10 Heaviest cricketers to play the game

Cricket and fitness often go hand in hand. There are several fitness standards a cricketer has to reach before being deemed “Fit” enough to play cricket. Cricket athletes need to generally remain in shape if they have to be at their best. However, this isn’t always the case. There are several unfit cricketers who have managed to play for their country. As a matter of fact, there are several fat cricketers who have gone on to become legends of the game. We’ve seen several overweight cricketers on the field. However, who are the chubbiest cricketers to have ever played? Today we shall be taking a look at- Here is a list of the 10 heaviest cricketers in the history: 10) Warwick Armstrong (Australia)- 133Kg Warwick Armstrong. (Photo Source: Twitter) Neither is he John Wick nor Neil Armstrong, but he is one legend you could never underestimate. Warwick Armstrong is arguably one of the heaviest cricketers in the history of international cricket. In fact, he was the heaviest cricketer in the history of cricket for 117 years. The former Aussie all-rounder weighed 133 kgs. Despite his shortcomings in terms of fitness, he still went on to become one of the greatest all-rounders of his time. The batting all-rounder made his international debut in 1902. His career which spanned for more than two decades included 2863 runs at an average of 38.69 and 87 wickets at an average of 33.6. He went on to become one of the finest captains of Australia too. Thus, he was inducted into the Australian hall of fame in 2000 9) Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka)- 115Kg Arjuna Ranatunga of Sri Lanka with the Emirates Trophy after beating England at Lords. (Photo by: Laurence Griffiths /Allsport) Arjuna Ranatunga is arguably one of the finest Sri Lankan cricketers of all time. However, he was also one of the most unfit Asian cricketers of all time. The former captain of Sri Lanka was 115 kgs. His method of collecting singles and the occasional doubles are still chuckled at by several cricket pundits. His fitness issues were well documented back then as well. However, despite this, he still remains an iconic figure in the sporting history of Sri Lanka. Ranatunga captained Sri Lanka to the 1996 World Cup (WC) title. He scored 12561 international runs. He also picked 95 wickets. 8) Jesse Ryder (New Zealand)- 100Kg Jesse Ryder. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) Jesse Ryder never unlocked his full potential. It is safe to say that he was one of the most overweight cricketers from New Zealand. If someone were to write a book about him, that book would really have a lot of chapters. From being called a hard hitter to being called a wild boy, Ryder has seen it all. However, the Kiwi opener’s weight issues were talked about time and again. He weighed about 100 kgs. His fitness issues lead to him getting injured time and again. It is safe to say that he couldn’t make it big owing to his heavily built physique. His career stats still look good, this proves that he could’ve achieved a lot more if not for his fitness and disciplinary issues. 7) Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)- 100kg approx BRISTOL, ENGLAND – JUNE 1 Mohammad Shahzad during the ICC Cricket World Cup Group Match between Australia and Afghanistan. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto via Getty Images) Shahzad is one of the most entertaining cricketers of this generation. His charisma is second to none. The wicketkeeper from Afghanistan however also happens to be on the fatter side. His weight is somewhere around 90 to 100 kgs. However, this didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most successful Afghanistan batsmen of all time. He has also scored the most number of runs by an Afghanistan batsman in the shorter versions of the game. Another important point to be noted is that his stumpings are swift despite him being overweight. He himself doesn’t believe in being fit. He once went on record to say that “Why diet like Kohli when you can hit longer sixes than him?” 6) Mark Cosgrove (Australia)- 102kg Mark Cosgrove. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Mark Cosgrove was a hard hitter who couldn’t make it big due to his fitness issues. The top-order batsman represented Australia in 3 ODIs. However, he couldn’t play more international games due to his fitness. The hard hitter weighed 102 kgs and being unfit impacted his international career. He had even won the Bradman award for the best young player in 2005. Despite not playing international cricket, he is a regular feature in the Royal One-Day Cup and T20 Blast. Cosgrove has scored over 14000 runs in first-class cricket. The left-hander was named as the club’s cricketer of the year in 2017 as well. 5) Mike Gatting (England)- 110Kg Mike Gatting argues with the umpire Shakoor Rana. (Photo Source: YouTube) Mike Gatting’s weight issues are well documented. Other than his reverse sweep that cost England the 1987 WC, his fitness issues were quite popular. Despite all of this, the plumb batsman was a legend of his time. Gatting weighed 110 kgs and his foot movement was minimal, to say the least. However, despite this, he was one of the few players to have mastered the Indian spinners in India. The former English skipper also led England to a few Ashes victories. Gatting scored 4409 Test runs and 2096 ODI runs respectively. His average in Tests and ODIs are 35.56 and 29.1 respectively. Thus, it could be said that his weight issues didn’t really impact his game. 4) Colin Milburn (England)- 114Kg Colin Milburn. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Colin Milburn was the heaviest cricketer after Armstrong. Owing to his physique, he has even nicknamed Oliver after the famous comedian Oliver Hardy. The English cricketer made his international debut in 1966. However, he only represented England in nine Tests as he met with a car accident. This accident resulted in him losing an eye. He scored 654 runs in those nine Tests at an average and strike rate of 46.71 and 78.8 respectively. Colin weighed 114 kgs. His fitness contributed to him becoming one of the most entertaining English cricketers of his time. Thus, he will always be remembered. 3) Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan)- 100Kg approx Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq hits the ball. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) When it comes to being unfit, Inzamam’s name will always be taken. Despite all his achievements, the former Pakistani batsman will always be remembered for his weight issues. It is safe to say that he was the heaviest cricketer during the 2000s. Inzi weighed more than 100 kgs. He had a history of being involved in the funniest run-outs in cricket. However, despite his chubby built, the Legend holds a list of records to his name and was right up there in terms of “Legendary Cricketers” Inzi scored 8830 runs in Test cricket at an average of 49.33. He also scored 11739 runs in ODIs at an average of 39.53. He was hungry for not only food but also runs. 2) Dwayne Leverock (Bermuda)- 127Kg Dwayne Leverock. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Unarguably one of the most popular players from Bermuda, Dwayne Leverock was also one of the heaviest cricketers of all time. While this Dwayne wasn’t as fit as “The Rock”, he was as entertaining as him if not more. He was one of the biggest cricketers in terms of size as well. The Bermuda bowler weighed 127 kgs. He made headlines when he took one hell of a catch in the 2007 World Cup. Diving his right to catch the ball only to send Uthappa packing, was an unforgettable moment. Leverock went on to play 32 ODI games for Bermuda. He picked 34 wickets at an average of 33.03. He is also a cop and jailer in Bermuda. 1) Rahkeem Cornwall (West Indies)- 140Kg Rahkeem Cornwall. (Photo Source: Twitter) He is unarguably the heaviest cricketer of all time. Cornwall is even nicknamed “Cricket’s man-mountain”. What else would you expect when he has more than 300 pounds of flesh in his body? The West Indies all-rounder is also over 6 feet, making him one of the biggest units in cricket right now. He weighs 140 kgs. However, looks can be deceptive. Contrary to what fitness experts say, Cornwall is actually a very talented cricketer. He has played just 13 Tests but has already made a name for himself. The bowling all-rounder has scored two fifties with the bat and has also taken 2 fifers with the ball. He has taken 32 wickets in just 15 innings.

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10 Heaviest cricketers to play the game

There have been several unfit cricketers who have managed to play for their country.

6) Mark Cosgrove (Australia)- 102kg

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