Miller has a wicket-down score of 170 but it doesn’t reflect his true potential. He could go a long way if his cricket career wasn’t interrupted due to World War II. He played with an average of 22.97 which is a great indicator of his achievements.
As a great batter, he managed to score 2958 runs at 36.97 which includes 7 centuries and 13 half-centuries. His classical batsmanship had hit an array of shots but he also displayed some great attack innings to steal the game from the opponent's court. Miller had impressive batting and bowling skills which is an ideal example of being a great all-rounder.
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