Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI

Jul 15, 2013

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI

Over the years, many Cricketers have played the game but only few were deserved to be among the Greatest Cricketers of All Time. The All Star team that comprises the Greatest Cricketers of All Time will be the team to watch out for. Cricmatez.com brings you the All Time World XI that includes some of the Greatest Cricketers of All Time.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI Line-Up

1. Sir Don Bradman (AUSTRALIA)

2. Sir Jack Hobbs (ENGLAND)

3. Sir Viv Richards (WEST INDIES)

4. Sachin Tendulkar (INDIA)

5. Brian Lara (WEST INDIES)

6. Sir Garfield Sobers (WEST INDIES)

7. Adam Gilchrist (Wicket Keeper, AUSTRALIA)

8. Ian Botham (ENGLAND)

9. Shane Warne (AUSTRALIA)

10. Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI LANKA)

11. Glenn McGrath (AUSTRALIA)

12^th Man: Wasim Akram (PAKISTAN)

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI Openers

The Openers in our All Time World XI comprising of the World’s greatest cricketers of all time are the Gentlemen who redefined the term “Batting” in the early 20^th Century. Both the batsmen are considered to be the best batsman their country have ever produced. One half of our top two is a regular opener and the other is a makeshift opener. Sir Jack Hobbs, who has opened the innings for all the teams that he played throughout his career has been made to open the innings along with his Ashes rival and the man who holds a record that will never be broken in future – batting average of 99.94 in Test Cricket, Sir Donald Bradman. Like Bradman, Hobbs too holds a record which needs super human effort to be broken – a tally of 199 First-Class tons.

Hobbs is a regular opener and Bradman is a genuine number 3 batsman. He was made to open the innings in-order to bring stability to the batting order. He is the kind of batsman who doesn’t bother about the batting position and the condition and looks to score runs when he is given a chance. The duo has scored over 90,000 first-class runs between them which includes an astonishing 316 tons in their overall career. Sir Donald Bradman is also the captain of our All Time World XI that includes the greatest cricketers of all time.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI Middle Order Batsmen

If the Openers of our World XI that includes the Greatest Cricketers of All Time are considered as the best, the middle order batsmen are nonetheless the best batsmen of All Time. They were considered as the nightmares for the opposition bowlers during their time. After the fall of the first wicket, it will be the big man from Antigua taking the guard. He is considered as the most destructive batsman to have ever played the game. He can score some quick runs when needed. He had the ability to drive good-length balls from outside off-stump through midwicket and was one of the great exponents of the hook shot. Not even a single Cricket Fan will ignore Sir Vivian Richards in the list of Greatest Players of All Time. Viv dominated the bowlers in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

After his time in International Cricket, two men took over from where he left. They might be as aggressive as Viv Richards but when it comes to class, no other batsman(except Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting) can surpass them.

As former Aussie batsman Matthew Hayden quoted “I Have seen God!! He bats at no. 4 for India.. “, the number 4 slot in our World XI is occupied by the greatest batsman of all time who holds almost all batting records in Cricket Sachin Tendulkar. After making his debut at a tender age of 16, he conquered almost all the bowlers who bowled to him. Bowlers even feared bowling to him. At 40, still Sachin has the same flair that he used to have with 24 years ago.

Sachin Tendulkar is followed by his close friend and the man who alongside Sachin dominated the bowlers in the 1990’s and 2000’s – Brian Lara. If Sachin was considered as the best Right Handed Batsman to have played at his era, Lara was considered as the best Left Handed Batsman. The Prince of Trinidad, Lara has the knack of playing long innings and is the only batsman to have scored 400 in International Cricket and 500 in First Class Cricket. He had unique style of batting that made the fans addicted to it.

The Middle Order for our World XI comprising of the Greatest Cricketers of All Time can’t get any better with the likes of Viv, Sachin and Lara in it.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI All Rounders

The role of All Rounders is a crucial cog wheel for a team’s success. They are the one’s who bring stability to the team. The All Time World XI comprising of the Greatest Cricketers of All Time has picked two men who bring in a lot of value and the much needed balance in the team. Sir Garry Sobers is a genuine All Rounder who is considered as the best in the business. He was a fiery left-hander with a typical Caribbean ascent who could bowl both left arm medium pace and slow left arm. The batting average of 57 and a bowling average of 34 shows how good an All Rounder he was.

Sir Sobers will be ably supported by his English Counterpart and fellow Knighthood Inductee Sir Ian Botham. Unlike Sobers, Botham is a right arm medium pacer who bats right handed. He will be used as a new ball bowler partnering the Aussie speedster Glenn McGrath. Botham has the skill and ability to rattle any batting Line-Up. With the inclusion of Sobers and Botham, the balance of the team looks settled.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI Wicket Keeper

The man who will be donning the gloves behind the stumps is the one who redefined the art of Wicket Keeping. Considered as the greatest ever Wicket Keeper to have played the game, Adam Gilchrist will also be useful as lower middle order batsman who could score runs at a brisk pace. The World XI that includes the Greatest Cricketers of All Time can’t get a better man than Gilchrist to take care of the Wicket Keeping duties.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI Spinners

Spinners are the ones who are more crucial in a team’s bowling line-up. The spinners slot in our World XI that has the Greatest Cricketers of All Time are occupied by two legendary Spinners who share more than 1500 International Wickets between them. They don’t need any further Introduction. The spin twins in our World XI that includes the Greatest Cricketers of All Time are the Australian Leggie Shane Warne and the Sri Lankan Offie Muttiah Muralitharan. They are the all time leading Wicket takers in the history of the game.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI Medium Pacer

As mentioned earlier in our World XI that comprises of the Greatest Cricketers of All Time, Ian Botham will share the new red cherry along with Aussie Pacer Glenn McGrath. McGrath holds the record for capturing the most number of wickets by a fast bowler. He is a kind of bowler who was consistent with his line and length. He is a typical number 11 batsman who has the ability to make some early inroads in the opposition’s batting line-up. He could have added more wickets to his tally if he had not missed many matches because of his wife’s sickness. While playing for Australia, he along with Warne formed a lethal combination to rattle the opposition.

Greatest Cricketers of All Time – All Time World XI 12^th Man

The role of Twelfth Man in our World XI that has the Greatest Cricketers of All Time is given to one-third of Pakistan’s Holy Trinity(Akram, Waqar, Imran), Wasim Akram. He has been chosen ahead of Kiwi Pacer Sir Richard Hadlee, who was fondly called as the Sultan of Swing and Cut and the South African All Rounder Jacques Kallis. Akram was chosen for his contribution in ODI’s and that he makes the old ball to reverse time and time again. Adding to these, Akram is useful as a batsman.