Ian Botham (1976-1992)

Born 24 November 1955 at Oldfield, Heswall, Cheshire, England
Ian Botham was England’s greatest match-winning all-rounder. This was highlighted by his legendary performances in the 1981 Ashes series. He helped England to improbable wins at Leeds with a blistering century in a follow-on innings and finished the Test at Birmingham with a spell of five wickets for one run.
He then added another quick hundred at Manchester and took ten wickets in the final Test at The Oval to inspire a 3-1 series win. In all, he scored a century and took five wickets in an innings in the same Test on no fewer than five occasions. He was for a while the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket and was also a superb slip fielder. A larger than life character he briefly played league football for Scunthorpe United and became well known for charity walks. He was knighted in 2007.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 102 5200 208 33.54 14 120 383 28.40 8-34 27
ODIs 116 2113 79 23.21 0 36 145 28.54 4-31 0

Geoff Boycott (1964-1982)

Born 21 October 1940 at Fitzwilliam, Yorkshire, England
One of cricket’s great technicians, Geoff Boycott reached the summit of Test run-making during England’s tour to India in 1981/82, passing the record held by Garry Sobers at the time. He was a very determined opening batsman who never gave his wicket away. He was sometimes criticized, and once dropped, for scoring too slowly. He memorably scored his 100th first-class century at his home ground in Leeds during a Test against Australia in 1977.
He captained England in four Tests on the 1977/78 tour to Pakistan and New Zealand. A fiercely proud Yorkshireman, he played well into his forties and made 151 first-class centuries in all as well as becoming the first player to average over 100 in an English season twice. He became a well-known commentator constantly expressing his forthright views. In 2002 he won a tough battle against throat cancer.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 108 8114 246* 47.72 22 33 7 54.57 3-47 0
ODIs 36 1082 105 36.06 1 5 5 21.00 2-14 0

Don Bradman (1928-1948)

Born 27 August 1908 at Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia Died 25 February 2001 at Kensington Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Don Bradman was simply the greatest run machine the game has known. A relatively short man, he was relentless in his pursuit of high scores. He made 12 Test double-centuries and went over 300 twice. He held the record highest score both for Tests (334) and first-class cricket (452*). His 29 Test centuries stood as the world record for many years, and he is the only man to score 100 first-class centuries without appearing in county cricket.
It is unlikely that anyone will approach his Test batting average of 99.94. Famously, he was dismissed for a duck by Eric Hollies in his final Test innings at The Oval in 1948 when he needed just four to maintain his career average over 100. He was a shrewd captain and involved for many years in cricket administration. He was knighted soon after retiring from playing.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 52 6996 334 99.94 29 32 2 36.00 1-8 0

Ian Chappell (1964-1980)

Born 26 September 1943 at Unley, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
A highly determined competitor, Ian Chappell was one of Australia’s most notable captains. As a middle-order batsman he was known more for his grit than his elegance and was a particularly good hooker of the ball. He captained the team in 30 Tests between 1971 and 1975.
In a Test match against New Zealand at Wellington in 1974 he and his brother Greg remarkably both scored two centuries in the match. A man who did not always see eye-to-eye with the administrators of the day, he was an influential figure in World Series cricket. He was also a fine slip fielder and useful leg-spin bowler. He spent many years as a knowledgeable and outspoken TV commentator.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 75 5345 196 42.42 14 105 20 65.80 2-21 0
ODIs 16 673 86 48.07 0 5 2 11.50 2-14 0

Greg Chappell (1970-1984)

Born 7 August 1948 at Unley, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
A member of one of Australia’s most notable cricket-playing families, Greg Chappell was a graceful right-handed batsman and useful medium-pacer. The grandson of Test cricketer Vic Richardson, he followed his brother Ian into the Australian Test team. Another brother Trevor also played for Australia. Shortly before retiring he passed Don Bradman’s record to become the leading run-scorer in Tests for Australia.
He became Australia’s captain in 1975/76, replacing his brother, and captained the team in 48 Tests until 1983 except for a two-year break when he as involved with Kerry Packer’s World Series. He was also one of the best slip fielders the game has known, being the first man to hold seven catches in a Test match and on retirement he held the world record for most catches by a fielder in Tests with 122.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 87 7110 247* 53.86 24 122 47 40.70 5-61 1
ODIs 74 2331 138* 40.18 3 23 72 29.12 5-15 2

Denis Compton (1937-1957)

Born 23 May 1918 at Hendon, Middlesex, England Died 23 April 1997 at Windsor, Berkshire, England
Denis Compton was an attractive batsman, particularly famous for his sweep shot. He was also a great character, well known for his Brylcream advertisements, who captured the imagination of a legion of English cricket supporters. He formed a great partnership with Bill Edrich for Middlesex and England and in 1947 he set records for most runs (3 816) and most centuries in a first-class season (18).
He scored the fastest triple-century in first-class cricket in just 180 minutes playing for MCC against North-Eastern Transvaal at Benoni in 1949. He also had some success with his left-arm wrist-spin bowling taking over 600 first-class wickets. A talented sportsman, he played soccer for Arsenal and appeared in wartime matches for England. His brother Leslie also played soccer for Arsenal and England and cricket for Middlesex for many years.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 78 5807 278 50.06 17 49 25 56.40 5-70 1

Colin Cowdrey (1954-1975)

Born 24 December 1932 at Bangalore, Karnataka, India Died 4 December 2000 at Angmering Park, Littlehampton, Sussex, England
A stylish middle-order player, Colin Cowdrey was particularly well known for his cover-drive. He was the first player to appear in 100 Tests and passed Wally Hammond to become Test cricket’s leading run-scorer. He also passed Hammond’s record for most catches in Test cricket and captained England in 27 Tests.
In 1963 he came into bat in the final over of a Test against West Indies at Lord’s with his arm in plaster, although he did not have to face a ball as the game ended in a draw. At the age of 42 he was recalled to the England squad in 1974/75 to face the rampant Australian fast bowling attack of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. He became President of the MCC and Chairman of the ICC and was knighted for his services to the game in 1992 and made a life peer in 1997.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 114 7624 182 44.06 22 120 0 - - 0
ODIs 1 1 1 1.00 0 0 0 - - 0

Kapil Dev (1978-1994)

Born 6 January 1959 at Chandigarh, Punjab, India
Kapil Dev was a swashbuckling all-rounder. He was the first genuinely successful fast bowler produced by India and went on to become the leading wicket-taker in Test cricket. He was particularly skillful in his use of swing. His best bowling of 9-83 came against West Indies at Ahmedabad in 1983, the first captain to take nine wickets in a Test innings.
With the bat he was a natural striker of the ball who scored his runs quickly, once saving the follow-on in a Test match at Lord’s by hitting four consecutive sixes off Eddie Hemmings with number 11 at the other end. As captain he led India to a surprise win in the 1983 World Cup. During that World Cup he played his most famous innings, rescuing India from 17-5 against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells with 175*. In all, he captained the team in 34 Tests and 74 ODIs.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 131 5248 163 31.05 8 64 434 29.64 9-83 23

ODIs 225 3783 175* 23.79 1 71 253 27.45 5-43 1

Sunil Gavaskar (1971-1987)

Born 10 July 1949 at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
One of the game’s great opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar was the first player to reach 10 000 Test runs and held the world record for most centuries for many years. A short man with an excellent technique, he made an immediate impact on Test cricket when he scored 774 runs at an average of 154.80 in his first series against West Indies in 1971.
He was the first player to score two centuries in a Test match on three separate occasions. He was the first Indian fielder to take 100 Test catches and he captained India in a then record 47 Tests and also 37 ODIs. In retirement he served as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee as well as being a TV commentator.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 125 10122 236 * 51.12 34 108 1 206.00 1-34 0
ODIs 108 3092 103 * 35.13 1 22 1 25.00 1-10 0

Lance Gibbs (1958-1976)

Born 29 September 1934 at Queenstown, Georgetown, Demerara, Guyana
Lance Gibbs was a tall off-spinner who became Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker when he passed Fred Trueman in 1976. He was the first spinner to hold this record. He had an unorthodox action but could get the ball to drift away from the right-hander and used spin and bounce to great effect.
He could bowl very long spells and was extremely economical conceding less than two runs per over in his Test career. His best Test bowling figures were 8-38 against India at Bridgetown in 1962 which included a remarkable spell of 8-6 in 15.3 overs with 14 maidens. He played county cricket for Warwickshire between 1968 and 1973, taking 131 wickets at an average of 18.89 in 1971. He was a cousin of West Indies great Clive Lloyd.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 79 488 25 6.97 0 52 309 29.09 8-38 18

ODIs 3 0 0 * - 0 0 2 29.50 1-12 0

Graham Gooch (1975-1995)

Born 23 July 1953 at Whipps Cross, Leytonstone, Essex, England
Graham Gooch was a prolific opening batsman for England. A big hard-hitting batsman he played for England for 20 years, and captained them in 34 Tests and 50 ODIs. He retired as England’s leading run-scorer in Tests. He was also a useful medium-pace bowler and fine fielder. In a Test against India at Lord’s in 1990 he scored 333 and 123 becoming the first player to score a triple-century and a century in the same first-class match.
His finest Test innings came when he carried his bat to score 154* out of 252 and lead England to a rare victory over West Indies at Leeds in 1991. He played county cricket for Essex for many years and scored over 44 000 first-class and 22 000 limited overs runs in total including 128 first-class centuries.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 118 8900 333 42.58 20 103 23 46.47 3-39 0
ODIs 125 4290 142 36.98 8 45 36 42.11 3-19 0

David Gower (1978-1992)

Born 1 April 1957 at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England
An elegant and entertaining left-hander, David Gower looked the part of a quality international batsman from the moment he pulled the first ball he faced in Test cricket for four against Pakistan at Birmingham in 1978. In 1985 he led England to a 3-1 Ashes series win over Australia. In that series he scored a career best 215 at Birmingham, one of his two Test double-centuries.
He went on to pass Geoffrey Boycott’s 8 114 runs to become England’s leading run-scorer in Tests. In all, he captained his country in 32 Tests and 24 ODIs. He was also a fine cover fielder in his youth and went on to become a well-known TV commentator after retiring from playing.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 117 8231 215 44.25 18 74 1 20.00 1-1 0
ODIs 114 3170 158 30.77 7 44 0 - - 0

WG Grace (1880-1899)

Born 18 July 1848 at Downend, Bristol, England Died 23 October 1915 at Mottingham, Kent, England
WG (William Gilbert) Grace was the father of modern cricket. Tall, strong and famously bearded his play was far advanced from those of his contemporaries. He compiled the first two triple-centuries in first-class cricket and was the first man to score 100 first-class centuries. His Test cricket was limited as he played in an era in which there was little international cricket, but he made his mark with 152 on debut against Australia at The Oval in 1880.
He played first-class cricket for 43 years from 1865 to 1908, scoring over 54 000 runs and taking over 2 800 wickets with his round-arm mostly slow medium-pace bowling. He was a medical doctor by profession and almost certainly the highest paid ‘amateur’ sportsman of all-time. He came from a great cricketing family and his brothers EM and Fred both played for Gloucestershire for many years as well as appearing in Test cricket.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 22 1098 170 32.29 2 39 9 26.22 2-12 0

Tom Graveney (1951-1969)

Born 16 June 1927 at Riding Mill, Northumberland, England
Tom Graveney was a graceful middle-order, and occasional opening, batsman who was a pleasure to watch. His execution of front-foot shots was particularly attractive. He was also a reliable slip fielder and occasional leg-spin bowler. Against West Indies at Nottingham in 1957 he scored 258, which was his highest Test score.
He captained England in one Test against Australia in 1968 when Colin Cowdrey was unavailable. He played over 700 first-class matches mostly for Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, scoring over 47 000 runs with 122 centuries. He was President of the MCC in 2005. His brother Ken and nephew David both played many years of first-class cricket.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 79 4882 258 44.38 11 80 1 167.00 1-34 0

Gordon Greenidge (1974-1991)

Born 1 May 1951 at Black Bess, St Peter, Barbados
Gordon Greenidge was a destructive opening batsman. On Test debut he scored 93 and 107 against India at Bangalore in 1974. At Lord’s in 1984 he led West Indies to a memorable nine wicket victory smashing 214* when West Indies were set 342 in less than a day to win. In ODIs his average of over 45 is one of the highest in the world.
With Desmond Haynes he formed one of the most successful opening pairs. Together they made 16 first wicket century partnerships in Tests and 15 in ODIs, both establishing world records. He also opened with Barry Richards for Hampshire for many years. He did some coaching after retirement, and performed this role for Bangladesh at the 1999 World Cup.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 108 7558 226 44.72 19 96 0 - - 0
ODIs 128 5134 133* 45.03 11 45 1 45.00 1-21 0

Richard Hadlee (1972-1990)

Born 3 July 1951 at St Albans, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Richard Hadlee was New Zealand’s best all-rounder. One of the finest exponents of fast-medium bowling the game has seen he became Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker. He became particularly successful when he shortened his run-up and concentrated on impeccable control. His Test wickets came at a rate of more than five per Test.
His best bowling was in the Test against Australia at Brisbane in 1985 when he took 15-123 in the match including 9-52 in the first innings. He was also a hard-hitting batsman and one of the few men to complete the double of 3 000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. Playing for Nottinghamshire in 1984 he completed a carefully planned and well executed double of 1 000 runs and 100 wickets in the first-class season. He was knighted shortly before his final Test match in 1990.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 86 3124 151* 27.16 2 39 431 22.29 9-52 36

ODIs 115 1751 79 21.61 0 27 158 21.56 5-25 5

Wally Hammond (1927-1947)

Born 19 June 1903 at Buckland, Dover, Kent, England Died 1 July 1965 at Kloof, Natal, South Africa
Wally Hammond was one of the greatest batsmen the game has seen, in addition to being a fine medium-fast bowler and great slip fielder. His batting style was powerful and authoritative. He set a world record for the highest score in Test cricket when he made 336* against New Zealand at Auckland in 1933, an innings that included a then record 10 sixes.
His finest Test innings was probably the 240 he made against Australia at Lord’s in 1938. In the 1928/29 series against Australia he scored 905 runs at an average of 113.12 in five Tests. He captained England in 20 of his Tests. His final Test aggregates for both runs and catches set world records. His bowling was useful and nippy and he took over 700 first-class wickets. In all first-class cricket he took scored over 50 000 runs and took 800 catches.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 85 7249 336* 58.45 22 110 83 37.80 5-36 2

Neil Harvey (1948-1963)

Born 8 October 1928 at Fitzroy, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Neil Harvey was an attractive left-hander who made his Test debut at the age of 19. A short man he was particularly good at the cut and hook. His footwork against spinners was excellent He was a superb fielder especially in the covers. His fielding skills were developed from playing as a baseball infielder.
He bowled occasional off-spin. In the 1952/53 series against South Africa he scored 834 runs at an average of 92.66 in the five Tests including a career best of 205 at Melbourne. He captained Australia once in 1961 when Richie Benaud was injured. He was an Australian selector between 1967 and 1979.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 79 6149 205 48.41 21 64 3 40.00 1-8 0

George Headley (1930-1954)

Born 30 May 1909 at Colon, Panama Died 30 November 1983 at Meadowbridge, Kingston, Jamaica
One of the very few players to have a batting average over 60 in Test cricket, George Headley was the first great West Indies batsman. He was born in Panama but moved to Jamaica at the age of 10. He was a short man who was a master of back-foot strokes particularly the cut and played the ball very late. His first Test series was against England in 1930 and he scored 703 runs at an average of 87.87 in four matches including four centuries. His highest Test score of 270* came against England at Kingston in 1935. In first-class cricket he had a batting average of 69.86 with a best of 344* for Jamaica against Lord Tennyson’s XI at Kingston in 1932. His son Ron (West Indies) and grandson Dean (England) both played Test cricket, making the family the first to have three generations of international cricketers.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I
Tests 22 2190 270* 60.83 10 14 0 - - 0

Rohan Kanhai (1957-1975)

Born 26 December 1935 at Port Mourant, Berbice, Guyana
Rohan Kanhai was a flamboyant stroke-maker with a penchant for the unorthodox. His ‘falling over’ hook shot was the most famous example of this. His best Test score of 256 came against India at Calcutta in 1958/59. He played county cricket with much success for Warwickshire from 1968 to 1977.
He set a then world record for the 2nd wicket in first-class cricket of 465* with John Jameson for Warwickshire against Gloucestershire at Birmingham in 1974. He also appeared in domestic first-class cricket in Australia and South Africa. In his early career he was a part-time wicket-keeper. He captained West Indies 13 times in Tests. He was West Indies coach between 1992 and 1995.
M Runs HS Avg 100 Ct Wkts Avg BB 5I

Tests 79 6227 256 47.53 15 50 0 - - 0

ODIs 7 164 55 54.66 0 4 0 - - 0