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Sometimes referred to as the 'bits and pieces' players, the all-rounders' group is an elite one. Defying the 'specialists' in the team, the members of this group make their presence felt through handy contributions in more than one department. They gel the batting and bowling orders together by offering uniformity that may have lacked, otherwise
Not all players have the privilege of being gifted with this truly unique skill level. Only a handful among these have actually moved on to become greats of the game. In this list, we delve into the illustrious careers of these stalwarts: the greatest all-rounders the game has given birth to.
10. Andrew Flintoff (England)
Renowned as "Freddie" Flintoff, Andrew Flintoff was a raw talent that was really unearthed in the 2000's. He had this fearless attitude towards the game. A streaky player who could get on a roll and bowl at sheer pace in high 140's. He would, more often than not, compliment this with a hard-hitting show lower down the batting order.
Flintoff is known for his heroics in the Ashes'05 in which he amassed 402 runs and topped it off with a tally of 24 wickets in the series. He carried England across the victory line, ensuring their first Ashes victory since the summer of 1986-87.
With 8 centuries, a career average edging 31 and the wickets' column touching the 400-mark, Flintoff is definitely one of the greatest all-rounders that have played the game.
9. Keith Miller (Australia)
Australia's Keith Miller is famed as being the first genuine all-rounder to feature in Test Cricket. Emerging in the post-world war era, Miller attained stardom through his fast-bowling partnership with Ray Lindwall.
His wickets tally of a modest 170 scalps may not recognize him as one of the greats, but it must be noted that his career was severely hampered and even halted by World War II.
Miller racked up 2958 runs in the 87 innings he batted: comprising of 7 tons and 13 half-centuries. He was known as an adept batsman who could adapt to any sort of game situation, at hand.
8. Tony Greig (England)
Tony Greig was a legendary English cricketer who gained greater recognition during his prolonged commentary stint post-retirement. Born in Queenstown in South Africa, Greig was a giant of a player; towering to a staggering 6 feet 6 inches in height.
Greig notched up 8 centuries while representing England in Test Cricket, scoring them at a wonderful 40.43. He also boasted an uncanny ability of bowling both medium-pacers as well as right-arm off breaks that assisted him in securing 141 scalps in his career.
7. Shaun Pollock (South Africa)
Shaun Pollock is a South African veteran acknowledged as one of the finest bowling all-rounders ever materialized. The fact that he's still the joint leading wicket-taker for South Africa in Tests and their highest wicket-taker in ODIs, speaks volumes of the guy's expertise with the two cherries.
Pollock was extremely useful with the bat, too, chipping in with crucial runs. His career average of 32.31 in Tests and 26.45 in ODIs is terrific for a bowling all-rounder and is, in fact, right up there with the likes of Freddie Flintoff.
6. Ian Botham (England)
More popularly known as "Beefy" in the cricketing fraternity, Ian Botham is undoubtedly one of the stalwarts of the game. He is best known for his Ashes 1981's heroism that salvaged England. Through individual brilliance, he single-handedly took England to a 3-1 series victory; a series that was later nicknamed as "Botham's Ashes".
At that speck of time, Botham was the fastest cricketer to both 1,000 Test runs as well 100 Test wickets. He averaged just a shade over 33.5 in Test Cricket, coupled with the 383 wickets he took at 28.40, in the format.
5. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand)
Richard Hadlee, without a feather's doubt, is New Zealand's most exalted player, till date. He is famed as a bowling all-rounder and rightly so.
Hadlee took 431 Test wickets (a world record at that time) and he did so at an incredible career average of 22.29. In his heyday, he would rattle even the best batting line ups in the business.
Despite his extreme workload in the pace battery, Hadlee almost always chipped in with the bat, as suggested by his career-spanning average of over 27. He was a real asset for Kiwis' Cricket for a pretty long time.
4. Kapil Dev (India)
Kapil Dev is esteemed as the greatest all-rounder and the greatest fast-bowler to represent India. In a celebrated career that lasted 16 years, Dev earned the reputation of being a consistently-performing pacer and a hard striker with the bat.
After Hadlee, he became only the 2nd bowler ever to register 400 Test wickets, ending at 434 which became a world record at that time. He also has 8 centuries under his belt with a sterling average of 31.
The most distinguished moment in his career came in 1983 when he rescued India from a massive upset against Zimbabwe and then led them to their first-ever World Cup victory.
3. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
Imran Khan is pretty much the face of Pakistan Cricket from the 80's and early 90's. A true fighter that defied odds and critics to reach the ultimate stages of glory.
Khan was a fearsome bowler, generating sheer pace and was an absolute maestro when it came to reverse swing bowling. He took 362 Test wickets at an outstanding average of just over 22.
He was a prolific batsman, too with 6 Test centuries to his name at a career average of over 37. It was Khan's impeccably inspirational captaincy that led an impoverished Pakistani team to their first World Cup triumph in 1992.
2. Jacques Kallis (South Africa)
Undeniably, South Africa's Jacques Kallis is the greatest all-rounder of the modern age. Classical with the bat and clinical with the ball is probably the fittest description that suits this legend.
His 24,000-plus runs in International Cricket would refer to him as a genuine batting all-rounder. Throughout his glorious career, Kallis maintained such class and eminence to his game that few are known for. His remarkable Test average of 55.37 surpasses those of all-time batting champions e.g. Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting.
Kallis was equally influential with the ball, too. He took 292 wickets with the red cherry while also trapping 273 preys in the ODI format. He was a true genius and an even better sportsman.
1. Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
Windies' Garfield Sobers is to all-rounders what Aussies' Don Bradman is to batters. The unparalleled, uncontested greatest all-rounder to ever play this beautiful game. Sobers was a specialist both with the bat and with the ball in hand.
He was exceptionally versatile with the ball. To go with his usual fast-medium bowling, Sobers would occasionally bowl two different kinds of spin bowling: wrist spin and left-arm orthodox. Collectively, these earned him 235 wickets at a career average of under 35.
Sobers' elegance with the bat, though, was beyond description. He racked up 8032 runs for West Indies in the longest format that came at an extraordinary 57.78 and comprised of 26 tons. One of the highlights of his career was the unbeaten 365* against Pakistan in 1958 that remained the highest score for more than three and a half decades.
To top it up, Sobers was an enterprising skipper and an athletic fielder who could pull off specks of brilliance anywhere in the field.
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