38 Cricketers who are the prides of their nations

38 Cricketers who are the prides of their nations: Cricket as a game has a long history that dates back to the 15th century. But it was not until the late 20th century when the game actually started getting popular among the masses. And since then the love people have shown towards this game has been unprecedented. In every cricket-playing nation, there is a huge fan-base for the sport and indeed, there have been cricketers who went to become household names in their countries. And then, there are some cricketers who went on to win the highly coveted ranks and top civilian honours by the governments of different nations. Here we take a look at all the 38 Cricketers who are National Pride: 1 – Don Bradman Often touted as one of the best test cricketers of all times, this Australian legend was awarded with two of the most prestigious awards of this world. On 16 June 1979, the Australian government awarded himwith the nation’s second-highest civilian honour at that time, Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), in recognition of service to the sport of cricket and cricket administration. Earlier in 1949 New Year Honours, he was appointed Knight Bachelor for his services to Cricket and he thus became the only Australian cricketer to ever be knighted. 2 – Gubby Allen (Source) One of the early all-rounders of Cricket, this English cricketer was awarded knighthood in 1986 for his services to the game. 3 – Kapil Dev Kapil Dev. (© Getty Images) The Indian maverick that made India the world champions in 1983 out of nowhere – is how we remember this legend. He was a genius all-rounder who always did equally well with both leather and willow. And recognizing his contribution to the country and the game, Government of India awarded him with Padma Bhushan in 1991 – which is the 3rd highest civilian honour given to any Indian citizen. 4 – Richard Hadlee Richard Hadlee. (© Getty Images) Regarded as one of the best fast bowlers and all-rounders of cricketing history, this cricketing genius from New-Zealand got two of the most coveted awards of the British society. He was appointed MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in 1980 and Knighted in 1990 for his services to cricket. 5 – Frank Worrell (source) An elegant right-arm batsman and a handy left-arm seam bowler, he was the first black captain of the West Indies Cricket Team. He was Knighted in 1964 for his services to the game. 6 – Curtly Ambrose Sir Curtly Ambrose. (Photo Source: Getty Images) His enormous height and frightening action once made him the most dangerous bowler of his time and his record in the game made him remain at the top of the ICC bowling rankings throughout the major parts of his career. This Caribbean cricketer was Knighted by the Antiguan government in 2014. 7 – Ricky Ponting Ricky Ponting. (© Getty Images) Termed as one of the best captains in the history of the game; apart from his cricketing feats Ricky Ponting has also been known for his foundation, called the Ponting Foundation which helps those suffering from cancer. Noting his contributions on and off the field, the Australian government, in 2012 conferred him with the honour of Officer in the general division of the Order of Australia. 8 – Alec Bedser (source) Having played in the era of Sir Don Bradman, this English cricketer is often regarded as one of the best English cricketers of the 20th century. He was awarded Knighthood in 1996. 9 – Lala Amarnath Lala Amarnath. (Photo Source: Wisden) He was the first test captain of Independent India and also the first Indian to score a century in Test Cricket. He won the highly prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 1991. 10 – Colin Cowdrey (source) Colin played 114 tests for Australia in a career spanning over 24 years. He was awarded a Commander of the Order of British Empire (CBE) in 1972 and Knighted in 1992. 11 – Vinoo Mankad (source) Considered to be one of the greatest all-rounders to have ever played for the country, this Indian cricketer was conferred with the 3rd most prestigious award Padma Bhushan in 1973. 12 – Jack Hobbs Sir Jack Hobbs. (Photo Source: AllSport UK Ltd) Hobbs represented England in international cricket for 28 years. Nicknamed as “The Master”. He is regarded by critics as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He got awarded with the Knighthood in 1953. 13 – Len Hutton Sir Leonard Hutton. (© Getty Images) He holds the record for the highest score by an English cricketer in a test match. Sir Leonard Hutton’s score of 364 came against Australia in 1938 and in the years to come, he became a strong pillar of the England’s batting line-up. Knighthood was awarded to him in the year 1956. 14 – C K Nayudu Also known as ‘CK’, he was the first captain of India in Test Cricket. He was a man of firsts – remembered for playing cricket till the age of 68 when he made a last return on the field and also for being the first Indian cricketer to endorse a brand (Bathgate Liver Tonic) in 1941. CK also went to become the first Indian cricketer to be awarded with Padma Bhushan. He got this back in 1956. 15 – Francis Lacey (source) A right handed batsman and a right-arm slow round-arm bowler, Francis was the first man to be Knighted for his services to cricket, and also the first one to be Knighted for services to any sport. The English cricketer received his Knighthood in 1926. 16 – H.D.G Leveson Gower (Source) Having a huge experience in first-class cricket, this English cricketer was an exceptional fielder as well. He later on became a national selector and was also the chairman of selectors in the period 1924-1930. For his contributions to the game, he received his Knighthood in 1953. 17 – Pelham Warner (Source) Known as the “Grand Old Man” of English cricket, Pelham Warner, better known as Plum Warner was a Test cricketer. He had an enormous experience as a cricketer, having played 521 first class matches. His contributions to the game on the field and off the field in the 1930s were recognized in the form of Knighthood which he got in 1937. 18 – Wes Hall (source) A genuine fast bowler having the ability to bowl long spells, Hall’s deadly sporting characteristics made him one of the faces of the strong West Indies team of 1960s. He is remembered for bowling the test’s final over of the first ever tied test in history of cricket, against Australia in 1960-61. Hall was Knighted in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to sport and the community 19 – Conrad Hunte (Source) Hunte was a cricketing genius, who from his early childhood days used to play with and against players elder than his age. In a career not so long with 44 matches under his belt, this Caribbean cricketer put a deep impact with his immaculate batting. It was however his life after cricket which earned him laurels – he made great moves to promote harmonious race relations. In 1998 Hunte was conferred the highest honour in Barbados; he was made a Knight of St. Andrews (KA) of the Order of Barbados. 20 – Viv Richards Sir Viv Richards. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Viv Richards is considered as one of the best batsmen of all time. He was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century by a 100-member panel of experts in 2000, along with Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Shane Warne. His 189 of 170 balls which helped West Indies rise to 272/9 from a point where they were 102/7 and then 166/9 – is considered by cricket pundits all around the world as the best ODI knock ever. Not only this, in 2002 he was chosen by Wisden as the greatest One Day International (ODI) batsman of all time, as well as the third greatest Test batsman of all time, after Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. In 1994, Richards was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to cricket. In 1999, he was made a Knight of the Order of the National Hero (KNH) by his native country Antigua and Barbuda. 21 – Richie Richardson Richie Richardson. (Photo Source: Getty Images) A flamboyant batsman who faced even the fastest of bowlers with only a hat on instead of a helmet, Richie had a long career where he played 86 test matches and 224 ODIs. He successfully captained West Indies for 4 years where his team lost only one series and the loss came against Australia. Richardson was Knighted in February, 2014. 22 – Andy Roberts Andy Roberts. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Roberts was the first Antiguan to play Test cricket for the West Indies, thus leading the way for many of his famous countrymen including Viv Richards, Richie Richardson and Curtly Amrbose. The way he played around with bouncers to create havoc among the batsmen was a craft he had perfected. He later on gave bowling coaching services to Bangladesh team as well as the Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan and then joined the West Indies Selection panel in 2006. His services to the game won him the Knighthood in 2014 – he won the Grand Cross of the Most Illustrious Order of Merit. The honour, Antigua and Barbuda’s second-highest civilian decoration, was conferred during the annual Independence Day parade at the Antigua Recreation Ground. 23 – Gary Sobers Sir Garry Sobers. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Undoubtedly one of the greatest all-rounders of the game, Sir Gary Sobers entered the international arena at a tender age of 17. This West Indies yester-year cricketer is considered as one of the living legends of the game and his exceptional contribution to the game fetched him the Knighthood. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975. 24 – Clyde Walcott (Source) Walcott was a member of the “three W’s”, the other two being Everton Weeks and Frank Worrell: all of them were very successful batsmen from Barbados, born within a short distance of each other in Bridgetown. In the 1950s he was arguably the best batsman in the world. In later part of his life, he had an active career as a cricket administrator, and was the first non-English and non-white chairman of the International Cricket Council. He became a Knight of St Andrew in the Order of Barbados in 1993 and was later knighted in 1994. 25 – Everton Weekes Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as “The Three Ws” of West Indian cricket.Weekes had a classic batting style, possessed a variety of shots on both sides of the wicket, and is considered one of the hardest hitters in cricket history. His 5 consecutive Test centuries in 1948 is still a record to be broken. In 1995 Weekes was made a Knight of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) for his services to cricket. 26 – Rahul Dravid Rahul Dravid. (© Getty Images) The silent assassin, the wall – Rahul Dravid is unarguably one of the best test cricketers of all time. The sheer class this cricketer possesses makes the fans’ jaws drop in admiration. The huge experience and the plethora of records he has piled up really do the talking. His contribution to the game was rewarded with Padma Bhushan in 2012 – the 3rd highest civilian honour of India. His new role of the Indian U-19 team coach will see him injecting his experience and class into the younger generation. 27 – Glenn McGrath Glenn McGrath. (© Getty Images) One of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game, this Australian bowler is best known for his calm and composed nature and his discipline. He was a leading contributor to Australia’s domination of world cricket from mid-90s to the early 21st century. McGrath’s consistency and accuracy were what made him one of the most economical and dangerous fast bowlers. McGrath was named a Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for “service to cricket as a player”, and along with his wife for “service to the community through the establishment of the McGrath Foundation. 28 – Brian Lara Brian Lara. (Photo Source: PA Photos) Considered by many as a cricketer having similarly great contribution to the game as that of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara has indeed some great records under his belt. This Caribbean cricketer’s score of 375 was the highest score in a test innings for 20 years until Hayden broke it with his 380….and then Lara broke it again after 6 months to score 400. Lara’s genius was recognised and awarded with Honorary Members of the Order of Australia in 2009. He was also awarded the Order of Australia in 2009 and was the 1st non-Australian cricketer to be honored with the Order. 29 – Alan Davidson (Source) An outstanding left-arm fast-medium bowler and a hard-hitting lower-order batsman, Alan was a complete all-rounder. He was very economical in his bowling and was considered along with Wasim Akram as one of the two greatest left arm fast bowlers in history. This Australian cricketer was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1964 and a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1987. 30 – Sunil Gavaskar Sunil Gavaskar. (Photo Source: Bipin Patel) Also known as “The Little Master”, Sunil Gavaskar was a batsman bowlers had a hard time getting out. He had the ability to play both patiently as well as aggressively as per the condition and he went on to become the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. His services to the game were rewarded with a Padma Bhushan by the Indian Government in 1980. 31 – Adam Gilchrist Adam Gilchrist. (© Getty Images) Adam Gilchrist is credited to be the one who changed the definition of a wicket-keeper batsman and he is also regarded as the best wicket-keeper batsman of all time, followed by Mark Boucher and Kumar Sangakkara. He is also known by his nicknames Gilly and Churchy. While he was a cricketer with calm demeanour, his bat used to do all the talking. He was a very successful batsman in his career and his attacking approach used to send shivers down the spines of the opposition bowlers. In 2010, Gilly was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to cricket and the community. 32 – Clive Lloyd Clive Lloyd. (Photo Source: ICC) Under the captaincy of Lloyd between1974-1985, the world saw the West Indies team rising and eventually becoming the dominant test-playing nation. Lloyd was a tall, powerful middle-order batsman and an occasional medium-pace bowler. In 1985, Lloyd was made an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to the sport of cricket, particularly in relation to his outstanding and positive influence on the game in Australia. 33 – D B Deodhar He was popularly known as the Grand Old Man of Indian Cricket. He went on to live a long life spanning 101 years and his name was further made immortal with the advent of Deodhar Trophy, a limited over inter-zonal cricket tournament in 1973. He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1991. 34 – Chandu Borde (source) Borde was a very good all-rounder and played vital roles in some of the important wins India registered in the late 50s. His contributions on and off the field earned him the prestigious Padma Bhushan award in 2002. 35 – Bill Brown (Source) An important part of Don Bradman’s invincible “Invincibles”, Brown was an amazing opening batsman for Australia and his partnership with Jack Fingletonis regarded as one of the great opening pairings in Australian Test cricket history. He received Medal of the Order of Australia in 2000. 36 – Peter Burge (Source) A heavily built man, this attacking batsman was quite quiet off the field. He was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1965. Burge is one of the few cricketers to be given out handling the ball. Much of his contributions to the game came when he became a highly respected match referee. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) “for service to cricket as a player, administrator and international referee, and to harness racing.” 37 – Allan Border Allan Border. (© Getty Images) Allan Border piled up a staggering 11,174 runs in his test career and became the second cricketer after Sunil Gavaskar to cross the 10k mark. He was nicknamed “A.B” and he holds the record for most number of consecutive test appearances (153) and the second best record for most number of tests as a captain. For his huge contribution to not only Australia but to the whole sport as such, he was conferred with the title of Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1986 and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1989. 38 – Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar’s Bharat Ratna. (Photo Source: AFP) Inarguably the only human to have played cricket like a super-human, Sachin Tendulkar is a player who doesn’t need any introduction. Having owned almost all the batting records in the game, “Master Blaster” Sachin Tendulkar is more than just a sports figure- he is an icon and he is one of the prime reasons for the rise of the fame and popularity of the game in Indian subcontinent. He is the only cricketer to have received the 2nd highest civilian honour of India Padma Vibhushan (2008) and the only sportsman to have received the highest honour Bharat Ratna (2014). Sachin was also honoured as the Member of Order of Australia (2012) by the Australian government. Talk about achievements!

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38 Cricketers who are the prides of their nations

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