The CricketWeb comprehensive list of ALL TIME GREATS (ATGs) discussion

[Majestic]

What about the below giants of the game?

AB de Villiers
Hashim Amla
Martin Crowe
Robin Uthappa
Younis Khan
Inzamam ul haq

 

[TheJediBrah]

Robin Uthappa for sure

 

[Pap Finn Keighl]

I’ve added Pollock. Sanga and Dravid are listed with the #3s

Not sure Stokes and Flintoff are quite there but open to debate

Mike Procter

 

[subshakerz]

Well, I'm in iso on NYE so what else can I do?

My criteria for an ATG might be different to others, but I think any player who wouldn't look completely out of place in most nation's ATG XI deserves the accolade. It's quite exclusive, therefore. Here they are:

Openers

Hutton
Hobbs
Gavaskar
Boycott
Gooch
Sehwag
Greenidge
Lawry
Simpson
B.Richards
Hayden
Smith
Cook

Number 3s (there's obviously a bit of give here because Bradman)

Bradman
Sangakkara
Ponting
Dravid
Williamson
Kanhai
Lara
V.Richards
Hammond

Middle order bats

Tendulkar
S.Waugh
Kallis
Border
Yousuf
Kohli
Pietersen
Clarke
Hussey
Smith
Compton
G.Chappell
Flower
Gower
Weekes
Worrell
Walcott
Harvey
May
Barrington
Lloyd
Trumper
G.Pollock
Root

All Rounders

Sobers
Botham
Imran
Kapil
Kallis
Faulkner
Miller
Shakib

Quicks

Marshall
McGrath
Ambrose
Wasim
Waqar
Holding
Roberts
Garner
Lindwall
Davidson
Lillee
Trueman
Hadlee
Steyn
Donald
Pollock

Spinners

Warne
Murali
OReilly
Grimmett
Ashwin
Benaud
Tayfield

Keepers

Gilchrist
Knott
Ames
Healy
Waite
Kirmani
Bari
Oldfield

This is waaaaay too many ATGs for me. A lot of those are players who are greats/national greats but not ATGs. ATG is elite of the elite.

To be an ATG, I would say you would need the following:

- To have worldclass career statistics over a significant period of time/stretch of a career

- To be consistently rated among the top two/three in the world for a decent part of your career

- To be universally recognized and compared with the greatest of other eras by the end of your career

As stated before, I consider someone an ATG who I would realistically shortlist for consideration for an ATG XI. So its by definition a small pool.

 

[h_hurricane]

Javed Miandad is one obvious miss.
Herbert Sutcliffe and Sydney Barnes belong there too.

 

[Flametree]

Yes, I think very few people would pick Boycott ahead of Sutcliffe in their England all time side...

 

[Red]

Yeh, no drama. As I said, I had a few oversights. Sutcliffe is one.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Headley and Younis Khan?

 

[_00_deathscar]

Where’s Jadeja?

 

[CricAddict]

You’re more than welcome to discuss why you think they deserve inclusion

All-round records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

You have Pollock and Imran from this list in your atg list. So Jadeja too deserves to be there on merit. And it is not as if he is a htb. He has proved himself in all conditions.

 

[a massive zebra]

Are English spinners banned? I'd put Laker and Verity above all the spinners on your list except the top three. Underwood is also a serious ATG contender.

Also how is Sutcliffe not an ATG opener? I'd put him top 4 of all time.

George Headley and Dudley Nourse should be in the number 3 category.

Graeme Pollock, Javed Miandad and Younis Khan in middle order bats.

If you are including Trumper, I see no reason to exclude other old timers like WG, Ranji, Barnes, Lohmann and Blackham. They had similar reputations to Trumper but some of them were statistically more impressive.

 

[bagapath]

if trumper is in (he should definitely be) then clem hill belongs here too...

 

[Gob]

Trying to think of some kiwis to add because Fuller Pilch will come in here with a vengeance

Martin Crowe?

Chris Harris

 

[bagapath]

Martin Crowe chose his top 50 cricketers (not just test cricket I guess coz Barry is on the list) a few years ago. And he broke them down according to generations. This list could be a good starting point.

Fifty for the pantheon

What if you had to narrow all of cricket greatness down to 50 names?

www.espncricinfo.com

Six generations of greats
1877-1900: WG Grace
1900-1930: Jack Hobbs, Herbert Sutcliffe, Victor Trumper, Sydney Barnes (4)
1930-1950: Don Bradman, Len Hutton, George Headley, Wally Hammond, Alec Bedser, Bill O'Reilly, Clarrie Grimmett (7)
1950-1970: Keith Miller, Denis Compton, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell, Clyde Walcott, Garry Sobers, Graeme Pollock, Fred Trueman, Jim Laker, Godfrey Evans (10)
1970-1990: Viv Richards, Greg Chappell, Barry Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Javed Miandad, Allan Border, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Alan Knott, Dennis Lillee, Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall (14)
1990-2013: Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble, Glenn McGrath, Allan Donald, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Curtly Ambrose (14)
The break-up: Opening batsmen: 7; No. 3s: 8; Nos. 4, 5: 8 Allrounders: 7; Wicketkeepers: 4; Fast bowlers: 10; Slow bowlers: 6

 

[Jfry]

Headley @3 surely?
Hussey looks out of place for Aus, SA, WI, Eng for me as well
Also if KP/Yousuf/Gower make it, Neil Harvey probably should as well

 

[trundler]

Nourse for Bedser IMO

 

[trundler]

Also re: the OP, guys like Yousuf, Hussey, May, Gower and KP are distinctly ATVG to me.

 

[Prince EWS]

Also re: the OP, guys like Yousuf, Hussey, May, Gower and KP are distinctly ATVG to me.

I think May is ATG. Agree about the others.

 

[Jfry]

I'd be more keen to have a slightly smaller list generally (70 vs 84):
Post 1900
Openers:

Trumper, Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hutton, Gavaskar, B.Richards, Boycott

3-6:
Bradman, Ponting, Border, Chappell, Waugh, Smith
Dravid, Tendulkar, Kohli
Pollock
Barrington, Hammond, Root, Compton
Headley, Viv, Lara, Worrell, Weekes, Walcott, Kanhai
Miandad, Williamson, Sangakkara

AR's:
Sobers, Kallis, Botham, Miller, Kapil, Imran, Hadlee, Benaud, Noble, Faulkner, Proctor

Keepers:
Gilchrist
Knott
Evans

Spinners:
Warne, Murali, Laker, Tayfield, Verity, Grimmett, O'Reilly, Ashwin

Fast Bowlers:
Lillee, Davidson, Lindwall, McGrath
Ambrose, Walsh, Roberts, Holding, Marshall, Garner
Pollock, Donald, Steyn
Trueman, Barnes
Wasim, Waqar

 

[CricAddict]

Post 1900
Openers:

Trumper, Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Hutton, Gavaskar, B.Richards, Boycott

3-6:
Bradman, Ponting, Border, Chappell, Waugh, Smith
Dravid, Tendulkar, Kohli
Pollock
Barrington, Hammond, Root, Compton
Headley, Viv, Lara, Worrell, Weekes, Walcott, Kanhai
Miandad, Williamson, Sangakkara

AR's:
Sobers, Kallis, Botham, Miller, Kapil, Imran, Hadlee, Benaud, Noble, Faulkner, Proctor, Jadeja, Shakib

Keepers:
Gilchrist
Knott
Evans

Spinners:
Warne, Murali, Laker, Tayfield, Verity, Grimmett, O'Reilly, Ashwin

Fast Bowlers:
Lillee, Davidson, Lindwall, McGrath
Ambrose, Walsh, Roberts, Holding, Marshall, Garner
Pollock, Donald, Steyn
Trueman, Barnes
Wasim, Waqar