Top 10 Best Cricket Players in the World

In any sport, there are trailblazer players. Players who usher in new skills and make the sport even more fascinating. Some don’t necessarily usher in new skills but simply excel in executing the standard playing skills. Such players as well as the trailblazers often find themselves at the apex of the table when talking about the overall best players for any sport. When it comes to cricket, there are 10 names that easily occupy the top 10 best cricket players index. These 10 are all exposed in this article.

Some Key Pointers

Before we go into the finer details, there are some key pointers that you need to know. These pointers illustrate the type of players we have gone for in this article:

• All-rounders: Cricket is a game that’s played across multiple formats. Some players excel in some formats but find it tough in other formats. However, there are all-rounders who excel in all formats. It is these players we have gone for in this article
• Active Players: The history of cricket dates back to the 1800s. As such, thousands of professional players have played the game to varying degrees of success. Picking the top 10 out of these is such a daunting and overwhelming task. In light of this, this article focuses only on active players.

Rundown of the Top 10 Cricket Players in the World Today

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the current India national team captain finds himself in pole position. Captaining the Indian team is no small feat. It’s no surprise therefore to find Virat Kohli here. Kohli is a top-order right-handed batsman who has recorded some incredible achievements in both domestic and international cricket.  The Indian national team captain’s magnificent on-field skillset has enabled him to scoop some top accolades. Some of these include the ICC ODI Player of the Year for 2012, 2017, and 2018. ICC Test Player of the Year for 2018 and the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year for the 2011/12, 2013/14 and 2018/19 domestic seasons.

Babar Azam

Pakistan’s star player Babar Azam is in line to enter the all-time great Pakistan cricketers’ debate. The 29-year-old has had a stellar career often being the only shining light in a struggling Pakistan batting lineup for the past few years. Whether it’s the T20 games, ODIs, or Test cricket, Babar Azam has some eye-catching batting statistics. Back him to continue putting in splendid performances at the top sportsbooks and you can win some top payouts.

Rashid Khan

Afghanistan recently earned Test status. Much of the credit for that goes to one man, Rashid Khan. Khan’s impressive performances for a long-time average cricket team like Afghanistan have helped propel the country’s cricket to greater heights. His domestic performances have also been superb. The biggest attribute of Khan is that he is super effective with his swings in both white ball and red ball cricket.

Ben Stokes

Statistically, Ben Stokes isn’t a world beater whether as a batsman or a bowler. What made us pick Ben Stokes however is that he is one of the coolest and calmest heads in international cricket. Whenever the going gets tough and you need a calm head to lead the proceedings, Ben Stokes is the man. In both of England’s recent World Cup triumphs, it was the calm nature of Stokes that brought the title to the Queen’s land.

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson, the captain of the New Zealand cricket team is a top-order right-handed batsman who also doubles as a right-arm off-break bowler. Williamson has had an illustrious career that includes playing a total of 165 ODI matches. As a veteran of the game, the New Zealand team captain is also using his experience to guide the team to greater heights.

Andre Russell

Andre Russell from West Indies has put his name on the global map thanks to his all-round play for both country and club – well, clubs. Russell’s skills have seen him attract the attention of several teams in the Indian Premier League as well as some Jamaican teams. Russell is well decorated in cricket boasting of several trophies under his belt which include the ICC World Twenty20 title for 2012 and 2016, the Caribbean Premier League title for 2013, the Big Bash League title for the 2015/16 season, and the Bangladesh Premier League title for 2019/20 season.

David Warner

David Warner is a cricket great whose illustrious career has seen him receive some top awards. Some of these include the Allan Border Medal (2016, 2017, and 2020), the Australian Test Player of the Year for 2016, and the Australian One Day International Player of the Year for 2017 and 2018. The left-handed batsman has captained Australia. During that time, he helped his country to reach the latter stages of all the tournaments they participated in. 

Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow is the wicketkeeper for the England national team. Bairstow has kept his place in the team for some time now, a testament to the great work he puts in every single time he takes to the field of play. Bairstow also doubles up as a batsman and has smashed a whopping 3,868 runs in 107 ODI matches.

Dwayne Bravo

A one-time captain of the West Indies national cricket team, Dwayne Bravo is a name that’s held in high regard in world cricket. The best attribute of Bravo is his great all-round play which has seen him play for some top teams such as the Melbourne Renegades, Chittagong Vikings, Chennai Super Kings, Quetta Gladiators, and the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada exploded onto the global stage at a time when household names in South African cricket (case in point Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel) were taking the world by storm. Such was Rabada’s tenacity and desire to succeed that he quickly earned a starting spot in the national team despite his tender age. The once budding youngster has now grown to be a leader in the team and is the one that all youngsters in South Africa look up to.

Round Up

To have your name immortalised in the cricket industry, you simply need to demonstrate your prowess in playing the game. The names listed above have demonstrated their cricket-playing prowess hence the reason they find themselves in the top 10 best cricket players in the world index.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What differentiates the top cricket players from the average ones?

Top cricket players are those who are comfortable when playing across multiple formats of cricket and possess the skill set to perform consistently whenever they play matches.

Q2. Do most cricket greats come from India?

While India certainly has a long list of great cricketers, it’s not the only country that has some cricket greats.

Q3. Who is the current best Afghanistan cricket player?

Undoubtedly, the current best Afghanistan cricket player is Rashid Khan.