Greatest all-rounders of all time in Tests

An all-rounder is someone who can be included in the team solely based on their batting or bowling performance. Over the years, there have been a lot of genuine all-rounders who have had the ability to score a bundle of runs in tough conditions alongside bowling hour after hour picking up crucial wickets. An asset to be valued, a true all-rounder effectively doubles as two players for the team.

Often, times there arises a confusion when a bowler performs well with the bat or when a specialist batsman acts as a 'first change bowler'. Examples of these two would be West Indies pace bowler Malcolm Marshall and Australian Allan Border respectively for feats they have achieved individually.

An awful lot of all-rounders are better at bowling than batting or vice versa. Only a fraction are equally good at both and hardly any outstanding which is why terms like "bowling all-rounder" and "batting all-rounder" have come into use.

19 players on a total of 26 occasions have taken five wickets in an innings and scored a century in the same Test match. Ian Botham achieved this feat five times, while Jacques Kallis, Garfield Sobers, Mushtaq Mohammed, Shakib Al Hasan and Ravichandran Ashwin have all done it twice.

I have attempted a similar list for ODIs, the link to which can be found here. Let us now look at some of the greatest all-rounders in the longest format of the game.

#12 Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff

Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff regarded as 'new Botham' in his younger days, scored 3845 runs in test cricket, in which he scored 5 centuries and 26 half centuries at an average of 31.77. He was a raw talent and used to bowl in excess of 140kmph. It fetched him 226 Test wickets in a career marred by injuries at an average of 32.78.

He is best remembered for his exhilarating performance in 2005 Ashes where he went on to score 402 runs along with 24 wickets. He averaged 31 with the bat and 32 with the ball in tests, and people might wonder what all the fuss is about but what these career figures miss to represent is the uplifting effect he had on the crowd and at finest on his teammates.

#11 Chris Cairns

A young Chris Cairns in his debut Test match against Australia at Perth was advertised as the next-big-thing in New Zealand Cricket. He is perhaps one of the best all-rounders to have represented New Zealand in international cricket. Beaming with a talent for hard-hitting, he used to easily clear the ground at will.

Effective equally with the ball, he still is the 4th highest wicket-taker for his country in tests. In 2004 against South Africa, Cairns smashed a masterful score of 158 from 171 deliveries which consisted of 18 boundaries and 7 sixes, eventually leading New Zealand to a 9-wicket win.

He was not only adept at moving the ball off the seam and bowling reverse swing but such were his abilities that Sachin Tendulkar recalled an incident in 1999 Mohali test wherein he watched the Cairns run-up and bowling grip before relaying a coded message to Rahul Dravid who was at the strike.

Cairns went on to become the sixth man to achieve the all-rounder's double of 200 wickets and 3000 runs in March 2004. He scored 3320 runs at an average of 33.53 which included 5 tons and 22 fifties. He took 218 wickets at an average of 29.4 which includes 13 five-wicket hauls.

Out of these 218 scalps, 115 came in the last 28 tests played between 1999-2004 at an average less than 26. At his best, a pure match-winner, he once held the World Record for most sixes (87) in Test cricket surpassing Vivian Richards until Adam Gilchrist overhauled it.

His career would have spanned a lot longer if it weren't for the injuries. However in the 62 tests he managed to play, he clearly displayed his class all-rounding skills seizing the momentum from opposition at various instances.

#10 Sir Richard Hadlee

Hadlee in his bowling run-up

The first player to be conferred with knighthood while still playing the game, Sir Richard Hadlee was New Zealand's greatest cricketer by quite a long stretch. Regarded for his then world record of 431 wickets at an average of 22.29, he started off his career with a fast opening bowler but eventually shortened his run up and focussed more on moving the ball.

Not only did he impress with the ball, but was a handy lower-order batsman who went on to score 3124 runs at a reasonable average of 27.16 which included 2 centuries and 15 half-centuries. One of the few players to have scored more than 3000 runs and in possession of more than 400 wickets, he scored his career best of 151 against Sri Lanka in 1987 while batting at No.7.

Gifted with both bat and ball, he can be called a bowling all-rounder as he was a capable batsman who could provide the much-needed runs nearer to the end of innings. A total of 431 wickets, which included 36 five-wicket hauls and 9 ten-wicket hauls, the former Kiwi-bowler is rated among the best bowlers of all time.

#9 Shakib Al Hasan

One of the greatest name to have emerged from the Bangladeshi soil, Shakib Al Hasan became the first and only cricketer in history to be ranked #1 all-rounder by ICC in its Player Rankings in all three formats of the game (Test, Twenty20 and One Day Internationals) in 2015. The top-ranked all-rounder in the longest format of the game re-discovered his bowling talent in 2008 home test series against New Zealand where he ran through the Kiwi batting line-up with 7-37 in the first innings, till date the best bowling figure by a Bangladeshi bowler. Not only this, in the second innings he went on to strike a fluent 71 establishing his batting talent.

Shakib has scored 3692 runs at an average of 39.69 making him one of the best batsmen in the team. He has 5 hundreds and 23 fifties to his name. He has taken 196 wickets at an average of 31.88 which includes 18 five wicket hauls and 2 ten wicket hauls. In November 2014 against Zimbabwe, Shakib became the third player to have scored a hundred and taken 10 wickets in the same Test joining Imran Khan and Ian Botham.

#8 Sir Ian Botham

The greatest cricketing figure of 1980s, Ian Botham was a key figure in the revival of English Cricket. Best remembered for his heroic performance in Ashes, which also came to be known as 'Botham's Ashes' later, Botham was the architect of England's victory at multiple instances. With a train of three performances - two with bat, one with ball, in 1981 under Mike Brearley's captaincy, he led England to an astonishing Ashes victory. A hero with uninhibited and simple methods, he single-handedly awarded England the series with his power backed 339 runs and 34 wickets.

The fastest one to reach the 1000 test runs mark and 100 wickets in only 21 tests, 'Beefy' as he's lovingly known, had a fearless strike rate of 60.71. He scored 5200 in tests at an average of 33.54 which included 14 tons and 22 half centuries. He also picked 383 wickets at an average of 28.40, highest by an English batsman till James Anderson broke the record. Though a fitter Botham averaged closer to 21, injuries took the better off him.

His performance against India was impressive. In the test of 1980 in Mumbai, he braked India to just 242 with his scintillating 58/6 and then revived the English innings from 58/5 with his remarkable score of 114. In the second innings, he skittled out India for 48/7 and won the match single-handedly. One of the most complete all-rounders of the game, Botham could change the momentum of the game with his out-swinger or his belligerent batting. He was the fastest to the all-rounder triple of 3000 runs and 300 wickets in just 72 Tests. In 1986 he surpassed Dennis Lillee's record of 355 wickets and became the highest wicket taker in tests which included 27 five wicket hauls and 4 ten wicket hauls.

#7 Kapil Dev

Quite possibly the best all-rounder India has ever produced, Kapil Dev was a prolific seam bowler and an aggressive batsman way ahead of his time. If annals of Indian cricket are vetted years from now, they still would be hard pressed to find another Kapil Dev. The “Haryana Hurricane” became the second bowler in world history to cross 400 Test wickets mark, ending with 434 at an average of 29.64, then a world record

In 131 matched he played, Dev scored 5248 at an average of 31.05 including 8 centuries and 27 half centuries. He is the only player in cricket history to have achieved the double of 5000 runs and 400 wickets in Tests. He took fifer 23 times and 1 ten-wicket haul. The greatest all-rounder of all time, his contribution to cricketing world made him India's Cricketer of the Century during 2002, ahead of Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.

#6 Shaun Pollock

While looking at the names of all time great all-rounders, this is a name which simply can't be ignored. A class bowling all-rounder, known for his accuracy of delivering a swinging ball, Shaun Pollock was one of the most consistent bowlers in world cricket.

He not only holds the record for maximum wickets by a South African in test matches (421) at an average of 23.11 which is quite truly an impressive feat for a seamer,, constantly operating in the zone of 'perfect line and length', made him one of the finest all-rounders of the modern game.

His ability to get zip off the pitch from any surface made batsmen often re-think their scoring ideas and rarely bowled a bad delivery. In his career, he took 16 five-wicket hauls. Though Pollock has only 2 centuries to his name, a batting average of 32.31 which is quite similar to that of Kapil Dev or Andrew Flintoff, shows his skills in the batting department. If there has to be a lone criticism, it would be his underperformance with the willow and struggle to push on to big scores.

#5 Tony Greig

A legendary English player who younger generations remember as the South African-born commentator, currently residing in Australia and is part of the Channel Nine commentary team, Tony Greig's post-retirement stint eclipsed his playing days. For those of who remember him as a player would agree to his fine all-rounding skills. He played 58 tests for England during 1970s and was more of a batting all-rounder averaging more than 40.43, having 8 centuries and 20 half-centuries to his name.

Very few players can double up both bowling styles of medium pace and right arm off-break at a Test-match level and Greig claims his spot in this club. He picked up 141 wickets at 32.20 including six five-wicket hauls and 2 ten wicket hauls in his career.

As a batsman, he could stand up to the attacks of the world's then fastest bowlers like Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee and at the same time a class player of the spin. He went on to score his test hundreds in fields like Bombay, Brisbane and Bridgetown against the likes of Roberts and Holding, Bedi and Chandra. One of the few batsmen who averaged better in away conditions than at home grounds. He had a career spanned over 1972 until 1977 which sees him slide lower on the list.

#4 Keith Miller

Keith Miller

One of the finest and probably the first true all-rounder of test cricket, Keith Miller was a right arm opening fats bowler and a right-handed middle order batsman. Regarded as an excellent first slip fielder, Miller with Ray Lindwall formed Australia's first-choice opening attack. If it weren't for his career to be limited by the lack of play during World War II, his wicket tally of 170 would have been more illustrious. He took a fifer 7 times in an innings and had a bowling average of 22.97.

As per the batting department, he scored 2958 runs at 36.97, including 7 centuries and 13 half-centuries. He had a sequence of shots in store and was a classical batsman who could adapt to any situation at hand. He had the abilities to attack the innings with the willow or his fiery spell of bowling and turn the game on its head.

#3 Imran Khan

Pakistan's now prime minister and undoubtedly the finest cricketer from Pakistan team, Imran Khan finds himself at No. 3 in the list of all-time great all-rounders. A natural quick who opened the bowling for Pakistan for many years, he took 362 test scalps at an average of 22.81. Though known for his bowling but marred by injuries in the later parts of his career, he was in the team solely based on his batting performances. His ability to double up effectively as either specialist when needed, he was truly an asset.

He concluded his test career with 3807 runs at an average 37.69, including 6 centuries and 18 half-centuries. He became one of the eight players to have achieved the 'all-rounders triple' of 300 wickets and 3000 runs in just 75 Tests which is only 3 more than Ian Botham's record. If this statistic ain't enough to boast about his abilities, it's best to quote his 16 tests performances which ranged from a period of 1981 to 1983.

In these, he averaged 48 with the blade and recorded a phenomenal bowling average of 14.87. Overall in his career, he took 23 five wicket hauls and 6 ten-wicket wicket hauls in a test match. A fearsome bowler decimated the Indian batting lineup of Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, and Gundappa Vishwanath in the Test match of 1983 in Faisalabad where he went on to grab 11 wickets and score a century in the same match. An absolute stellar reverse-swing bowler transformed himself into a dependable lower middle-order batsman in the latter period of his career.

#2 Jacques Kallis

South Africa's Mr. Dependable, Jacques Kallis stands No.2 on my list. He is the only cricketer in the history of the game to have picked up more than 10,000 runs and 250 wickets in both ODIS and Test matches. He scored 13,289 runs in test matches which includes 45 centuries and 58 half-centuries at an average of 55.37. He hauled 292 wickets in 166 games at an average of 32.65 which includes 5 five-wicket hauls. If these numbers are not exemplary enough of the bundle of talent Kallis was, it'd be apt to say here that he averaged higher than legends of test cricket like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara and Rahul Dravid.

Technically a proficient batsman, Kallis doesn't have a highly impressive bowling record but good enough to make to any international side as a bowler. His classical approach of playing controlled shots makes him a quintessential greatest all-rounder of modern era and even has the potent to challenge Sir Garfield Sobers for the title of 'greatest test all-rounder' of all time.

#1 Sir Garry Sobbers

A quote reiterated often times - Windies' Garfield Sobers is to all-rounders what Aussies' Sir Don Bradman is to batters. The conclusive, The unparalleled, and the greatest all-rounder to have ever played this beautiful game- Sobers was gifted with both bat and ball. It is apt to declare here unequivocally that he not only excelled at all aspects of the game, there was something in him which sets him apart from all the players on this list.

The fact that he could bowl both fast-medium and spin helped him take 235 wickets at an average of 34.03 which included six 5-wicket hauls. As his career progressed, he started concentrating on his batting and few would dispute that he is now remembered as one of the finest batsmen of all time.

He scored 8032 test runs at a whopping strike-rate of 57.78. His batting average stands on #11 in the all-time list and can challenge any batsman in the history of the game with the exception of the great Sir Donald Bradman. He has 26 centuries and 30 half-centuries to his name. He scored an unbeaten 365* in 1958 against Pakistan which was a world record at that time, eventually broken by another West Indies batsman Brian Lara in 1994 by scoring 375.

His six consecutive sixes off the over from Malcolm Nash is just another feather in an otherwise decorated hat. An excellent fielder, dependable captain versatile player and an even better personality - makes him #1 on my list.