Adam Gibson
SYDNEY, Australia (TheSportsNEXT) December 6, 2012: The article about the cricket legends and what they were famous for was originally written by Adam Gibson for an Australian newspaper but it was worth sharing with our readers, so enjoy.
Cricket is a sport in which fans and commentators have wildly differing views on who is, or was, the greatest in their particular area of the game. Raw statistics hold an undeniable weight, but one of the beauties of cricket is its scope for subjectivity.
In a compilation of any list of cricketing greats, one therefore must walk the line between sheer crowd-pleasing players and those whose feats stack up statistically. Bearing all that in mind, here is a selection of players who are generally regarded as the some of greatest to have graced the game.
Sir Don Bradman
It is rare to get consensus in cricket, but without doubt, Don Bradman is cricket's greatest batsman. With an average of 99.94, a top score of 334 and 117 first class centuries, "The Don" was a dominant force for a 20-year period after making his debut in 1928.
Sachin Tendulkar
While it is generally agreed Bradman is cricket's greatest batsman, there is wide agreement that Indian, Sachin Tendulkar, is the next best. The leading run scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international history, Tendulkar hit his 100th international century just this year.
Sir Len Hutton
Bursting onto the English county cricket scene at 17 in 1934, within three years the Yorkshire youngster was opening for England. Regarded as one of the most technically correct batsmen to grace the game, he is famous for posting the then record total of 364 at the Oval in 1938 against Australia.
Sir Jack Hobbs
An English opener, Hobbs retired in 1934 but his record of 61,760 first class runs still stands as record. Time has obscured his deeds somewhat, but in his prime, before and after the Great War of 1914 to 1918, he was a peerless batsman who amassed a total of 199 first class centuries.
Sunil Gavaskar
Any list of great batsman has to include champion Indian opener, Sunil Gavaskar. Heralded as India's "best schoolboy player" in 1966, the diminutive "Sunny" Gavaskar was soon dismantling the world's fast bowling attacks in the Indian Test team. He went on to amass 34 Test centuries, a record that stood for 20 years.
Brian Lara
West Indian batting supremo, Brian Lara, must also be mentioned in any discussion of greatest batsmen. Holding the record for the highest Test score of 400 and the highest first class score of 501, "the Prince of Port of Spain" flourished during a difficult period for West Indian cricket through the 1990s.
Sir Viv Richards
Richards' nickname "the Master Blaster" pretty much sums up the West Indian superstar. With a devastating hitting game combined with a chilled Caribbean demeanour, Richards defined an era of West Indian dominance in the 1970s and '80s. Equally at home in Test or one-day cricket, he is still a firm favourite among cricket fans around the world.
Sir Gary Sobers
Sobers is cricket's definitive all-rounder. He could bat, with a Test average of 57.78, he could bowl, with an average of 34.03, and he could field, with 109 Test catches. He would have made any team on his bowling alone, but his batting was extraordinary, with his six sixes from six balls in 1968 a legendary feat.
Adam Gilchrist
Coming into the Australian team as wicketkeeper in 1999, Gilchrist's explosive batting matched his ability behind the stumps and caused a complete rethink of the gloveman's role. Suddenly, a 'keeper had to be able to bat too. Retiring with 379 catches, 37 stumpings and a highest score of 204, he is unquestionably one of the greats.
Dennis Lillee
The sight of Lillee steaming in to bowl, shaggy hair flowing, sweat dripping from his famous moustache, is one of the iconic Australian images from the 1970s and early '80s. The archetypal fiery fast bowler, Lillee's early raw pace was later replaced by a tactical nous that saw him net a then world record 355 Test wickets.
Malcolm Marshall
Even in a West Indian team studded with blistering pacemen, Marshall stood out for his sheer speed and canny cricket mind. In the 1970s and '80s when the "Calypso Kings" were at their height, none were more feared than Marshall. Sadly, however, for a man who once had such physical prowess, he died of cancer aged 41 in 1999.
Wasim Akram
Regarded as the best left-arm bowler in cricket history, Pakistani hero, Akram, had an uncanny ability to control the ball. At times it seemed he had it on a string and throughout his career from 1983 to 2004 he regularly bamboozled batsmen. He was a pioneer of "reverse swing" and, when his mind was in the job, was a devastating batsman.
Shane Warne
Wherever "Warnie" went, controversy followed, but there can be no disputing his greatness as a bowler. With guile and sheer god-given talent, Warne ruined some very good batting careers. His first ball in England to Mike Gatting in 1993 is regarded as the most famous delivery in cricket and he is the second-highest wicket taker in history.
Muttiah Muralitharan
While his bowling action was the subject of much discussion throughout his career, Muralitharan's record of 800 Test wickets stands as a record unlikely to be eclipsed any time soon. The Sri Lankan off-spinner was virtually unplayable on his day but he is just as remembered for his run-ins with officialdom, notably umpire Darrell Hair at the MCG in 1995.
