Ranking top 10 'all-time greats' in Test cricket history

Test cricket is the toughest format as well as the format which matters the most. There’s a reason why most of the cricketers consider succeeding in Test cricket as their ultimate goal. This shows how difficult it is to do good in the longest format of the game. As Test cricket is the oldest format, we have seen a lot of world-class players doing good in Tests. However, no matter how good you are, becoming an “all-time great” in the longest version of the game is one of the hardest things to do. Thus, only the best of the best cricketers turn out to be all-time great Test cricketers. Over the years, we have seen various cricketers make it large in the most difficult format and creating new benchmarks. However, if one was to make a list of the top ten greatest Test cricketers of all time, which players would make that list? Let’s take a look at Greatest Test cricketers of all-time 10. Ricky Ponting (Australia) Ricky Ponting. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Arguably the greatest cricketer of all time, Ricky Ponting was an absolute beast. He was one of the few players to achieve everything there ever existed. If not for his poor performances towards the end of his career, he would have been way higher on this list. Ponting has scored 13378 runs in Tests. He has an average and strike rate of 51.85 and 58.72 respectively. Ponting has his name in almost all the batting records in the longest format of the game. However, it is his captaincy which elevates his status. Ponting has the second-highest win percentage as Test skipper and the second most number of wins by a Test captain. Thus, this makes Ponting an all-time great in Tests 9. Shane Warne (Australia) Shane Warne. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images) There wouldn’t be too many players who were as popular as Shane Warne. The spin wizard from Australia is one of the greatest bowlers in the history of Test cricket. Seldom would you find a spinner who can pick more wickets than him. Warnie has picked 708 wickets in just 293 innings. This makes him the second most successful Test bowler of all time, only Muralitharan has picked more wickets than him. The Aussie spin king has also picked thirty-seven 5fers and ten 10fers in Test cricket. What makes his overall record even better is the fact that he mostly played in Australia and not any Asian nation where spinners get more assistance. His bowling average and strike rate in Test cricket are 25.42 and 57.49 respectively. Thus, Warne is amongst the best Test players to ever play the format. 8. Sachin Tendulkar (India) Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo by Philip Brown/Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images) Tendulkar is nicknamed the “God Of Cricket” for a reason. His achievements are second to none and he is arguably the biggest ambassador of the game. If we were to speak about Tendulkar then it would take us a few months to get done with it. Although Tendulkar was one of the greatest ODI players ever, his performance in the longest format is what truly makes him the best batsman of all time. He has scored 15921 Test runs which include 51 hundreds and 6 double tons. He has a batting average of 53.79 in Tests as well. The Master Blaster was consistently consistent in all parts of the world and always gave his best, irrespective of the conditions. Even the best of best bowlers have struggled against him. His longevity is another merit in his resume 7. Sir Jack Hobb (England) Sir Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images) While Sir Jack Hobbs might not be as popular as a few players on this list, his records are as good as there is. He was one of the best Test batsmen during his time. He was the first cricketer to be knighted. Sir Jack Hobbs was way ahead of his time, imagine someone having a strike rate of 99 in Tests in the early 1900s. He had a batting average of a whopping 56.95 as well. In terms of any era, such numbers are considered unreal. Add to that the fact that he was a top-order batsman. Some of his feats include scoring three consecutive centuries in the 1911-12 Ashes series and scoring 7 hundreds in 11 Tests. Thus, Hobbs is well and truly an all-time great. 6. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) Muttiah Muralitharan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Muttiah Muralitharan is unarguably the greatest spinner as well as one of the greatest bowlers the longest format has ever seen. He also happens to be the most successful Test bowler of all time. He has taken 800 wickets in Test cricket and this number still remains iconic. No matter what the critics said, one cannot deny the fact that Muralitharan was one of the greatest of all time. Getting 800 wickets in just 133 games was no ordinary feat. Add to that, his 67 5fers and 22 10fers, his records are unmatched. Muralitharan wasn’t just a bowler, he was a wizard who showcased his magic and tricks on the cricket field. The spin wizard fittingly finished his iconic Test career by picking a wicket in what turned out to be his final delivery in Test cricket. Thus, he is one of the “all-time” greats of Test cricket. 5. Jacques Kallis (South Africa) Jacques Kallis. (Photo by GREG WOOD/AFP via Getty Images) As mentioned earlier, Kallis was a great all-rounder. However, he wasn’t the next Sobers but was the first Kallis. His list of achievements is as long as a novel. Kallis is one of the greatest players to have ever played the game and no kind of compliment would do justice to his legacy. Kallis was a genius with the bat, he was a great bowler too, Add to that, his fielding skills as well were classy. There isn’t anything which he couldn’t do. He has a batting average is 55.37 in Tests and his bowling average is 32.65 in this format. He has scored forty-five centuries with the bat and has taken five 5fers with the bowl. In terms of impact, Kallis in Tests is right there amongst the greatest players. 4. Sir Gary Sobers (Barbados) Gary Sobers. (Photo Source: Twitter) Unarguably one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of Test cricket, becoming as successful as Sobers is something that other all-rounders can only dream of. His batting was great, to say the least, he was street smart as a bowler, add to that his inspirational captaincy. Was there anything he couldn’t do? When one looks at his overall record, one might think of it to be unreal in some sort of way. How could one have a batting average of 57 and a bowling average of 34 at the same time? Sobers was either a magician or an absolute genius. He was the face of West Indies cricket for a long time. He has scored 26 hundreds with the bat and has taken 235 wickets with the ball, that’s how good he was. Whenever Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Kapil Dev, or Jacques Kallis use to play, people often asked questions like “Are they the next Sobers?” Such was the impact of the legend. Thus, Sobers is an all-time legend in the longest version of the game. 3. Courtney Walsh (West Indies) Courtney Walsh. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Courtney Walsh had an entire era that belonged to him. It would be safe to say that he was one of the greatest bowlers to have ever played the game. His contribution to fast bowling still remains inspirational to one and all. His Test bowling average and strike rate are 24.45 and 57.85 respectively. Like McGrath, he too has a very good record outside the home. His overseas bowling average is just 25. However, more than the numbers, it is his impact that makes him feature in this list. His dominance with the ball is something that is idolized by youngsters even today. Seldom would you find a player as good as him. Thus, Walsh is an all-time great in the toughest format of the game. 2. Glenn McGrath (Australia) Brett Lee & Glenn McGrath. (Photo Source: Twitter) Relatively a recent name, Glenn McGrath is undoubtedly the greatest pacer of all time. The “Pigeon” ensured that he kept flying to new heights. The Aussie pacer had a good habit of picking wickets for fun. McGrath took a total of 563 wickets in Test cricket which remained the highest number of Test wickets by a pacer for a really long time. His bowling average and strike rate in the longest format of the game are 21.64 and 51.98 respectively. What’s astonishing is the fact that his performance outside home was better than his record at home. He had an away bowling average of 20.81 as compared to his bowling average at home which is 22.43. It gets better when you realize that he took 18 5fers outside home. Thus, it is safe to say that McGrath was one of the greatest Test cricketers to have ever existed. 1. Sir Don Bradman (Australia) Don Bradman. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images) Is any “all-time great” list even complete without the “Don”? We think not. Bradman has set standards so high that no cricketer in the history of the sport has come close to replicating his legacy. Bradman’s name has automatically been associated with cricket and seldom would you see a cricket pundit not calling him the best. No matter how much we talk about the late Sir Don Bradman, it still won’t do justice to his stature. Bradman had a batting average of a whopping 99.94! What if we were to tell you that his batting average even went beyond 100 at a certain point of time in his career! He still holds the record for scoring the most number of double hundreds in the history of Test cricket (12). The Aussie legend has also scored 29 hundreds and 2 triple hundreds. Thus, Bradman is the greatest Test cricketer of all time.

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Ranking top 10 'all-time greats' in Test cricket history

The list features various Test greats of different nations.

3. Courtney Walsh (West Indies)

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