Test match cricket is a test of the true determination and spirit of a cricket player unlike the shorter version of the game which gets over a period of 100 over.
A test match is played over a period of 5 days in which there are lots of swings and upheavals during its course. Wisden has compiled a list of the 5 greatest test bowlers in the world according to their records and achievements.
The five greatest test match bowlers in the world are:
1. Mutthiah Muralitharan plays for Sri Lanka and is the highest wicket-taker in the world. He has amassed a wicket tally of more than 700 wickets which make him one of the greatest bowlers the world has ever seen.
2. Second is Sir Richard Hadlee who used to play for New Zealand. He held the record for the most number of wickets before being overtaken by Courtney Walsh.
3. The third player to feature on this list is the Englishman Sydney Barnes who played excellent cricket for his nation.
4. The fourth on this list is the great Shane Warne who was incidentally the only leg spinner to take a huge number of wickets.
5. The last bowler on this list is Clarrie Grimmet who also played for Australia.
Top Five Batsmen in Test Cricket
The game of cricket has seen some mind-blowing performances by batsmen from all over the world over the years. The Bible of cricket, which is how the Wisden is sometimes referred to, has compiled a list of the top 5 batsmen in the world of all times. This list is a reflection of the geniuses these players were, taking into account their records as well as their personal talent which they exhibited on the field of cricket.
The first on this list is the effervescent Sir Donald Bradman who hails from Australia. His batting average of 99.94 is the highest in any form of the game till date which speaks volumes of his achievements since he had retired from the game long back.
Sir Donald George Bradman was an Australian cricketer who is acknowledged by almost everyone as the best batsman to have participated in cricket. He was born in 1908. He had a phenomenal batting average of 99.94 which nobody other player could surpass till date and is widely recognized as the greatest achievement that any major sport has ever witnessed.
His was the quintessential rags-to-riches story. He rose from practicing cricket with a stump and a golf ball to become the greatest batsman of all times. He was the first player to draw huge attention to cricket during the Great Depression effecting United States in the 1930s.
Bradman performed consistently throughout the length of his career which made a former Australian cricket captain refer to him as an equivalent of three batsmen. Even after his retirement, Bradman continued to woo the spectators with his insightful comments on the game in the form of an administrator, selector, and as a writer.
He was honored greatly by his nation and had his image imprinted on postage stamps and coins. John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia once called him the ‘Greatest Australian ever.’ To date he is considered as one of the ever best cricketers in Cricket.
The second player to figure on this list is Sachin Tendulkar from India. He is sometimes referred to as the greatest batsman of the modern game which is evident from the record number of centuries that he has hit in both forms of the game.
The third batsman is the great Viv Richards who played for West Indies and led them to World Cup wins. The fourth and the fifth on this esteemed list are Sir Garfield Sobers and Allan Border from West Indies and Australia respectively.
