10 Shortest Cricketers of All Time

Over the years it has been promoted that height is an added advantage in the game of cricket. Tall fast bowlers can get that extra bounce of the surface. Big batsmen can easily play the pull shots and hook shots. Even the spinners are supposed to get extra purchase of the wicket considering their height but in the end, one should remember that talent is important than the physical characteristics of a cricketer. In the game of cricket, there are various players who have been vertically challenged. At first, they might find it difficult to hide their disadvantage but there are some individuals who have turned this drawback into their strength. Even short statured cricketers can succeed if they use their skills accordingly. Here is the list of top 10 shortest cricketers: 10. Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe – 5.41 ft Tatenda Taibu. (Photo by Teaukura Moetaua/Getty Images) In the history of Zimbabwe cricket, Tatendra Taibu holds a special place as he was their captain after the Black-armband protest. He was 18 when he made his international debut for the African nation. After a couple of years, he became the deputy of Heath Streak when the team travelled to England in 2003. At the age of 21, Taibu became the youngest test captain in history when he led the side against Sri Lanka in 2004. The keeper-batsman played 113 ODIs and 28 test matches in which he gathered over 4800 runs including 34 half-centuries and 3 centuries. In 2011 World Cup he was one of the few bright spots of the team’s disastrous campaign and he retired at a young age of 29. Taibu was a dasher while running between the wickets and was also athletic behind the stumps and his height of 5.41 ft might have been a helping factor in his career. 9. Kedar Jadhav, India – 5.41 ft Kedhar Jadhav of India bowls. (Photo Source: Twitter) Kedar Jadhav is one of the players who booked his ticket to the 2019 World Cup because of his multi-dimensional skills. The cricketer from Maharashtra made his debut in 2014 and since then he has been a regular in the ODI side. He is a batsman who can play big shots right from the word go and his strike rate of 103 in the 50 over cricket proves it. Along with his batting, Jadhav has also developed himself into a useful bowling option. Till now he has played 59 ODIs in which he has scored over 1100 runs at an average of 43 and has fished 27 scalps with the ball in his hand. The right-hander is known for playing innovative shots. Even his bowling action is a unique one where he uses his short height of 5.41 ft smartly. However, his place in the team is now under threat after a rather mediocre ODI series in New Zealand where India was whitewashed recently. 8. Sachin Tendulkar, India – 5.41 ft Sachin Tendulkar and Arjun Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Twitter) The individual who inspired millions of people around the world is the God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. From his teenage days, he was considered a child prodigy and it was true in every sense. In the 90’s he was a lone warrior who fought mighty battles and brought many laurels to the nation. In a career that spanned over two decades, he broke every possible batting record. He has piled over 34000 international runs which also includes the landmark figure of 100 centuries. Sachin’s aura was one of the reasons why cricket became a popular sport in India. His batting always caught the attention of cricket lovers as he played graceful shots around the park. The right-hander was known as Little Master because of his height of 5.41 ft. His short stature helped him play shots like paddle sweep and uppercut frequently. 7. Temba Bavuma, South Africa - 5.4 ft Temba Bavuma. (Photo Source: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images) Temba Bavuma has made the name for himself in South African cricket with his exceptional skills with bat. His fielding has been top notch as well and the way his stature has gone up in international cricket is absolutely admirable. A lot of eyebrows were raised when Bavuma was appointed the South Africa captain in white-ball cricket. But the 5.4 ft tall cricketer who is currently possibly the 7th shortest cricketer of all time has led the side really well and has handled few tricky situations calmly. He will be leading the Proteas side in Tests as well and his first assignment will be home series against West Indies. At the same time, Bavuma, the batter, will have to step up for South Africa who are struggling in the format at the moment. 6. Gundappa Vishwanath, India – 5.3 ft Indian batsman Gundappa Viswanath, circa 1985. (Photo by Adrian Murrell/Getty Images) The southern part of India has always given the Indian team a touch of elegance and one of them is Gundappa Vishwanath. In the 1970s the right-hander was the batting mainstay of the Indian middle-order. In his 14-year long career, Vishwanath played 90 test matches and piled over 6000 runs at an average of 42. He stroked 14 international centuries and none of them came in a losing cause. He was nicknamed as Vishy and the audience loved watching him play because of the batting grace he possessed. Even the legend Sunil Gavaskar admired him as he had the knack of playing big knocks on difficult pitches. He is also remembered for his discipline and fair-play on the field. With a height of 5.3 ft, Vishwanath was a wristy player who loved the cut shot and his stature allowed him to play that effectively. 5. Mominul Haque, Bangladesh – 5.28 ft Mominul Haque. (Photo Source: Twitter) The left-hand batsman from Chittagong showcased his talent in the debut series itself where he accumulated 150 runs in 3 innings. Moreover, it came in Sri Lanka where he played the wily off-spinner Rangana Herath amicably. Mominul Haque is the only player from Bangladesh to score 11 consecutive 50 plus scores in Test cricket. He is considered a red ball specialist because of his ability to build an innings. Mominul has been a good prospect for the Bangla tigers as he has shown his hunger to score runs at the international level. He stroked tons in both innings of a Test match and became the first Bangladeshi to accomplish such a feat. The southpaw is an excellent player against spinners and surely his height of 5.28 ft coupled with a nimble feet movement is one of the reasons behind his success. 4. Parthiv Patel, India – 5.25 ft Parthiv Patel. (Photo: IANS) The pocket dynamite from India became Test cricket’s youngest wicket-keeper when he made his debut at the age of 17. Parthiv Patel has been around the Indian team for a long time but the presence of MS Dhoni has made him a bench warmer for the most part of his career. During this time he grinded out in the domestic circuit and also led the Gujarat team to its first Ranji title in 2017. The cricketer from Gujarat has played 25 test matches and 38 ODIs for the Men in Blue team. Parthiv has a safe pair of hands and while keeping his small stature helps him take athletic catches. The southpaw is an aggressive batsman who can play cameos down the order but he also has the technique to open the innings in red ball cricket. His height of 5.25 ft has helped him score a lot of runs behind the wickets. 3. Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh – 5.25 ft Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo Source: Twitter) The former Bangladesh skipper is one of the best batsmen to have emerged from the country. He made his debut in the year 2005 when the Bangla Tigers played a one-off test at Lord’s, England. Till now he has played 350 International ties for the Asian team. Mushfiqur Rahim‘s unbeaten 219 against Zimbabwe is the highest individual score by a Bangladesh batsman in Tests. Along with his batting, he is an efficient wicket-keeper and a livewire behind the stumps. Rahim is the only wicket-keeper to score two double centuries in Tests. He is one of the versatile players who can bat anywhere in the playing XI. Rahim has a particular scoring shot in his arsenal which is the slog sweep against spinners, and that’s where his height of 5.25 ft might have played a crucial part. 2. Walter Cornford, England – 5 ft Walter “Tich” Cornford. (Photo by Bob Thomas/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images) Walter Conford was an English cricketer who played the game when his country made a visit to New Zealand in 1930. He kept the wickets in the entire tourney and was part of 5 catches and 3 stumpings. Cornford used to play for the English County Sussex where he scored more than 6500 runs in 456 games with an average of 15 and it also included 16 half-centuries. The keeper-batsman was nicknamed Tich because he barely touched 5 ft on the height scale. His county career started in 1921 but it was cut short when he was called for Second World War duties. Unfortunately, he only played 4 international games and was able to score just 36 runs. Conford made one further appearance for his county at the age of 46 in 1947. 1. Kruger van Wyk, New Zealand – 4.75 ft New Zealand cricketer Kruger van Wyk. (Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images) The South African born cricketer never made it to the squad of Proteas because of the presence of distinguished keeper-batsman Mark Boucher. In 2001 Kruger van Wyk started his first-class career with Northern which is now called Titans. After playing for 5 years he moved to New Zealand in search of more opportunities and there his first stop was Canterbury Wizards. He led the team to the championship title in 2008 and after a couple of seasons, he was signed by Central Districts Stags. In 2012 Kruger got his debut cap against his home country, South Africa when the regular wicket-keeper BJ Watling missed out with a hip injury. With a height of 4.75 ft, he scored 341 runs in 9 international ties which makes him the shortest cricketer to have played the gentlemen’s game.

10 Shortest Cricketers of All Time

5 of the 10 shortest cricketers are from India and a couple of them went on to become legends defying their height issues.

Here is the list of top 10 shortest cricketers:

10. Tatenda Taibu, Zimbabwe – 5.41 ft