Top 5 Cricket Players of All Time

Cricket is one of the oldest games, and as a result, it has a huge fan base, and the number keeps increasing especially after the introduction of various kinds of technology to the game. More significant to the sport than the fans are the players, the people that make cricket what it is. Just like basketball, American football and even hockey, some players make their mark in that they are forever remembered, and they include the following.

WG Grace
Aside from the Royal family and other political big names, WG Grace is the other name that always finds a way of popping up, especially in cricket history. His appearance on the field was very unique, and no one could not miss recognizing his massive beard. Grace was the first-ever international sports celebrity, and his name dominated for a while until Babe Ruth made a statement in baseball.

WG Grace started as a batsman from the age of 16, and in 1871, his years of dominance in cricket began. That year, he hit 2,739 runs making an average of 78.90. Only one other player had hit over 1000 runs that year. Over a century after his death, the name has not been forgotten. Many still look up to him as a sport's role model.

Donald Bradman
Among cricket outliers, the name Donald Bradman will never be forgotten. With over 70 years since he retired, his 99.94 average batting record is still a record that only one cricketer has been able to break. The bar has been set so high that the next player on the list is around 40 runs behind. His career has a total of 80 batting innings contributing to his outstanding average. Though Mike Powell did break the record in 1991, Bradman's record is the longest to have lived in the history of cricket.

Shane Warne
If one wants to talk about charisma in cricket, this would not be possible without mentioning Shane Warne. Leg spinning has never been cooler than Mr. Warne. The Australian player is among other notable leg spinners such as Benaud, Grimmett, and O'Reilly, but his dominance began in the 1990s. Warne started as a struggling player with only 26 notable wickets, with 15 of them being in his homeland. In the next 40 tests, he obtained 200 plus wickets, which marked his test debut. Sadly, in 1996, he had a finger operation followed by a shoulder operation in 1998 that meant a slow-down for his career.

Garry Sobers
Garry Sobers was a man of many talents. From bat to ball, one would always find him at his best. He could even bowl, seam and spin significantly, making him a quadruple threat. The trick was, however, not in what he did but how well he did it. During his career years, he earned the name, 'the best batsman in the world' and also the finest stroke-player. Though other players came close to his bowling record, his versatility has not been seen since his time.

Jacques Kallis
Kallis had a wavy career, but this did not stop him from striving to be among the best whenever he could. He started as an under-rated player but later became the best in his time, sharing the cricketing limelight with the likes of Lara, Ponting, and Tendulkar. With the other three retiring before him, Jacques Kallis dominated the batting world for a while before having several challenges towards the end of his career.

Conclusion
There's no doubt that cricket has had some notable names in its history and this has served to increase its popularity as well as inspire other cricket players. Setting and maintaining a sports record is a dream for most players, and some cricket players have had this dream come true.