The pocket-sized dynamites: 10 shortest cricketers of all time

The following list comprises of the shortest cricketers ever to have played international cricket. Other notable names have not been included because either they are few centimetres taller than the player at number 10 on the list, Syd Gregory (164 cms), or don’t have records of their confirmed height.

Notable names missing are: Sachin Tendulkar (165 cm, 5 ft 5in) Sunil Gavaskar (165 cm, 5 ft 5in), Hanif Mohammad (168 cm, 5ft 6in) and Willie Quaife (unconfirmed).

From Napoleon Bonaparte to Mahatma Gandhi, from Pablo Picasso to Tom Cruise – the world is full of stories of great men who, despite their short physical stature, have stood tall amongst their taller contemporaries and have made the world take notice of their exemplary talents.

Even when it comes to sports, and especially cricket, shortness of height has never prevented a player from rising to greatness. In fact, over the years, the game of cricket has seen its share of diminutive men, who not only have competed with their taller counterparts, but have also surpassed them to become cricketing giants for their countries.

So let us have a look at a list of 10 shortest cricketers of all time to play international cricket.

10) Sydney Edward Gregory

Height – 5 feet 5 inches (164 cm)

Syd Gregory was born on the site where the Sydney Cricket Ground is presently located. He played 58 Tests for Australia from 1890 to 1912, of which a record 52 were against England. A right handed batsman from New South Wales, Gregory possessed brilliant footwork and holds the distinction of scoring Australia’s first double hundred in Test cricket, an innings of 201 against England at SCG in 1894.

He is also one of only three cricketers to have batted in every position of the batting order, from one to eleven, in his Test career (the other two are Wilfred Rhodes and Vinoo Mankad). An outstanding fielder too, Gregory was renowned for his clever anticipations, clean pick-ups and deadly accuracy from the cover-point position.

9) Alvin Kallicharan

Height - 5 feet 5 inches

Alvin Isaac Kallicharan was a perfect example of the adage ‘All good things do come in small packages’. When on song, Kallicharan was a delight to watch, and is arguably one of the most elegant left-handed batsmen of all time.

Gifted with perfect balance and poise, Kallicharan was nimble on his feet, and possessed a wide range of strokes. He was the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1974 and was also a part of two World Cup winning sides for West Indies in 1975 and 1979.

8) Tatenda Taibu

Height - 5 feet 4 inches

Tatenda Taibu would have been a star if he had taken birth in a different country. For long considered the perfect successor to Andy Flower, Taibu made his international debut in 2001 against West Indies. Following Heath Streak’s resignation in 2004, Taibu was appointed captain of Zimbabwe, making him the youngest Test captain in history, and the first black Test captain for Zimbabwe.

A world-class wicketkeeper and a more than handy batsman, Taibu ended his career as fourth highest run-getter for Zimbabwe in ODI cricket. He even turned his arm over with decent accuracy, once becoming the first designated wicketkeeper to take his side’s first wicket in a Test.

In 2005, after a string of poor performances of the national side under his captaincy, he announced his resignation from captaincy and retirement from international cricket. In 2006, he played a season as captain of Namibia and in 2007, turned up once again to play for Zimbabwe before finally retiring from all forms of cricket in 2012.

7) Gundappa Vishwanath

Height - 5 feet 4 inches

If Sunil Gavaskar was the master blaster for India in the 70s, then Gundappa Vishwanath was the erudite artist. With a late-cut to die for, Vishwanath’s delightful wrist-work made his batting a treat to eye. When in full flow, Vishwanath’s batting was poetry in motion. He was equally good against both pace and spin, and had the ability to use his feet against the spinners with great dexterity.

Vishwanath thrived on situations where his team’s back was against the wall, and often single-handedly won games for India. His match winning innings of 97 against a fiery West Indies attack in Madras in 1974-75 and another innings of 124 against West Indies at the same venue in 1978-79, are some of his best knocks. Apart from his batting triumphs, Vishwanath was a gentleman who played the game in its true spirit.

6) David Boon

Height - 5 feet 3 inches

With a rotund frame and a peculiar moustache, David Boon is one of Tasmania’s greatest sons. Not the most elegant batsman to have played cricket, Boon made up for the lack of grace with his stoical and resilient batting. He played a major role in Australia’s Ashes win in 1989, and also played a match-winning role in final of the 1987 World Cup final against England, where he scored 75 and bagged the Man of the Match award.

He was also voted the International Cricketer of the Year in 1987. In a career that spanned 17 years, Boon played over 100 Tests for Australia, scoring 7422 runs with an average of just a shade under 44.

5) Parthiv Patel

Height - 5 feet 3 inches

When Parthiv Patel led India on to the stage at an awards ceremony in London in 2002, many people mistook him as the team’s mascot. Making his Test debut at a tender age of 17, Patel was tiny even for his age. But he did reasonably well on his Test debut, scoring an unbeaten 19 and helping India salvage a draw against England at Trent Bridge.

He performed splendidly in the home series against West Indies in 2002-03, but later due to a slump in form and emergence of other keepers like MS Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik, he was sidelined from India’s ODI and Test squads. But a run of good scores in domestic cricket and ‘A’ tours ensured that Patel earned a call-up to India’s Test squad in 2008.

4) Mushfiqur Rahim

Height - 5 feet 3 inches

Mushfiqur Rahim might be one of shortest cricketers in world cricket at the moment, but he is surely one of the grittiest cricketers Bangladesh has ever produced. A technically sound wicket-keeper and a versatile batsman who could bat at any number from 1 to 6, Mushfiqur burst into international cricket in 2005 against England at Lord’s, becoming the youngest player ever to make his debut at the Mecca of cricket.

A consistent performer in an inconsistent Bangladesh side, Mushfiqur was appointed captain of Bangladesh in 2011. In 2013, he became the first player to score a double century for Bangladesh in Test cricket when he scored 200 off 321 balls against Sri Lanka at Galle.

3) Alfred Percy Freeman

Height - 5 feet 2 inches

Standing at just 5 feet 2 inches, Alfred Percy Freeman, also known as “Tich Freeman”, is one of the greatest leg-break bowlers of all time. Although a tiny man by stature, Freeman’s achievements are massive.

He holds numerous records in first-class cricket that include taking 300 wickets in a single English season, taking 1673 wickets in six consecutive seasons from 1928 to 1933 (with over 250 wickets in each season), taking 10 wickets in an innings on three occasions, taking seventeen wickets in a match twice and ten or more wickets in a match on 140 occasions.

He played 592 first-class games, taking 3776 wickets with an average of 18.42. He also played 12 Tests for England, capturing 66 wickets at 25.86.

2) Walter Latter Cornford

Height - 5 feet

Walter Latter Cornford, also known as “Tich Cornford”, was a tiny man with a big heart. A wicket-keeper batsman from Sussex, Conford was known more for his wicket-keeping than his batting. Playing for Sussex, he played a role in 953 dismissals – 639 caught and 314 stumped- and scored 6327 runs with an average of 14.61.

What made him stand out from the rest was the fact that despite his short height, he stood right up to the stumps for all bowlers including the medium-fast bowlers. He represented England in four Tests, all against New Zealand, and in his fourth and final Test, he kept wickets in the game that resulted in the highest number of extras conceded in an innings at the time. England conceded 57 extra – 31 byes, 16 leg-byes and 10 no-balls – a distinction which Conford wouldn’t be proud of.

1) Kruger van Wyk

Height - 4 feet 9 inches

A quick look at Cornelius Francoius Kruger van Wyk’s profile on Wikipedia shows that he is 1.45 meters tall (4 feet 9 inches), making him the shortest cricketer in the 136-year-old history of Test cricket. Yes, only 1.45 meters! Technically, that’s equivalent to Great Khali’s height, waist down!

Born and raised in Wolmaransstad, South Africa, van Wyk is a wicket-keeper batsman who first started playing cricket for Northerns in 2000-01 and was touted to replace Mark Boucher in South Africa’s side. But Boucher’s strong hold on the position meant that van Wyk had to move to New Zealand to fulfill his dream of becoming a Test cricketer.

He started playing for Canterbury Wizards in 2006 and a season later, he was appointed the captain of Canterbury Wizards when he also led them to the State Championship title. His consistency was rewarded when he earned a call-up to New Zealand’s national side to play Zimbabwe in a one off Test in 2012. Since his debut, he has played 9 Tests for New Zealand, scoring 341 runs with an average of 21.31.

Note: The list comprises of the shortest cricketers ever to have played international cricket. Other notable names have not been included because either they are few centimeters taller than the player at number 10 on the list, Syd Gregory (164 cms), or don’t have records of their confirmed height.

Notable names missing are: Sachin Tendulkar (165 cm) Sunil Gavaskar (165 cm), Hanif Mohammad (168 cm) and Willie Quaife (unconfirmed)

If you think we missed out a certain player or want to report any anomalies, please mention it in the comments section below!

Read more about the Shortest Players of All Time.