50 Greatest Cricket Icons/ Trendsetters

This list will encompass not only players but people in the press,umpires,fans and even grounds.These aren’t in an particular order.So you can judge for yourself how you rate them. So a few might surprise.

The Cricketing icons

1.Don Bradman (Australia)There are few who doubt that Don Bradman is not only the best batsman ever,but probably the best player and ultimately biggest icon.His average of 99.4 dwarfs everyone else in the history of the game

2.Wally Hammond (England)The man regarded as the English equivalent of Bradman.He was an exceptional batsman and capable of huge scores.As his glut of 300′s shows

3.Jacob Hobbs (England)Probably the most loved player in the history of English cricket.The boy from the poor as poor upbringing,who became one of the truly great batsman.Renowned for his expertise on rain affected and dangerous pitches and his longevity

4.Douglas Jardine&Harold Larwood(England)The man who stopped Bradman with ‘leg side theory’ known as Bodyline.Putting his rather unsporting tactics aside that caused a furore.You can’t help but admire the guys brilliance in stopping Bradman at any costThe man who made Jardine’s Bodyline theory possible was Harold Larwood through his fearsome fast bowling.Also the man who unfortunately took the fall for it in its aftermath

5.Frank Worrell (West Indies)The man who not only challenged the colour barrier,but unified the feuding Caribbean Islands into one cohesive team.Also a true bastion of sportsmanship not only as an individual,but in a team sense too

6.Richie Benaud (Australia)A Great cricketer,but probably best remembered for being the face and voice of cricket commentary for nearly 50 years

7.Shane Warne (Australia)The man who made leg spin bowling ‘sexy’ and made everyone realise how difficult an art it was.When they all tried to emulate the Aussies by finding their leg spinner.You can find them,but rarely a good or iconic one like Warne

8.Imran Khan (Pakistan)The great leader and great all rounder.Who not only excelled with his play,but made Pakistan into a cohesive team.That ultimately won the World Cup in 1992

9.Sachin Tendulkar (India)

Anyone who scores 50 test centuries and starts playing at 16 and is still starring at 38 definately warrants a place on this list

10.Kerry Packer (Australia)The man who revolutionised cricket in the 70′s with his break away World Series cricket.That introduced coloured clothing and night games

11.Dickie Bird (England)The great Umpire and known and beloved for his quirky eccentricities and powers of communication.He was a great umpire not only for his decisions,but his ability to diffuse situations

12.Alan Macgilvray (Australia)The great media man.The doyen on cricket commentary covering everyone from Bradman to Miller to Sobers.He had a style that few could replicate

13.Tony Cosier (West Indies)

The doyen of West Indies commentary

14.Fred Trueman (England)

This guy like Richie Benaud was not only a great of the game,but after his retirement became one of the most listened too and beloved cricket commentators there was.

15.Duckworth and Lewis (England)

The way to figure what a target will be in a rain affected run chase in either an Odi or T20 match.it usually is pretty accurate,but hardly full proof causing controversies

16.Trevor Chappell (Australia)

There have been many instances of this delivery before hand,but this choice to bowl this on the last delivery of a One Day International match against New Zealand at the MCG in 1981.Well it caught the attention of a few people,didn’t it?

17.Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)

The great New Zealand all rounder from the small sheep filled Nation.He achieved icon status through his remarkable bowling deeds that encompassed the World test mark

18.Chennai and Brisbane

The two iconic tied tests.Both truly remarkable in how they built up and ultimately finished.Though that Umpire in Chennai’s finger went up real quick didn’t it?

19.Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)

A icon for not only his deeds that encompasses the Test wickets World record,but also the controversy attached with him

20.Colin Bland (South Africa)

The best ever fielder I saw.He was in a word a FREAK

21.Hanif Mohammud (Pakistan)

Anyone who goes past the remarkable feat of Don Bradman’s highest first class score as Hanif did in 1958/9 of 499 is truly remarkable.A great test batsman too and a vbery fine human being

22.W.G.Grace (England)

The great Englishman was the father of the sport of Cricket.He was one of the first stars of the game as either a batsman,bowler or tactician

23.Pelham Warner (England)

Good old ‘Plumb’ Warner was seen as the icon of the game at the turn of the 20th century.He became a well respected and revered writer in his retirement

24.Abdul Hafeez Kardar (Pakistan/India)

The first Captain of Pakistan,but a man who played for both India and Pakistan.He is seen as the father figure of Pakistan cricket

25.Aubrey Faulkner (South Africa)

One of the first great all rounders was this great South African.Who combined very fine middle order batting with equally as fine leg spin bowling

26.Dudley Nourse (South Africa)

The great South African batsman and some say the greatest ever batsman from the great Rainbow Nation.He also captained South Africa

27Makhaya Ntini (South Africa)

In a Country thaty was sadly known for a racist past and the whiteness of its cricket team.The fact that Ntini was the first ever black cricketer was truly touching and a great testimony to the new South Africa

28.Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan)

The inventor of the revolutionary Doosra ball for Off Spin bowlers

29.Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka)

The great Sri Lankan Captain,who put his Country on the Cricket Map.Through his determinedness’ and toughness.He turned boys into men

30.Keith Miller (Australia)

One of the greatests all rounders in the games history.Also a fighter pilot in WW2.In some eyes in Australia he’s viewed as better than Bradman

31.The 3 ‘W’s” (West Indies)Walcott,Weekess and Worrell-need we say more about this iconic trio of great West Indian players!

32.Garfield Sobers

The best batsman and more than likely best all rounder in the games history.Also a very fine in close fieldsman too

33.Barry Richards/Graeme Pollock/Mike Procter/Denis Lindsay etc (South Africa)

The greats of the game, that never happened to be seen in their full careers due to the South Africa ban.

34.Alan Knott (England)

The man universally viewed as the best glove man in the history of the game

35.Adam Gilchrist (Australia)

The man who revolutionised the role of the wicket keeper.In that after Gilly and his remarkable batting efforts at number 7 for Australia.Everyone sought out similar.Bit hard he’s a once in a generation player!

36.Abdul Qadir (Pakistan)

In the late 70′s and 80′s when everyone wanted 4 fast bowlers.This great leg spin bowler not only reintroduced the art of leg spin bowling,but made everyone want a legspinner!

37.Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)

There had been a few before that mauled from ball one in Odi’s,but Sanath was the one who was universally viewed as the best at it

38.David Shepherd (England)

The great Umpire with the hop on ‘Nelson’.A much beloved figure in the game too

39.Jeff Thomson (Australia)

The king of scary fast bowlers and blod thirsty ones too.I don’t think in the history of the game has there been one as feared as Jeff Thomson

40.Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

The face of the new generation of cricket.The swahbuckling huge hitter of a cricket ball and wicket taker with his leg breaks.He has the look,the charisma and the brilliance in the shorter forms of the game to pack stadiums out from Melbourne to Multan and everywhere in between

41.Sarfraz Nawaz (Pakistan)

The Inventor of reverse swing.That is now arguably the most lethal part of a fast bowlers arsenal

42.Kapil Dev (India)

The great Indian al rounder that always gets overshadowed by the talk of other all rounders.Though for achievments and the affect he had on the game in India.He deserves the same fanfare

43.Viv Richards West Indies)

The man who made cricket sexy throughout the 70′s and 80′s.He was the master entertainer,who didnt care about averages.He just wanted to entertain and my word watching Viv Richards bat you were on the edge of your seat.

44.Ian Botham (England)

Like Richards,in the 70′s/80′s there wasn’t a more iconic figure than Botham.His Botham Ashes of 1981 was in truth one of the most remarkable series in the history of cricket

45.Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine (West Indies)The performances of these iconic spin duo in the 1950 England Series culminated in the West Indies first win on English soil in a series

46.The Indian 4 (India)Bishan Bedi,Erapil Prasana,Chandra’ and Venkat’.The great Indian spin 4 of the late 60′s and 70′s.The were of such genius in the majesty of their art

47.Bill ‘Tiger’ OReilly (Australia)The great leg spin bowler that Bradman labelled as the toughest bowler he ever faced.Also another who after his career was a much beloved man in commentary

48.Gravy,Percy,Tendulkar10 and Chacha Cricket (Global)The game is about the fans and is there 4 bigger iconic fans than these?

49.K.S.Ranjitsinhji (India)One of the greatest batsman ever from India.He played for England because it was before India’s Independance and for pure elegance and beauty.He was the man.The inventor of the leg glance too

50.George Headley (West Indies)Whose Bradman? Oh yes he is the white Headley!The first Black man to Captain the West Indies too

I must admit I have probably missed a great many names.though lists like these are almost imposible to write for they are all about opinion.My appreciation to Vats Iyengar in helping me with the list