Sir Donald Bradman (Australia)
Sir Donald George Bradman, nicknamed ‘The Don’, was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman’s career Test batting average of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport. During a 20-year playing career, Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him, in the words of former Australian captain Bill Woodfull, “worth three batsmen to Australia”. After a long and inspiring career in cricket, Sir Donald Bradman passed away on February 25, 2001 at the age of 92.
Sachin Tendulkar (India)Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is a former Indian international cricketer who served as captain of the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the highest run scorer of all time in international cricket, and the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International (ODI), the holder of the record for the most runs in both Test and ODI cricket, and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket.
This all-rounder could do everything – he was equally accomplished as a fast and spin bowler, and he was a shrewd batsman. Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, also known as Gary or Gary Sobers, is a former cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974.
A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, he is widely considered to be cricket’s greatest ever all-rounder and one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
Overall, Sobers played 93 Tests for the West Indies. He has the fifth highest batting average in Test cricket in the list of cricketers with more than 5,000 runs. Sobers was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 for his services to cricket. In 2009, Sobers was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Hailed as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game, Botham represented England in both Test and One-Day International cricket. He was an aggressive right-handed batsman and, as a right arm fast-medium bowler, was noted for his swing bowling.
He generally fielded close to the wicket, predominantly in the slips. In Test cricket, Botham scored 14 centuries with a highest score of 208, and from 1986 to 1988, he held the world record for the most Test wickets until overtaken by fellow all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee. He took five wickets in an innings 27 times and 10 wickets in a match four times. In 1980, he became the second player in Test history to complete the ‘match double’ of scoring 100 runs and taking 10 wickets in the same match.
Brian Charles Lara is a Trinidadian former international cricketer. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket. Lara also holds the record for the highest individual score in a Test innings. Lara also shares the record of scoring the highest number of runs in a single over in a Test match.Lara’s match-winning performance against Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1999 has been rated by Wisden as the second-best batting performance in the history of Test cricket. Brian Lara was appointed honourary member of the Order of Australia and he was inducted to the ICC’s Hall of Fame at the awards ceremony.
Jacques Henry Kallis is a former cricketer who played on the South African national cricket team. As a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler, Kallis is regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, and as South Africa’s greatest batsman. As of 2020 he is the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 10,000 runs and take over 250 wickets in both ODI and Test match cricket. Kallis was named Leading Cricketer in the World in 2008 Wisden for his performances in addition to being the “ICC Test Player of the Year” and ICC Player of the Year. He has been described as the greatest cricketer to play the game.
