Top 10 greatest all-rounders in cricket history
Sometimes referred to as the 'bits and pieces' players, the all-rounders' group is an elite one. Defying the 'specialists' in the team, the members of this group make their presence felt through handy contributions in more than one department. They gel the batting and bowling orders together by offering uniformity that may have lacked, otherwise
Not all players have the privilege of being gifted with this truly unique skill level. Only a handful among these have actually moved on to become greats of the game. In this list, we delve into the illustrious careers of these stalwarts: the greatest all-rounders the game has given birth to.
10. Andrew Flintoff (England)
Renowned as "Freddie" Flintoff, Andrew Flintoff was a raw talent that was really unearthed in the 2000's. He had this fearless attitude towards the game. A streaky player who could get on a roll and bowl at sheer pace in high 140's. He would, more often than not, compliment this with a hard-hitting show lower down the batting order.
Flintoff is known for his heroics in the Ashes'05 in which he amassed 402 runs and topped it off with a tally of 24 wickets in the series. He carried England across the victory line, ensuring their first Ashes victory since the summer of 1986-87.
With 8 centuries, a career average edging 31 and the wickets' column touching the 400-mark, Flintoff is definitely one of the greatest all-rounders that have played the game.
9. Keith Miller (Australia)
Australia's Keith Miller is famed as being the first genuine all-rounder to feature in Test Cricket. Emerging in the post-world war era, Miller attained stardom through his fast-bowling partnership with Ray Lindwall.
His wickets tally of a modest 170 scalps may not recognize him as one of the greats, but it must be noted that his career was severely hampered and even halted by World War II.
Miller racked up 2958 runs in the 87 innings he batted: comprising of 7 tons and 13 half-centuries. He was known as an adept batsman who could adapt to any sort of game situation, at hand.