10 best players of all time from Surrey

There have been several regions around the world which have produced a number of quality cricketers. And in England, Yorkshire without a doubt heads that list.

But Surrey isn’t that far behind either. Surrey has produced several great cricketers and here’s a look at the 10 best players who played for them.

Honourable Mentions – Sir Alec Bedser, Bob Willis

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#10 Mark Butcher

Born in Croydon, Surrey, Mark Butcher made his first-class debut in 1992 but it took him almost 5 years to break into the national team on the back of a few notable County performances.

But his patchy form meant that the tall left-handed batsman couldn’t replicate his domestic form at the international level.

With a 71-Test international career and a bulk of opportunities, Mark Butcher was one of the under-achievers in international cricket. But his domestic form rarely dipped as he piled on a mountain of runs for Surrey in County cricket.

He played 280 first class games scoring close to 18,000 runs with 38 centuries and 95 fifties. He also captained Surrey for the 2005 season but a hand injury forced him to relinquish captaincy duties.

After battling a series of knee injuries which he failed to overcome, Butcher retired in 2009 with a match-saving 60 not out against Kent in his final innings.

#9 Mark Ramprakash

Mark Ramprakash

It remains one of the great enigmas of English cricket, why, Mark Ramprakash, who was a run-machine in County cricket never made it big in international cricket.

For a batsman, who scored 35659 runs in 461 first-class games at an average of 53.14 and 13,273 runs in 407 List A matches at an average of 40.22, international cricket wasn’t easy.

Ramprakash played 52 Tests scoring 2350 runs at a poor average of 27.32. He has scored a staggering 114 first-class hundreds but only 2 of them have come in Tests.

The above stats clearly suggest that he struggled at the international level, but, there is absolutely no doubt about the talent and class Ramprakash possessed.

He started off with Middlesex but finished his career with Surrey (his last 12 years were with Surrey). He was a batsman of rare talent and a classy technique.

Michael Vaughan even gave him the tag of the ‘Best Technician England has seen in the past 20 years’. Unfortunately, he couldn’t quite replicate his County form into substantial international performances.

#8 Graham Thorpe

Graham Thorpe

One of England’s batting mainstays for about a decade, Graham Thorpe was one of those elegant and fluent left-handers who announced himself with a century on Test debut against Australia in 1993. But it was 5 years back in 1988, that he made his first-class debut for Surrey.

He made his name as an exceptional counter-attacking batsman who could turn the tide in his team's favour with his belligerent strokes. In addition to that, his presence in the field was invaluable and he excelled in any position.

He played 100 Tests for England scoring 6744 at an average of 44.66 which included 16 hundreds.

He played 341 first class games and 354 List A matches which were mostly for Surrey. He scored more than 31,000 runs in competitive cricket with more than 260 50+ scores.

#7 Alec Stewart

Alec Stewart

Had England been the side it is now, Alec Stewart’s numbers would have looked a lot better. The double duties of a batsman, often an opener, and a wicketkeeper, and as a captain later in his career, hampered his numbers to a great extent.

Even then, 8,463 runs at an average of 39.54 and 277 victims from 133 Tests are very good numbers for a wicket-keeper.

He played a staggering 951 games (first-class and list A) scoring more than 40,000 runs. And these runs were consistently scored often bailing his team out of tricky situations.

He was also key to Surrey’s dominance from 1999-2002 where they won three County Championships (Division I). In a career that spanned for about 13 years, Stewart emerged as one of England's greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of all time.

#6 Tom Richardson

Tom Richardson

Tom Richardson was one of the most famous contemporary fast bowler in Surrey's cricket history. He played only 14 Tests, picking up 88 wickets, over a 5-year period, but his consistency playing for Surrey was remarkable.

He took more than 200 wickets in three consecutive seasons – 1895, 1896 and 1897 (252, 202 and 238 respectively).

His numbers are truly remarkable. In a 358-match first-class career, Richardson took a stunning 2104 wickets at an average of 18.43 and a strike-rate of 37.5. He scarcely knew what it was to be out of form, such was Richardson’s consistency.

#5 John Edrich

John Edrich

Born June 21, 1937, Blofield, Norfolk, John Edrich hailed from a strong cricketing background - his four cousins, Eric, Bill, Geoff and Brian, all having played first-class cricket.

John was a solid left-handed batsman, who was adept at building as well as rebuilding the innings. He was patient in leaving balls outside the off-stump but put the loose balls away to the fence when the chances came.

He was also the most dependable of all Geoff Boycott's 17 England opening partners. In 77 Tests, he scored upwards of 5000 runs. His Test numbers might not be impressive, but his first-class record was very good.

He was a prolific scorer for Surrey. With close to 40,000 runs in 564 first-class games, John Edrich is perhaps one of the finest left-handers to don the England cap.

#4 Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen

South Africa’s loss was England’s gain as a frustrated Kevin Pietersen left his country of birth after being disgruntled with the quota system prevalent in the former.

Very few players draw much attention as Pietersen does. Wherever he has been and whatever he had done, he has managed to keep the media spotlight firmly trained on him.

From his outrageous self-confidence to the shot that he has invented - the Switch Hit - to the flashy style of dressing or the relentless attempts to get under the opposition's skin, KP has done it all and has been pilloried for it as well.

A tall and upright batsman, Pietersen played all the shots in the book besides a few of his own making. An immensely talented batsman, he had the audacity to keep attacking even when his side was in trouble.

In a 104-matchTest career, Pietersen with the help of 23 centuries, scored 8181 runs at an average of 47.28. He was also a very good limited-overs player scoring 4440 ODI runs and 1176 T20I runs for England.

#3 Ken Barrington

Ken BarringtonKen Barrington was one of the most gifted players in the history of the game. He was one of those who relished international cricket more than the first-class games.

He scored 6806 Test runs at a stunning average of 58.67 (third only to Don Bradman and Herbert Sutcliffe, with 2500 runs as the benchmark).

Barrington was jovial and gregarious, always ready to see the best in everyone and every situation. He played 533 first-class games (mostly for Surrey) scoring more than 31,000 runs with the help of 76 hundreds and 170 fifties.

In addition to all his batting numbers, Barrington also picked up 273 wickets in his first-class career proving his worth as a more than useful part-timer.

#2 Jim Laker

Jim Laker

Jim Laker will always be remembered for his bowling figures in the Ashes Test match at Old Trafford in 1956 where he took 19 wickets (9/37 and 10/53) – the best ever figures not only in Test history but in first-class cricket as well.

Laker is regarded as the greatest spinners to have donned the England cap. He played 46 Tests in a little over 10 years, picking up 193 wickets a superb average of 21.25.

But his first-class numbers were even more impressive - 1944 wickets in 450 games at a stunning average of 18.41. He took a staggering 127 5-wicket hauls and 32 10-wicket hauls in first-class cricket.

Apart from his bowling exploits, Laker was also a wonderful close-in fielder taking 270 catches.

#1 Jack Hobbs

Jack Hobbs

Jack Hobbs was simply the most prolific run-getter in first-class history. His first-class numbers are staggering and stunning, to say the least.

With 61,760 runs, he is by far the highest run-getter in the first-class history. His 199 hundreds and 273 fifties are also the highest ever in the history of first-class cricket.

Hobbs was known as "The Master" and scored consistently throughout a long career that didn't end till he was past 50. Half of his hundreds came when he was over 40, and he remains, at 46, the oldest man to score a Test century.

His opening partnerships for England with Yorkshire's Herbert Sutcliffe are also part of the game's rich folklore. Surrey, with whom he spent over 30 years, honoured Hobbs by constructing a new entrance at the Oval in his name.