Ranking the Top 10 all-rounders of the 21st century

In the history of cricket, only a handful of players have been gifted with the ability to win games with both the ball and bat. Though many cricketers can do both these things in modern day cricket, only a very few players will fit into the elite category of a genuine all-rounder.

Cricket has blessed us with some greatest all-rounders. Players like Kapil Dev, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Sir Richard Hadlee, Chris Cairns, and Keith Miller are some of the greatest all-rounders of the 20th century.

Honorable Mentions: Ben Stokes, Mohammad Hafeez, Jacob Oram, Lance Klusener, Ravindra Jadeja, Angelo Mathews, and Moeen Ali.

Without much ado, let’s rank the Top 10 all-rounders of the 21st century.

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#10 Abdul Razzaq

Australia v Pakistan - ICC World Twenty20 2012: Super Eights Group 2

One of the greatest all-rounders of Pakistan cricket, Abdul Razzaq has scored a lot of runs and picked up a lot of wickets in international cricket. Razzaq has scored more than 7000 runs across formats for Pakistan at an average of almost 30, which included six hundred and 30 fifties.

He has also picked up 389 wickets for Pakistan across formats and was one of the best lower-order batsmen during his playing days. He was particularly effective in limited-overs format - One Day Internationals and Twenty20s.

The former Pakistan international is one of the greatest ODI all-rounders of all-time. An accurate bowler and a big-hitter, Abdul Razzaq has single-handedly won a lot of games for Pakistan with both bat and ball.

#9 Dwayne Bravo

South Africa v West Indies - International T20 Series

Dwayne Bravo is one of the best modern-day all-rounders in world cricket at the moment, especially in ODIs and T20s. A genuine all-rounder, Bravo can do the job with his bat in the lower middle-order and can bowl well anywhere in the innings.

A destructive hitter with the bat, the Trinidadian is a death overs expert with the ball because of his abilities to vary the pace and fire in excellent yorkers. The 34-year-old has played 164 ODIs and scored 2968 runs. He has also picked up 199 wickets at an average of 29.51.

The 34-year-old has also scored 2200 runs and picked up 86 wickets in Test match cricket. Dwayne Bravo’s last international appearance for West Indies came in 2016. Bravo is also an exceptional fielder.

#8 Shahid Afridi

New Zealand v Pakistan - 2nd T20

Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’, Shahid Afridi was one of the most deadly batsmen for Pakistan in limited-overs cricket. Having made his international debut at a very young age of 16, Afridi went on to play international cricket for almost two decades.

Afridi has scored 8064 runs in 398 One Day Internationals, which included six hundreds and 39 fifties. He has also picked up 395 wickets at an average of 34.51. Surprisingly, Afridi has played only 27 Tests for Pakistan, despite a good of batting average of almost 37.

A clever and accurate leg-spinner, Afridi has taken ten five-fors in his international career. He single-handedly won many matches for Pakistan with both the bat and ball. Afridi has also played 99 T20Is for Pakistan.

#7 Daniel Vettori

Australia v New Zealand - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup: Final

The Kiwi all-rounder is arguably the most successful left-arm spinner of all-time. Daniel Vettori is the all-time leading wicket-taker for New Zealand in One Day Internationals and successful across formats.

Vettori made his ODI debut in 1997 and went on to play 295 ODI games for his national side. Vettori picked up 305 wickets at a stunning economy rate of 4.12 and scored 2253 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 17.33.

The Kiwi all-rounder has played 113 Tests for New Zealand and picked up 362 wickets. Vettori has also excelled with the bat in Tests and scored 4531 runs at an average of 30, which included six hundreds and 23 fifties. Vettori also has played 34 T20Is.

#6 Shane Watson

England v Australia - 2nd Royal London One-Day Series 2015

Shane Watson has been one of Australia’s finest all-rounders and one of the best of our generation. Having made his debut for Australia in 2002, the 37-year-old went on to play 190 ODIs, 59 Tests, and 58 Twenty20Is for Australia.

Watson has scored 5757 runs in ODIs and 3731 runs in Tests. He was equally effective with the ball as well. Watson has picked up 168 wickets and 75 wickets in ODIs and Tests respectively.

Shane Watson is still one of the best T20 all-rounders in the world. He recently led Chennai Super Kings to the Indian Premier League 2018 title with a brilliant hundred in the finals against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

#5 Shakib Al Hasan

New Zealand v Bangladesh - 1st ODI

Shakib Al Hasan is easily the best all-rounder in Asia at the moment. Arguably the most successful Bangladesh cricketer of all-time, Shakib has been an outstanding performer for his team across formats. A brilliant left-arm spinner, Shakib is a consistent performer with the bat.

Shakib has played 188 One Day Internationals for Bangladesh and scored 5433 runs, which includes seven hundreds and 39 fifties. The 31-year-old has also picked up 237 wickets at an average of 29.77.

Shakib has played 53 Test matches for Bangladesh and scored 3692 runs, which included five hundreds and 23 fifties. He has also picked up 196 wickets, which included 18 five-wicket and two ten-wicket hauls. Shakib has also played in 69 T20Is.

#4 Andrew Flintoff

England v Australia - 5th Ashes Test: Day Four

Andrew Flintoff was one of the most fearsome all-rounders to have played the game. Having made his international debut at the age of 20, the Englishman became one of the most deadly all-rounders of the modern-era.

Andrew Flintoff has played 141 One Day Internationals for England and scored 3394 runs at an average of 32.01. He has also picked up 169 wickets at an average of 24.38. He has also scored 3845 runs in Tests and picked up 226 wickets.

Capable of consistently clocking speeds of more than 140 Kmph, Flintoff played a crucial role for England across formats, especially in their Ashes success over Australia. He was named Cricketer of the Year in 2005 and ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2004.

#3 Shaun Pollock

ODI - South Africa v West Indies

Shaun Pollock led South African pace attack for more than a decade. He was a more than a useful batsman in the lower order and won a lot of games for his side. Shaun Pollock is one of the best fast bowling all-rounders of all-time in International cricket.

Having made his international debut for South Africa in 1995, Pollock has represented his national team in 303 One Day Internationals, 108 Test matches, and 12 Twenty20Is in his stunning career.

Shaun Pollock has scored more than 7000 runs in his international career at an average of almost 29, which included three hundreds and 30 fifties. He has also picked up 393 wickets in ODIs and 421 in Tests. His career economy rate of 3.67 in ODIs is simply unbelievable for a player who has played for a very long time.

#2 Sanath Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka v England - 1st Test

Having started his career as a left-arm spinner, Jayasuriya transformed into one of the most devastating opening batsmen of all-time in ODI cricket. He revolutionized one-day international cricket with his explosive batting during the 1996 World Cup.

He was phenomenal for Sri Lanka in the tournament and led them to their first ever World Cup win. With his wide array of shots, Jayasuriya demolished some of the best bowlers in the world to create history. He has played a huge role for Sri Lanka in Tests as well.

Jayasuriya has played 445 ODIs, 110 Tests, and 31 T20Is for Sri Lanka in his 22 years of international career. He has scored more than 20000 runs and also picked up more than 400 wickets. His international career included 42 hundreds and 103 fifties.

#1 Jacques Kallis

2nd One Day International: South Africa v Pakistan

Undisputed No.1 on the list. Arguably the greatest all-rounder of all-time, Jacques Kallis has been sensational for South Africa with both the bat and ball. A consistent run-getter with great technical abilities, Kallis played a key role for South Africa with the ball as well.

He is the only cricketer until now to score 10000 runs in One Day Internationals and Test cricket, and also to pick up 250 wickets in both formats of the game. Kallis has played 166 Tests, 328 ODIs, and 25 T20Is for South Africa.

He has scored 11579 runs in ODIs and picked up 273 wickets. In Tests, Kallis has scored 13289 runs and picked up 292 wickets. Kallis has struck 45 hundreds in Tests and 17 hundred in ODIs. A truly remarkable cricketer.