Famous 20th Century Cricketers

Often referred to as the God of Cricket in India, Sachin Tendulkar is a retired cricketer. Also known for his humility on and off the field, Sachin is one of the most revered, celebrated, and decorated cricketers. Considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Sachin Tendulkar played a key role in turning India into a cricket-frenzy nation.

Imran Khan is the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was in office from 2018 to 2022. He is also the founder and chairman of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Before making an entry into politics, Imran Khan was an extremely popular international cricketer who led Pakistan to its first ever Cricket World Cup title in 1992. As a philanthropist, he established Pakistan’s first cancer hospital in Lahore.

Nicknamed The Wall for his resilient batting in Test cricket, Rahul Dravid was known for his unmatched concentration. He was selected for the Indian cricket squad while pursuing his MBA. Apart from winning the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, he has also been named to the ICC Hall of Fame.

Wasim Akram is a Pakistani former cricketer, cricket commentator, and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He is counted amongst the finest exponents of reverse swing bowling. He became a commentator and coach following his retirement as a player. He is a recipient of the Pakistan Government’s Hilal-e-Imtiaz award. 

Born to a flour mill owner, Virender Sehwag convinced his family to let him learn cricket since he wasn’t good in academics. He later grew up to be an aggressive batsman, breaking many records. He’s one of two people with a double hundred in ODI and a triple hundred in Test cricket.

Harbhajan Singh is an Indian professional cricket player. He was part of Indian cricket teams which won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Renowned for his aggressive persona and style of play, Harbhajan Singh is considered one of the greatest Indian off-spin bowlers of all time. In 2009, he was honored with the Padma Shri award. 

Shane Warne was a former Australian cricket player, best known for his leg-break bowling. Widely regarded as one of the greatest spin bowlers of all time, Warne was the second-highest wicket-taker in test cricket. He was also one of the most controversial cricketers. In 2013, Shane Warne was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Australian cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman, is widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. He started playing cricket as a young man and scored numerous records within a few years. In a career spanning around two decades, he retired with a career test batting average of 99.94. He retained a pre-eminent position in the game for decades following his retirement. 

One of the best all-rounders the world has ever seen, South African cricketer Jacques Kallis was known for his signature cover drive throughout his career. He remains the only cricketer to score over 10,000 runs and take more than 250 wickets in both ODI and Test cricket.

Inzamam-ul-Haq is a Pakistani former professional cricketer. During his career, he was the leading run-scorer for Pakistan in one-day internationals. He is also the only Pakistani batsman to score 20,000 runs in the international cricket arena. He captained the Pakistan national cricket team for a few years. He became a coach after retiring.  

Waqar Younis is a Pakistani former cricketer, commentator, and coach. During his playing career, he captained the Pakistan national cricket team. He played as a right-arm fast bowler and is still counted amongst the greatest bowlers to have played the game. He became a coach after his retirement and was once the head coach of the Pakistani cricket team. 

Sunil Gavaskar is an Indian former professional cricket player who represented the national team during the 1970s and 1980s. Considered one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket history, Sunil Gavaskar was the first batsman to score over 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He also set many world records and held the record for most Test centuries for nearly 20 years.

Sir Garfield Sobers is a former cricket player who represented the West Indies cricket team during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Renowned for his all-round abilities, Sobers is regarded as the greatest all-rounder of all time. He is also considered one of the greatest cricketers ever. In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Curtly Ambrose is a former cricketer who represented the West Indies cricket team in Test and ODI matches. Renowned for his pace and accuracy, Ambrose is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers ever. In 2011, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.

Martin Crowe was a New Zealand cricket player who captained the national Test and ODI teams. Counted among the greatest batsmen New Zealand has ever produced, Crowe was the highest run-scorer for New Zealand in Test and One Day International cricket at the time of his retirement in 1995. Martin Crowe served as a commentator after retiring as a player.

Courtney Walsh is a Jamaican former cricketer who played for the West Indies cricket team from 1984 to 2001. Considered one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Walsh became the first bowler to take 500 Test wickets before finishing his career with 519 wickets. Walsh was made an inductee of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2010.

Born into a family of renowned cricketers, Shaun Pollock was the son of Peter Pollock and the nephew of Graeme Pollock. One of the best medium pace bowlers of South Africa, he was pushed into captaincy when Hansie Cronje got entangled in a match-fixing scandal in 2000.

Legendary Australian cricketer Allan Border, also popularly known as AB, remains to be regarded as one of the best batsmen the game has ever had. Under his captaincy, Australia didn’t just win a World Cup but also brought back the Ashes in 1989. He is also one of Australia’s 100 National Living Treasures.

Hansie Cronje was a South African international cricketer. He captained the South African national cricket team in the 1990s. In 2000, he was implicated in a cricket match-fixing scandal and banned from the sport for life. He died in a plane crash in 2002. It was rumored that he was murdered on the orders of a cricket betting syndicate.

Considered India's most successful Test captain, legendary cricketer Sourav Ganguly, nicknamed Maharaj, was also arguably one of the best one-day batsmen of his time. Also known as the God of the Off Side, he now heads the BCCI as its president. He was initially also a talented footballer.

Allan Donald is a South African former cricket player best known for his fast-paced deliveries that earned him the nickname White Lightning. Regarded as one of South Africa's most successful fast bowlers, Donald was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019. After retiring from international cricket, Donald has focused on establishing himself as a coach.

Legendary Pakistani batsman Zaheer Abbas was often called the Asian Bradman. He became the first batsman from Asia to score 100 first-class centuries and the first from Pakistan to score 4,000 and 5,000 runs. He has been named to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and has received the Pride of Performance Award.

Glenn McGrath is an Australian former international cricketer. A fast-medium pace bowler, he is considered one of the greatest Australian international bowlers of all time. He played international cricket for 14 years and was a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket in the 1990s and 2000s. He is currently the director of MRF Pace Foundation. 

Richard Hadlee is a New Zealand retired cricket player who is considered as one of the greatest all-rounders of all time; he is especially renowned for his ability as a fine fast bowler. In 2002, he was named the second-greatest Test bowler in cricket history by Wisden. In 2009, Hadlee was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Shahid Afridi is a former Pakistani cricketer. An all-rounder with an aggressive batting style, he is widely considered one of the most destructive cricketers. He held the fastest ODI century record for 17 years before it was broken. He still holds the record for having hit the most sixes in the history of ODI cricket.  

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was an Indian cricket player. Entrusted with the responsibility of captaining the Indian cricket team, at the age of 21, Pataudi went on to become one of the greatest Indian cricket captains of all time. Also known for his fielding abilities, he was described by many as the best fielder in the world during his playing career.