3 incredible cricketers who achieved the No.1 ICC Rankings in all three formats

The ICC rankings were originally started for Test cricket and One Day International rankings were introduced in 1998. The rankings include three different categories (Batsmen, Bowlers, and all-rounders).

As the popularity of Twenty20 cricket increased and as the teams started playing a lot more international T20 cricket, ICC added T20 format into the ICC rankings.

Currently, Virat Kohli, James Anderson, and Shakib Al Hasan top the respective charts in Test cricket. While Kohli and Shakib dominate ODIs too, Jasprit Bumrah takes the no.1 spot in ODI bowler rankings. Aaron Finch, Rashid Khan, and Glenn Maxwell take the top spot in T20 cricket.

Not many cricketers have achieved the no.1 rankings in both Test and ODI cricket. When T20 is added to the mix, the list becomes very short. To be precise, only three players have ever done it in history.

Without much ado, let’s take a look at the three players who achieved the No.1 spot on ICC rankings in all three formats.

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#3 Matthew Hayden

The left-handed batsman from Queensland has played 103 Tests, 161 One Day Internationals, and nine Twenty20Is for Australia in his career

Mathew Hayden is one of the greatest Australian cricketers of all-time. The left-handed batsman from Queensland has played 103 Tests, 161 One Day Internationals, and nine Twenty20Is for Australia in his career.

Though Hayden hasn’t played much T20I in his career, he has scored four fifties in nine matches at a stunning average of 51.33.

He has scored more than 15,000 runs in international cricket with 40 hundreds. With 380 runs again Zimbabwe is Perth, Matthew Hayden holds the record for the highest individual score made by an Australian batsman in Tests.

The Australian opening batsman has ranked no.1 in all three formats, but not at the same time. Hayden retired from cricket in 2012 and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2017.

#2 Ricky Ponting

The former Australian captain is the only batsman ever to top the rankings in all three formats of the game at the same time

The former Australian captain is the only batsman ever to top the rankings in all three formats of the game at the same time. He achieved the feat in December - January 2005/06. Ricky Ponting is arguably the most successful captain in Australian history and one of the greatest batsmen of all-time.

The Tasmanian cricketer has amassed 13,378 runs in Tests and 13,704 runs in One Day Internationals. With 71 international hundreds, Ponting has dominated world cricket for a more than a decade. Ponting is the only captain other than Clive Lloyd to win two ODI World Cups for Australia.

#1 Virat Kohli

Kohli became the seventh India batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011 to top the Test rankings

Arguably the greatest cricketer of this century, Virat Kohli has been one of the most consistent performers for quite some time.

The Delhi lad has scored almost 10000 runs in One Day Internationals and 6000 runs in Tests. He is currently the no.1 batsmen in both formats of the game.

Kohli became the seventh India batsman and first since Sachin Tendulkar in June 2011 to top the Test rankings.

The Indian captain dislodged Steve Smith from the top spot after the first Test against England in the ongoing Test series.

The Indian captain has been in stunning form at the moment and proved his critics wrong with some phenomenal batting displays in English conditions.

Kohli has also topped T20 rankings a while back, which made him the third player ever to achieve the no.1 rankings in all three formats.