10 Greatest Test cricketers of all-time

To imagine this world without the existence of “Sports” is really terrifying. This is the only entity which nullifies all boundaries and makes two people from rival clans or communities hug and celebrate their nation or club’s triumph together. Among the contribution of all the sports towards global peace, the contribution of cricket can never be forgotten.

The game of cricket has always been a great semblance of discipline, honour and bravery. The dynamics of the game have changed rapidly in the 21st century, but after all this time, despite the emergence of so many entertaining T20 Leagues, Test cricket has remained the elite most form.

From Shane Warne‘s inhuman deliveries to the legendary tales of Sir Donald Bradman, from Sunil Gavaskar, the little master who stood tall, to Sachin Tendulkar, the master who changed the face of the game, this sport has witnessed so many iconic individuals over the last 100 years and here’s a small tribute to the ten greatest among all those.

To cut down a list like this to ten is pretty difficult and we tend to miss out a few humongous personalities in the process. The names are listed in no particular and the numbers are just chronological positions.

10. Malcolm Marshall

A horror sight for any batsman from the 80s was a certain Malcolm Marshall speeding in and delivering the cherries whistling past their ears in the most obnoxious way possible. His canny variations, supreme athleticism and metronomic accuracy made him the greatest bowler of his generation, if not the greatest of all time. Above all, he was a gentleman par excellence.

Marshall was never shy of bowling a few life-threatening bouncers and when it came to playing mind games, not many matched up to his ingenuity. The slinging action and the angular run-up always created a lot of doubts in the batsmen’s minds and till date, he has the best bowling average in Tests among all cricketers with 200 wickets or more.

He passed away on November 4th, 1999 after battling with colon cancer for a long time. His untimely demise at a mere age of 41 made the whole world grieve and his coffin was carried by five former Windies captains, a gesture which suggests what he meant to Caribbean cricket.

Career stats:

Matches – 81 | Wickets – 376 | Bowling average 20.94 | 5 wicket hauls – 22 | 10 wickets in a match – 4