Every year we celebrate many days dedicated to the leaders and heroes of our glorious past, most of them are national heroes. First Prime Ministers or Presidents. In case, of colonial countries also the freedom fighters. But what if days were to be named after the most famous cricketers &#8211; for the craft they were best at?

After observing various days and enjoying holidays for most of it, we thought of penning down this list of cricketers who would certainly have a day named after them if someone was to do it officially.

So without taking much of your time, here are the best of bests the days we think every cricket fan should be proud of celebrating. Read on to find out the cricketers and the days named after them.

1. Fast Bowlers Day &#8211; Glenn McGrath (February 9):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/12/Australias-Glenn-McGrath-GettyImages-72827551.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-47850"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-47850" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Australias-Glenn-McGrath-GettyImages-72827551.jpg" alt="Glenn McGrath" width="640" height="512" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-47850" class="wp-caption-text">Australia&#8217;s Glenn McGrath. (Photo by GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

With 563 Test wickets and 381 ODI wickets, Glenn McGrath was the greatest fast bowler of all time thanks to the numbers he racked up. McGrath recorded 28 four-wicket hauls and 29 five-wicket hauls along with 3 ten-wicket hauls during his 14-year long Test career and ended up as the all-time highest wicket-taker among all the fast bowlers.

A man for the big occasions, McGrath always brought his &#8220;A-game&#8221; on the grandest stage. He is the highest wicket-taker in all the World Cups with 71 scalps at the lowest average recorded of 18.19 runs per wicket and has the best figures ever in a World Cup game, 7/15 against Namibia in 2003. McGrath picked up the most wickets in a World Cup, 26 in the 2007 edition from just 11 matches and was declared Man of the Tournament in his last game.

There have been bowlers faster than him, more ferocious than him, but nobody could match the consistency McGrath brought into the game. At a decent speed of 130-135 km/hr, McGrath could hit the right spots all day long in a grueling Test match, boring the batsmen and making them do something unusual. McGrath was the backbone of the world champion Australian sides from 1997 to 2007 and no other Australian fast bowler can even come close to his legacy.

Also check out &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/watch-glenn-mcgrath-shows-kevin-pietersen-who-is-the-boss/" target="_blank">Watch: Glenn McGrath shows Kevin Pietersen who is the boss</a>

2. Spinner&#8217;s Day &#8211; Muttiah Muralitharan (April 17):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/12/Sri-Lankan-cricketer-Muttiah-Muralitharan-holds-up-the-cricket-ball-GettyImages-103030239.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-47485"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-47485" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sri-Lankan-cricketer-Muttiah-Muralitharan-holds-up-the-cricket-ball-GettyImages-103030239.jpg" alt="Muttiah Muralitharan" width="600" height="395" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-47485" class="wp-caption-text">Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

In a close contest with Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan comes one step ahead on the basis of his all time wickets tally standing at a staggering 1,347 from 495 matches. Famous for his stock ball the &#8220;doosra&#8221;, Murali managed to rattle batsmen all over the world with his fingers&#8217; magic.

He was a true wizard who could spin the ball both ways at just about any surface. Murali ended with 800 Test wickets and 77 five-wicket wicket halls combined, which is double the number Shane Warne managed. His most memorable performance remains the 7/155 against England in 1998 which he bettered in the second innings, picking up 9 wickets except for the one which went to a runout.

Though he remained in controversies for some part of his career, Murali always came back stronger, proving his doubters wrong. He had the strength and stamina to bowl marathon spells for the 18 years he represented Lanka. Part of the &#8217;96 World Cup winning squad, he was the man who had been there for the country since the days they were battling to save their Test status till they were one of the superpowers of cricket.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/16-facts-about-muttiah-muralitharan-turning-the-ball-since-1992/" target="_blank">16 Facts about Muttiah Muralitharan: Turning the ball since 1992</a>

3. Captain&#8217;s Day &#8211; Ricky Ponting (December 19):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/01/Ricky-Ponting-plays-a-shot-GettyImages.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-51092"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-51092" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Ricky-Ponting-plays-a-shot-GettyImages.jpg" alt="Ricky Ponting in ODIs" width="640" height="357" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-51092" class="wp-caption-text">Australian captain Ricky Ponting (Photo by ALEXANDER JOE/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The man who won most silverware for Australia, one of the greatest batsmen of all time along with Tendulkar and Lara, Ricky Ponting will forever be remembered as a tough and aggressive captain who led from the front. Ponting was the captain of Australia from much of 2002 to 2011 during the Golden Era of Australian cricket team. For most of the times, he was on top of his game and was in prime form throughout the years.

Groomed by Steve Waugh as a part of the team which went on to be described as &#8220;the invincibles&#8221;, Punter took over Test captaincy from Waugh in 2004 and maintained Australia&#8217;s number 1 ranking in Tests till 2009. He was a part of the squad that completed a hat-trick of World Cups from 1999 to 2007 and was the captain of the 2003 and 2007 squad. Ponting also led Australia to their first ever Champions Trophy victory in 2006 (India) and backed it up with another victory in the 2009 edition in South Africa.

There is no doubt that Australia was a dominant force in the cricket world when Ponting was in charge. He was named ICC Player of the Year for consecutive years 2006 &amp; 2007. He is Australia&#8217;s leading run-scorer in Test and ODI cricket. He is one of only four players (along with Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis) in history to have scored 13,000 Test runs. He is one of the most successful captains of all time, with 48 victories in 77 Tests between 2004 and 2010 and 164 wins in 228 ODIs. As a player, Ricky Ponting is the only cricketer in history to be involved in 100 Test victories and holds the record to have been involved in the most ODI victories as a player, with 262 wins.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/sourav-ganguly-names-ponting-skipper-time-xi/" target="_blank">Sourav Ganguly names Ponting as skipper in All-time XI</a>

4. Batsman’s Day &#8211; Sachin Tendulkar (April 24):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/12/Sachin-Tendulkar-On-Drive-Test.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-45528"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-45528" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Sachin-Tendulkar-On-Drive-Test.jpg" alt="Indian fans" width="600" height="414" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-45528" class="wp-caption-text">Sachin Tendulkar On Drive. (Photo Source: AFP)</figcaption>

Who better than the Master Blaster to vouch for the batsmen? With over 34,000 international runs, Sachin Tendulkar is the leading batsman of all time. Now some may argue that Sir Don Bradman was the greatest batsman ever, but with the limited knowledge of Sir Don&#8217;s playing days, it would be safe to award this title to Sachin.

Starting from the age of 16, when most boys are struggling to find a place in their school team, Sachin was facing the world&#8217;s fastest bowlers. Sachin has scored big in all conditions and against the best attacks in world cricket. From 1994 to 1998, he was the lone warrior with the bat for India until Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly came together to form the &#8216;Golden Quartet of Indian Cricket&#8217; along with VVS Laxman. None of this would have been possible without Sachin&#8217;s efforts.

He holds most of the records a batsman could desire including most runs, most hundreds, most fifties, most man of the match awards and also featured in most number of International matches ever.

Also read- <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/sachin-tendulkars-cvs-from-the-age-of-11-15/" target="_blank">Sachin Tendulkar’s CVs from the age of 11-15</a>

5. Late Bloomer&#8217;s Day &#8211; Michael Hussey (May 27):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/08/Michael-Hussey-Mitchell-Johnson-Australia-v-Pakistan.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-29263"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-29263" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Michael-Hussey-Mitchell-Johnson-Australia-v-Pakistan.jpg" alt="Australia v Pakistan, St. Lucia, 2010" width="765" height="535" sizes="(max-width: 765px) 100vw, 765px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-29263" class="wp-caption-text">Australia v Pakistan, St. Lucia, 2010. (Photo Source: Getty Images)</figcaption>

Michael Hussey, also known as &#8220;Mr Cricket&#8221; was perhaps the most successful player to debut at the later stages of a sports person&#8217;s career. After grinding hard at first class level for 10 years, Hussey finally made his ODI debut and Test debut at the age of 28 and 30 respectively. It was his lack of fortune that the Golden Generation of Australia lasted so long and Hussey was unable to make place for himself in the national squad despite being the best first-class cricketer.

Hussey immediately made a name as a reliable finisher in ODIs and tasted tremendous success. is remarkable consistency saw him bag the ICC ODI player of the year award in 2006. Hussey had a career average of 86, two years into his test career. A batsman known for crisp cover drives and working the ball around, Hussey broke the shackles in T20 cricket with a mind-numbing 24-ball 60 against Pakistan in the World T20 2010 semi-final.

He later went on to win 2 IPL titles and 1 Champions League T20 title with Chennai Superkings and most recently led the underdogs Sydney Thunder to their first-ever Big Bash League victory in January 2016.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/facts-michael-hussey-moniker-mr-cricket/" target="_blank">18 Facts about Michael Hussey – The moniker of Mr.Cricket</a>

6. Wicket Keeper&#8217;s Day &#8211; Mark Boucher (December 3):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2014/12/Mark-Boucher.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-7723"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-7723" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Mark-Boucher.jpg" alt="Top 10 Wicketkeepers" width="600" height="414" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-7723" class="wp-caption-text">Mark Boucher. (Photo Source: Gallo Images)</figcaption>

Mark Boucher leads the benchmark for international wicket keeping. During the course of his 15-year long career, Boucher set the bar so high that very few succeeding him could match. Boucher retired with a world record 999 international dismissals as a wicket keeper in 2012.

Though he wasn&#8217;t the best from day one, Boucher worked hard and honed his skills to become the best. His footwork was immaculate, reflexes faster than a leopard. He became the quickest to reach 100 dismissals &amp; had the most innings without conceding a bye. Boucher featured for 75 Tests on a stretch till 2004.

He saved his best as a batsman for the big moments such as a quickfire 50 in that epic 434 chase against Australia in 2006. A Champion of true sorts, Boucher had a rather unfortunate end to his career. He was stuck in the eye with a bail during a practice match in England and was forced to retire before the start of what was supposed to be his last test series, due to the injury.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/10-facts-mark-boucher/" target="_blank">10 Facts about Mark Boucher – The Great South African Wicketkeeper</a>

7. Fielder&#8217;s Day &#8211; Jonty Rhodes (July 27):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/08/Jonty-Rhodes.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-79208"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-79208" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jonty-Rhodes.jpg" alt="Jonty Rhodes" width="600" height="487" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-79208" class="wp-caption-text">JONTY RHODES. (Photo by David Munden/Popperfoto/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Jonty Rhodes was always GOLD in the field. It won&#8217;t be wrong to call him as the &#8220;father of fielding&#8221;. The flying acrobats we witness in the modern day cricket are all inspired by him. Jonty changed the game in a way that no one could ever imagine. Alone with his fielding prowess, he could save 20-30 runs in the field for South Africa.

Rhodes made fielding a fascinating work of art, just when the game was picking up pace across the globe and helped in getting more youngsters interested. Who can forget his run out of Inzamam in the 1992 World Cup where he came running from backward point and swept the wickets away in a whisker, thus giving origin to the famous quote: “Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Jonty!”

Jonty Rhodes was the only player to win a Man of the Match award for his fielding efforts which came against West Indies in 1993 at Mumbai. His five catches and numerous brilliant stops made him an instant crowd favorite. Rhodes, with his hawk eye and precise aim, made the point region his own and the blinders he pulled off are still memorable till this day.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/15-facts-about-jonty-rhodes-the-greatest-fieldsman-ever/" target="_blank">15 Facts about Jonty Rhodes: The greatest fieldsman ever</a>

8. Slip Catchers Day &#8211; Rahul Dravid (January 11):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/07/Rahul-Dravid-Slip.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-25532"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-25532" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Rahul-Dravid-Slip.jpg" alt="Field positions in Cricket" width="594" height="399" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-25532" class="wp-caption-text">(© Getty Images)</figcaption>

Arguably the most technically sound batsman of all time, Rahul Dravid will forever be known for his slip fielding along with his batting records. In a close battle between Australian great Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid, it was the later who emerged as the leading catcher in the slips cordon.

Slip fielding is one of the most important aspects in a Test match for we all know that catches win matches. An immense amount of yogic concentration is required to be successful in the slips region. You can stand there all day watching the batsmen pile on the runs, and all of a sudden one edge can change the course of the test match.

Dravid pulled off many blinders with consistency in the slips but his partner in crime was leg-spinner Anil Kumble. Out of his world record 210 catches, Fifty-five were from the bowling of Anil Kumble, and a further 51 from that of Harbhajan Singh. There were many who came and left the slip cordon in the Indian team but Dravid was constant, as always, being the Mr Dependable at first slip as well.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/rahul-dravid-get-name-wall/" target="_blank">How did Rahul Dravid get the name ‘The Wall’?</a>

9. All Rounder&#8217;s Day &#8211; Jacques Kallis (October 16):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/09/Jacques-Kallis-Straight-Drive.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-33163"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-33163" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Jacques-Kallis-Straight-Drive.jpg" alt="straight drive" width="594" height="421" sizes="(max-width: 594px) 100vw, 594px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-33163" class="wp-caption-text">Jacques Kallis. (© Gallo Images/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The only man to have scored over 10000 runs and taken over 250 wickets in both forms of the game, Jacques Kallis is a modern-day colossus. The greatest all-rounder ever, or perhaps the greatest South African cricketer ever, Jacques was almost equally as good with the ball as with the bat. With over 24,000 international runs, Kallis retired with remarkable averages of 55 in Tests and 44 in ODIs.

He was a classy batsman, strong of either foot and able to hold the fort for South Africa for long, long periods of time. Kallis has the third highest runs in Test cricket ever with 45 centuries, second only to Sachin&#8217;s 51, and has 17 hundreds to show for his ODI credentials.

As a bowler, Kallis was often overlooked by oppositions but his tally of 292 wickets in Tests and 273 wickets in ODIs, both at a decent average of about 32, gives us the testament to how effective he was as a complete package. Kallis was the arguably the greatest all-rounder ever, even better than Sir Gary Sobers on the basis of the longevity of his career and it would not be wrong to call him the most complete cricketer to ever play the game.

10. Underutilized Potential Day &#8211; Shane Bond (June 7):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/06/Shane-Bond.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-71040"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-71040" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Shane-Bond.jpg" alt="Shane Bond" width="600" height="401" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-71040" class="wp-caption-text">New Zealand&#8217;s Shane Bond. (Photo by PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The fast and furious Shane Bond will forever be remembered as a fast bowler who could have been an all-time greatest. A bowler who compelled the batsmen to wear toe guards, a bowler who could bowl the perfect banana yorker at high speed, was left plagued by injuries for most part of his career.

Bond made his debut at the age of 21 and quickly rose through the ranks to be known as one of the most feared bowlers in World Cricket. He wrapped up 87 wickets from 18 Tests and 147 wickets from just 80 one dayers but spent most of his time recovering from injuries. The fans were robbed of a great fast bowler who could bowl consistently over 150 with immense control. To be honest, he had the potential to outrank McGrath, Lee or Donald as the most lethal bowler ever but he Gods had something else planned for him.

Bond&#8217;s greatest moment as a bowler came when he picked up 6 wickets for 23 runs against Australia in the 2003 World Cup which came in a losing cause. There is no doubt that the man to be remembered for most underutilized potential will forever be.. Bond, Shane bond.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/watch-shane-bond-rattles-the-middle-stump-with-a-snorting-yorker/" target="_blank">Watch: Shane Bond rattles the middle stump with a snorting yorker</a>

11. Umpire&#8217;s Day &#8211; Simon Taufel (January 21):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2016/07/Simon-Taufel.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-76596"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-76596" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Simon-Taufel.jpg" alt="Simon Taufel" width="600" height="435" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-76596" class="wp-caption-text">Umpire Simon Taufel (L) uses light meter. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Simon James Arnold Taufel was the youngest member to be inducted into the Elite Panel of Umpires by the ICC. Taufel was just 27 years old when he made his umpiring debut in an ODI between Ausralia and Sri Lanka.

Taufel played for Cammeray Cricket Club in the Northern Suburbs Cricket Association as a fast-medium bowler. After the 1990–1991 season he won the club&#8217;s best and fairest award, was leading wicket-taker and had the lowest bowling average in the association but his career was cut short by a back injury.

Though he had no intentions of becoming an Umpire as a young boy, Taufel ended up being the top Umpire for five consecutive years from 2004 to 2008. He garnered immense respect among players and viewers all over the world thanks to his accuracy. He retired in 2012 and took up the role of umpire performance and training manager with the ICC.

12. Swing Bowler&#8217;s Day &#8211; Wasim Akram (June 3):

<a href="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/2015/12/Pakistani-pace-sensation-Wasim-Akram-smiles-GettyImages-51499374.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-48361"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-48361" src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Pakistani-pace-sensation-Wasim-Akram-smiles-GettyImages-51499374.jpg" alt="Wasim Akram" width="600" height="394" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-48361" class="wp-caption-text">Pakistani pace sensation Wasim Akram. (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

The &#8220;King of Swing&#8221;, Wasim Akram, never played first-class cricket before his International debut. Akram is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. He is considered to be one of the founders and perhaps the finest exponent of reverse swing bowling. A perfect idol for young bowlers, Wasim wrecked havoc with his bowling partner Waqar Younis in the 90s and formed the deadliest bowling partnership ever.

During the 2003 World Cup, Akram became the first man on the planet to record 500 wickets in the 50-over format. Eventually, he finished his career as Pakistan&#8217;s top wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs. He was also the leading wicket-taker in ODIs, with 502 wickets, until Muttiah Muralitharan overtook him to push him to the second spot.

Unplayable when at his best, Akram was a monumental figure in Pakistan&#8217;s World Cup triumph in 1992 in Australia and was awarded the Man of the Match for his game changing spell in the final after a quick-fire 33. With his seam and swing bowling abilities, Akram fooled the batsmen on most occasions and his knowledge of the art of reverse swing made him most dangerous bowler in the world during his playing days.

Also read &#8211; <a href="http://www.crictracker.com/watch-wasim-akrams-special-gift-sachin-tendulkar/" target="_blank">Watch: Wasim Akram’s special gift to Sachin Tendulkar</a>

If cricketers had a day named after them

If cricketers had a day named after them: Every year we celebrate many days dedicated to the leaders and heroes of our glorious past, most of them are