Cricket was invented in the mid-16th century in the southeast part of England, and the popularity of the game expanded with the enlargement of the British Empire. For the longest period of time, Cricket was all about batsmen and bowlers, batsmen who scored runs and bowlers who took wickets. With time, the game evolved, and round-arm bowling was introduced, and since then, the game changed completely. Today, being a 5-star batsman is not just enough if you can’t field well and keep the wickets or ball. Including an all-rounder in a team has become a must for a team because that particular player can change the course of the game easily. There have been many players who deserve the title of the world’s best all-rounder, and in this blog, we will try to give a shout-out to such players.
For Indians, Kapil Dev was a classic example of what an all-rounder can achieve in his life. Similarly, for Pakistan, it was Imran Khan, and for Australia, Richie Benaud set an example for new-age cricketers to be more than just batsmen or bowlers.
A decent all-rounder in the squad can contribute with both bat and ball, making them versatile assets to their teams. Now, without wasting any time, let’s talk about some of the world’s best all-rounders in the era of modern cricket.
List of the Best All Rounders in Cricket
#10 Shane Watson – Australia
Number 10 on our list is Australia’s Shane Watson. The right-handed top-order batsman and right-arm quick bowler served his nation for years. Also known as “White Shark”, Watson has the ability to contribute to both aspects of the game.
He is one of the best ODI all-rounders of all time. In his 59 Test matches, Watson scored 3731 runs and took 75 wickets. Whereas his ODI stats are much better. In 190 ODI games, he scored 5757 runs with the help of 9 centuries and 33 half centuries and with the ball in hand, Watson took 168 wickets with an economy of 4.95. He also played a crucial role in Australia’s T20 side with 1462 runs and 48 wickets in 58 appearances.
#9 JP Duminy – South Africa
When discussing the world’s best all-rounders, we can’t just keep JP Duminy out of the list. JP Duminy retired from the game in 2019. The left-handed middle-lower order batsman played some great and crucial innings for his country in his career.
As a right-arm orthodox spinner, JP took 42, 69, and 21 wickets in 46 Tests, 199 ODIs, and 81 T20Is respectively. Though his numbers may not justify his dominance as an all-rounder, he was a key asset for the South African cricket team.
On the other hand, his batting record is decent for an all-rounder who batted down the order throughout his career. In the same number of Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, JP scored 2103, 5117, and 1934 runs, respectively.
#8 Paul Collingwood – England
Paul Collingwood is a former skipper and an all-rounder who served England for more than a decade. But it’s his fielding that he deserved a special shout-out for. Paul was not just a brilliant all-rounder, but he was also an exceptional fielder who took numerous blinders at gully, slips, point, and other corners of the park.
In the format of the game, he represented England in 68 games, scored 4259 runs and took 17 wickets. Being a middle-order batsman and medium-pace bowler, he scored 5092 runs and managed to take 111 wickets in 197 ODIs.
His T20I career was not that long, but he showed his class with both bat and ball by scoring 583 runs and taking 16 wickets in just 36 matches. There is no doubt that Paul Collingwood was one of the modern-day best ODI all-rounders of all time.
#7 Jacob Oram – New Zealand
As we said, numbers cannot define the greatness of players who, at some point, represented their country and ensured that their contributions were helping the team to win games.
Jacob Oram is one such of a kind. He made his ODI debut in 2001 and retired in 2012. Being a bowling all-rounder, he played 160 ODI games and took 173 wickets while managing to score 2434 runs as well. Whereas his red-ball career was not as long as he would’ve wanted.
In his 33 test matches, he took 60 wickets and scored 1780 runs. He cracked the mantra to bat with the tailenders which helped him to add some extra runs every time his team needed. In T20Is, he scored 474 runs and bagged 19 wickets in 36 games.
#6 Ravichandran Ashwin – India
Ravi Ashwin is an ICC ODI World Cup-winning player who was part of the Indian Cricket Team when we lifted the trophy in 2011 at Wankhede.
Ashwin has always been one of the smartest brains in the history of the game. He has so far represented India 96 times in red-ball cricket and has taken 496 wickets with 34 5-wicket halls and scored 3222 runs with the help of 5 centuries.
His white-ball career is also a testament to his ability to change his game according to the format and conditions. He has played 116 ODIs and 65 T20Is, taken 156 and 72 wickets, and scored 707 and 184 runs, respectively.
#5 Andrew Flintoff – England
Andrew Flintoff is a former English all-rounder who is known for his power stroke play and bowling action like none other. He had his own swag while taking the field.
On many occasions, he single-handedly changed the course of the game with his batting and bowling and, at times, with both. He played 79 red ball games for England, scored 3845 runs and took 226 wickets with the help of 5 centuries and three five-wicket halls, respectively.
His ODI career was also as good as the test. He represented England on 141 occasions and scored 3394 runs and took 169 wickets. He also played a prominent role in the 2005 edition of ASHES, where England defeated Australia with some style and elegance.
#4 Ravindra Jadeja – India
Ravindra Jadeja is an Indian lower-order batsman and left-arm finger spinner who is the ideal contender to seal this spot. He is undoubtedly one of the world’s best ODI and Test all-rounders of all time.
He is currently playing all three formats for India, and his recent form, particularly with the bat, has helped India to win many matches. So far, he has played 69 test matches and scored 2893 runs with an average of 36.2 and has also taken 280 wickets with an average of 24.4.
Not only at home, but his significant contribution with both bat and ball has been exceptional in white-ball cricket. In 197 ODIs and 66 T20Is so far, he has scored 2756 and 480 runs, along with 220 and 53 wickets, respectively.
#3 Abdul Razzaq – Pakistan
Abdul Razzaq is a former Pakistani bowling all-rounder who represented his nation in all 3 formats of the game. During interviews, many present and former cricketers have been asked about their views on the best ODI all-rounder of time, and unsurprisingly, many believe that Abdul Razzaq is one of the most destructive lower-order batsmen with exceptional seam bowling capabilities.
He played 46 test games for Pakistan and took 100 wickets with an average of 36.9 and scored 1946 with a pretty decent average of 28.6 with the help of 3 centuries and seven half-centuries. While his red-ball career was surprisingly short, his white-ball career tells a different story. He played 265 ODI games for Pakistan and bagged 269 wickets while scoring 5080 runs.
He achieved these numbers with the help of 3 five and eight four-wicket halls; his exceptional performance with the bat showed his resilience as he raised his bat on many occasions with three centuries and 23 half-centuries. His T20 career was also a testament to his talent, as he went on to score 393 runs and took 20 wickets in just 32 games.
#2 Sanath Jayasuriya – Sri Lanka
Sanath Jayasuriya is one of the legends of the game who represented Sri Lanka for more than two decades in ODIs. He was a left-handed batsman with a monstrous power-hitting ability and a left-arm finger spinner who rules the hearts of Sri Lankan fans even today.
He played 110 test matches for Sri Lanka and scored 6973 runs with the help of 14 hundred and 31 fifties and managed to take 98 wickets. Sanath’s numbers in ODIs are just beyond one’s imagination. He played 445 games, scored 13430 runs, and took 323 wickets before retiring in 2011.
He also showed that he is not that old for T20 cricket as he went to score 629 runs and take 19 wickets while representing Sri Lanka in 31 games.
#1 Jacques Kallis – South Africa
If Sachin Tendulkar is the God of Cricket, Virat Kohli is the King, and A B is Superman, then Jacques Kallis is truly the one and only Iron Man. Kallis debuted for South Africa in 1995 and went on to become the world’s best all-rounder of all time, with 45 test hundreds under his name.
He played 166 test matches for South Africa and scored 13289 runs with a mind-boggling average of 55.4. Not only this, but he also took 292 wickets, leaving his teammates, fans, and even the opposition in awe.
His white-ball career was as great as his red-ball. In his 328 appearances, Kallis scored 11579 runs with the help of 17 centuries and took 273 wickets at the same time. He also played 25 T20Is, scored 666 runs, and took 12 wickets.
These numbers indicate his dominance in the early 2000s and till the time he retired from the game, making him one of the world’s best ODI and Test all-rounders of all time.
So, these are some of the best ODI and Test all-rounders of all time. Comment if you agree, and comment on the name of a player that would’ve been included in this list.
