Cricket has been played in Australia since the 18th century, and it’s now one of the most popular sports in the country. In fact, it’s so popular that it’s often considered the national sport. While cricketers from other countries are known all over the world, the Aussies have their own set of stars who excel at cricketing. Here’s our list of the top 10 cricketers in the world.
1) MS Dhoni
He plays for India, is a specialist wicketkeeper and he captained India’s national cricket team until 2015. He made his international debut in 2004 and has since played in over 90 matches, including 69 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 27 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). In 2007, he led India to their first ICC ODI tournament win at home. Dhoni is one of only three players to have captained in more than two ICC Cricket World Cups.
2) AB de Villiers
An explosive left-handed batsman, de Villiers has an unusual grip on his bat that allows him to play balls to all parts of the field. In 2015, he scored a half-century in fewer than 20 balls against West Indies. He became South Africa’s Test captain in 2014 and One Day International (ODI) captain in 2015.
3) Virat Kohli
A destructive opening batsman with a tendency to dominate bowling attacks, Virat Kohli has quickly become one of India’s most reliable cricketers. The Indian skipper is known for his explosive batting and aggressive fielding, making him a key player for both India and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He made headlines during India’s recent tour against South Africa when he became their fastest batsman to reach 4000 ODI runs.
4) James Anderson
This English all-rounder is one of England’s most formidable cricketers. He is a high-quality bowler, capable of taking wickets with his orthodox and swing bowling alike. Apart from being an asset with the ball, he has also shown that he can be useful as a batsman in recent years. Anderson has won numerous awards, including both Player and Cricketer of The Year awards in 2009.
5) Joe Root
Joe Root is one of England’s finest batsmen. A solid, well-built player, Joe Root has become a key figure in England’s Test and One Day International (ODI) teams. He first played for his country in 2011, but it was not until 2013 that he really hit his stride with some prolific performances against India.
6) R Ashwin
Ashwin is an Indian cricketer who currently represents Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket. He plays for Chennai Super Kings in IPL and India national cricket team in all formats.
7) Kane Williamson
New Zealand’s Kane Williamson is also known as one of cricket’s greatest batsmen. He made his international debut in 2010 and since then has gone on to be New Zealand’s most successful run-scorer, with an impressive total of 5,844 runs across formats. In 2016, he scored a century in all three formats – ODI, Test and T20I – during a single tour against West Indies.
8) Ravindra Jadeja
Admittedly, it may seem strange to see an Indian player in a list of great cricketers. Jadeja has, however, shown that he can be one of cricket’s best all-rounders. He is a capable batsman who averages more than 30 with both bat and ball and has one Twenty20 century to his name already. While Jadeja is still at an early stage in his career, he looks set to have a long and successful international career.
9) Dale Steyn
As a right-arm fast bowler, Dale Steyn has taken 339 wickets at an average of 22.64 since his debut in 2004; he has taken five-wicket hauls 21 times in test matches, and holds a number of South African bowling records. He is widely regarded as one of cricket’s best bowlers.
10) David Warner
One of Australia’s most talented batsmen, Warner has taken his game to new heights over recent years. He is one of only two Australian cricketers ever to reach 3,000 runs in a calendar year and has won five Man-of-the-Match awards during 2017.
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