Top allrounders in Test cricket between the two World Wars

Maurice Tate was the only player to score 1000 runs and take 100 wickets between the two World Wars.

The two decades between the two World Wars were not known for their Test allrounders. The only player to score 1,000 runs and capture 100 wickets was England’s Maurice Tate.

His compatriot the remarkable Wilfred Rhodes had played his best cricket before the First World War. His Test career lasted for 30 years, spanning the generations of W.G. Grace and Don Bradman. He became the first to achieve the feat of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets.

Charles Kelleway's Test career straggled the two World Wars.

Jack Gregory.....top-class fast bowler and left-handed batsman.

The two genuine, and best, allrounders between the wars were the Australians Charles Kelleway and Jack Gregory. Kelleway’s Test career straggled the First World War, having played 15 Tests earlier. Similarly, Frank Woolley’s career was divided by the First World War.

The English duo of Walter Robins and Gubby Allen too were versatile players who made valuable contributions.

Wally Hammond was, of course, one of the all-time great batsmen who would wheel over his medium pace. Stan McCabe too was a handy bowler of the same variety. Their allround quotient was boosted by their tremendous batting records.

There were bowlers from around the cricketing world who could wield the willow, the world-class English slow left-armer Hedley Verity, the South African slow left-armer Cyril Vincent, the West Indies speedster Learie Constantine, and the great Aussie leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett.

The top allrounders with at least 1000 runs and 50 wickets in Test cricket between the two World Wars were:

Wally Hammond (England 1927-1939), Right-hand bat, Right-arm medium-pace

Tests 77, Highest score 336*, Runs 6883, Average 61.45, 100s 22, 50s 22

Best bowling 5/36, Wickets 83, Average 37.77, 5WI 2, 10WM -, Quotient 1.62

Jack Gregory (Australia 1920-1928), Left-hand bat, Right-arm fast

Tests 24, Highest score 119, Runs 1146, Average 36.96, 100s 2, 50s 7

Best bowling 7/69, Wickets 85, Average 31.15, 5WI 4, 10WM -, Quotient 1.18

Maurice Tate (England 1924-1935), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast-medium, off-break

Tests 39, Highest score 100*, Runs 1198, Average 25.48, 100s 1, 50s 5

Best bowling 6/42, Wickets 155, Average 26.16, 5WI 7, 10WM 1, Quotient 0.97

The best allrounders with at least 500 runs and 25 wickets in Test cricket between the two World Wars were:

Charles Kelleway (Australia 1920-1928), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast-medium

Tests 11, Highest score 147, Runs 590, Average 34.70, 100s 1, 50s 2

Best bowling 4/27, Wickets 29, Average 27.75, 5WI -, 10WM -, Quotient 1.25

Stan McCabe (Australia 1930-1938), Right-hand bat, Right-arm medium

Tests 39, Highest score 232, Runs 2748, Average 48.21, 100s 6, 50s 13

Best bowling 4/13, Wickets 36, Average 42.86, 5WI -, 10WM -, Quotient 1.12

Walter Robins (England 1929-1937), Right-hand bat, Right-arm leg-break

Tests 19, Highest score 108, Runs 612, Average 26.60, 100s 1, 50s 4

Best bowling 6/32, Wickets 64, Average 27.46, 5WI 1, 10WM -, Quotient 0.96

Gubby Allen (England 1930-1937), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast

Tests 22, Highest score 122, Runs 656, Average 25.23, 100s 1, 50s 3

Best bowling 7/80, Wickets 76, Average 28.60, 5WI 5, 10WM 1, Quotient 0.88

Frank Woolley (England 1920-1934), Left-hand bat, Left-arm medium, Slow left-arm

Tests 42, Highest score 154, Runs 2346, Average 37.83, 100s 4, 50s 15

Best bowling 7/76, Wickets 44, Average 43.00, 5WI 1, 10WM -, Quotient 0.87

Hedley Verity (England 1931-1939), Right-hand bat, Slow left-arm

Tests 40, Highest score 66*, Runs 669, Average 20.90, 100s -, 50s 3

Best bowling 8/43, Wickets 144, Average 24.37, 5WI 5, 10WM 2, Quotient 0.85

Cyril Vincent (South Africa 1927-1935), Left-hand bat, Slow left-arm

Tests 25, Highest score 60, Runs 526, Average 20.23, 100s -, 50s 2

Best bowling 6/51, Wickets 84, Average 31.32, 5WI 3, 10WM -, Quotient 0.64

Learie Constantine (West Indies 1928-1939), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast-medium

Tests 18, Highest score 90, Runs 635, Average 19.24, 100s -, 50s 4

Best bowling 5/75, Wickets 58, Average 30.10, 5WI 2, 10WM 1, Quotient 0.63

Clarrie Grimmett (Australia 1925-1936), Right-hand bat, Right-arm leg-break googly

Tests 37, Highest score 50, Runs 557, Average 13.92, 100s -, 50s 1

Best bowling 7/40, Wickets 216, Average 24.21, 5WI 21, 10WM 7, Quotient 0.57

In their entire careers these allrounders achieved the following figures:

Charles Kelleway (Australia 1910-1928), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast-medium

Tests 26, Highest score 147, Runs 1422, Average 37.42, 100s 3, 50s 6

Best bowling 5/33, Wickets 52, Average 32.36, 5WI 1, 10WM -, Quotient 1.15

Wilfred Rhodes (England 1899-1930), Right-hand bat, Slow left-arm

Tests 58, Highest score 179, Runs 2325, Average 30.19, 100s 2, 50s 10

Best bowling 8/68, Wickets 127, Average 26.96, 5WI 6, 10WM 1, Quotient 1.11

Frank Woolley (England 1909-1934), left-hand bat, Left-arm medium, Slow left-arm

Tests 64, Highest score 154, Runs 3283, Average 36.07, 100s 5, 50s 23

Best bowling 7/76, Wickets 83, Average 33.91, 5WI 4, 10WM 1, Quotient 1.06

Gubby Allen (England 1930-1948), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast

Tests 25, Highest score 122, Runs 750, Average 24.19, 100s 1, 50s 3

Best bowling 7/80, Wickets 81, Average 29.37, 5WI 5, 10WM 1, Quotient 0.82

Hammond bowled just one over for 3 runs after the Second World War, his quotient being 1.54.

Quotient is batting average divided by bowling average.

Great allrounders from inception of Test cricket in 1877 upto beginning of First World War and beyond

 

Aubrey Faulkner

There have been five great allrounders from the inception of Test cricket in 1877 till the beginning of the First World War in 1914, a few of them going beyond as well, scoring at least 1,000 runs and taking a minimum of 50 wickets. They were all right-handed batsmen, but with different styles of bowling.

The first of them was the Australian George Giffen who made his debut in 1881. He was a right-arm medium-pace bowler. In his Test career lasting till 1896, he scored 1,238 runs at an average of 23.35, and took 103 wickets at an average of 27.03 in 31 Tests. His quotient, batting average divided by bowling average, is 0.86. He was a stalwart of the early years of Test cricket.

His compatriot Monty Noble entered the scene in 1898, a couple of years after Giffen had finished. He bowled right-arm medium-pace and off-breaks. He came close to becoming the first to completing the double of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets, finishing just 3 runs short. He hit up 1,997 runs at an average of 30.25, and bagged 121 wickets at an average of 25.00 in 42 Tests, his career lasting till 1909. His quotient is 1.21.

He was closely followed in 1899 by the remarkable Englishman Wilfred Rhodes, whose Test career lasted for 31 years till 1931. He was a right-arm fast medium, and leg-break bowler. His career spanned the generations of W.G. Grace and Don Bradman, and became the first to achieve the feat of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets. He scored 2,325 runs at an average of 30.19, and took 127 wickets at an average of 26.96 in 58 Tests. His quotient is 1.11. Till the First World War, he had scored 1,965 runs at an average of 32.21, and took 105 wickets at an average of 24.90 in 47 Tests. His quotient at that time was 1.29.

Next came Warwick ‘Big Ship’ Armstrong, who career also spanned the pre and post First World War periods. He bowled right-arm fast medium, and leg-break. Beginning in 1902, he went on to lead the original invincible Australian teams of 1920-21 and 1921. He scored 2,863 runs at an average of 38.68, and captured 87 wickets at an average of 33.59 in 50 Tests. His quotient is 1.15. Till the First World War, he had scored 2,247 runs at an average of 35.66, and took 70 wickets at an average of 35.81 in 40 Tests. His quotient at that time was 0.99. His record improved significantly after the War.       

Finally appeared in 1906, the king of allrounders of the pre First World War period, the South African Aubrey Faulkner. He bowled leg-breaks and googlies. Till the War, he had scored 1,717 runs at an average of 41.87, and taken 82 wickets at an average of 25.52, in 24 Tests. His quotient then was 1.64, at par with the doyens Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis, though the sample size is obviously much smaller. After the War, he played one Test in 1924, scoring 37 runs and not taking a wicket. His quotient fell to 1.53, still comparable to greats like Imran Khan and Keith Miller.

It must be mentioned, however, that the right-handed George Ulyett was the pioneer among allrounders, having finished just short of the 1000 runs mark, scoring 949 runs in 25 Tests for England from 1877 to 1890 at an average of 24.33. A fast bowler, Ulyett captured 50 wickets at an average of 20.40. His quotient is 1.19.

The top allrounders with at least 1000 runs and 50 wickets in the initial decades of Tests cricket were:

Aubrey Faulkner (South Africa 1906-1924), Right-hand bat, Leg-break googly

Tests 25, Highest score 204, Runs 1754, Average 40.79, 100s 4, 50s 8       

Best bowling 7/84, Wickets 82, Average 26.58, 5WI 4, 10WM -, Quotient 1.53    

Monty Noble (Australia 1898-1909), Right-hand bat, Right-arm medium, Off-break

Tests 42, Highest score 133, Runs 1997, Average 30.25, 100s 1, 50s 16     

Best bowling 7/17, Wickets 121, Average 25.00, 5WI 9, 10WM 2, Quotient 1.21

Warwick Armstrong (Australia 1902-1921), Right-hand bat, Right-arm fast medium, Leg-break

Tests 50, Highest score 159*, Runs 2863, Average 38.68, 100s 6, 50s 8     

Best bowling 6/35, Wickets 87, Average 33.59, 5WI 3, 10WM -, Quotient 1.15    

Wilfred Rhodes (England 1899-1930), Right-hand bat, Slow left-arm

Tests 58, Highest score 179, Runs 2325, Average 30.19, 100s 2, 50s 10

Best bowling 8/68, Wickets 127, Average 26.96, 5WI 6, 10WM 1, Quotient 1.11

George Giffen (Australia 1881-1896), Right-hand bat, Right-arm medium

Tests 31, Highest score 161, Runs 1238, Average 23.35, 100s 1, 50s 6       

Best bowling 7/117, Wickets  103, Average 27.03, 5WI 7, 10WM 1, Quotient 0.86

Ben Stokes has accorded top priority to Test cricket; bids fair to be ranked among the finest batting allrounders

Ben Stokes is set to emulate Gary Sobers, the king of allrounders,  in terms of Test runs and wickets.

It is commendable that Ben Stokes has given top priority to Test cricket. He skipped the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and has made himself unavailable for the World T20 in order to be fresh for Test cricket. More particularly, he wants to be fit to bowl regularly and fulfil his role as allrounder. As one of the leading cricket personalities of the time, he has, in no uncertain terms, declared that Test cricket is the ultimate form of the game and deserves all the respect.

Firmly at the helm of the England Test team, and with another belligerent personality, coach Brendon McCullum, by his side, Stokes appears set to pen the next exhilarating chapter in his saga.

Gary Sobers is the king of allrounders. Jacques Kallis with his fabulous record is not far behind. Imran Khan and Keith Miller would come next in the hierarchy. In simple terms, an allrounder can be defined as one whose batting average is higher than his bowling average. A good allrounder’s quotient, that is, batting average divided by bowling average should be above 1, or in the positive.

Ideally, an allrounder’s batting average should be above 30, and bowling average below 30. Taking a minimum of 2,000 runs and 100 wickets, there have been only 18 allrounders with a quotient of more than 1 in the 147-year history of Test cricket.  Monty Noble missed the distinction by just three runs, having scored 1,997 runs at an average of 30.25, and taken 121 wickets at 25.00 apiece in his 42 Tests, for a quotient of 1.21.

Wilfred Rhodes, whose Test career spanned a huge period of 31 years between 1899 and 1930, was the pioneer. He scored 2,325 runs at an average of 30.19, and bagged 127 wickets at 26.96 each in 58 Tests, ending with a quotient of 1.11.

Sobers is at the top of the league with a quotient of 1.697; Kallis is right on his heels with 1.695. Imran ranks third at 1.65, with Miller close behind at 1.60. Ravindra Jadeja, who is still playing, has a quotient of 1.49.

When he hung up his boots in 1974, Sobers held the record for the highest score (365 not out) and aggregate (8,032 runs), and centuries second in number (26) to Bradman, in his 93 Test matches, and was the first to hit 6 sixes in an over in First-class cricket. One of the greatest batsmen, with a repertoire of bowling none has been able to match (235 wickets), and a brilliant fielder, Sobers remains peerless.

Kallis was one for the long distance, amassing 13,289 runs with 45 hundreds and picking up 292 wickets in 166 Test matches.

Sobers (57.78) and Kallis (55.37) are the only allrounders to average in the fifties with the bat.

Among top allrounders, the only three to average below 23 with the ball are Richard Hadlee 22.29 (431 wickets in 86 Tests), Imran 22.81 (362 wickets in 88 Tests) and Miller 22.97 (170 wickets in 55 Tests).

Ben Stokes is one of just five top allrounders to score above 5,000 Test runs

Just five allrounders have scored above 5,000 runs, Kallis, Sobers, Kapil Dev (5,248 runs, 31.05 average, 131 Tests) Ben Stokes (6,316 runs, 35.48 average, 102 Tests), and Ian Botham (5,200 runs, 33.54 average, 102 Tests).

Similarly, only six allrounders have captured 300 wickets and more, Ravichandran Ashwin (516 wickets, 23.75 average, 100 Tests), Kapil Dev (434 wickets, 29.64 average, 131 Tests), Hadlee (431 wickets, 22.29 average, 86 Tests), Shaun Pollock (421 wickets, 23.11 average, 108 Tests), Botham (383 wickets, 28.40 average, 102 Tests), and Imran (362 wickets, 22.81 average, 88 Tests). Ravindra Jadeja is ready to creep into this list (294 wickets, 24.13 average, 72 Tests). Incidentally, these are the only seven allrounders to score 3,000 runs as well.

From the above figures, it is clear who the top allrounders have been in Test history. The aggressive, hard-hitting Stokes has made his mark as a batting allrounder. His bowling has lagged behind. Injuries have taken their toll. But he is on the verge of 200 wickets. After 102 Tests, he has 198 wickets for an average of 31.99, and a quotient of 1.109. When he reaches the milestone, he will be only the third to score 6,000 runs and capture 200 wickets after Sobers and Kallis. With the bat, Stokes is a match-winner, capable of turning around a game at any time, with a fierce desire to win.

Present-day cricket is fortunate to have several fine allrounders, like in the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, though they do not get the same credit.

In addition to Stokes, there are four other allrounders putting in sterling performances this generation. In chronological order, they are Shakib Al Hasan (67 Tests, 4,505 runs at 38.83 average, 237 wickets at 31.16 average, 1.24 quotient), Ashwin (100 Tests, 3,309 runs at 26.26 average, 516 wickets at 23.75 average, 1.105 quotient), Jadeja (72 Tests, 3,036 runs at 36.14 average, 294 wickets at 24.13 average, 1.49 quotient), and Jason Holder (64 Tests, 2797 runs at 29.44 average, 157 wickets at 29.21 average, 1.00 quotient).

Will Stokes become the first to score 8,000 runs and bag 300 wickets in his Test career? Time will tell, but his attitude and determination certainly indicate that he will.

Top allrounders in the history of Test cricket

What makes a top-class allrounder? To my way of thinking, purely in terms of statistics, a genuine high-quality allrounder is one whose batting average is above 30, and bowling average under 30, the difference between two such averages being large. A good allrounder should be able to score hundreds and bag five wickets in an innings.

There are instances where bowling averages are not below 30 even in the case of great allrounders. Two prime examples are Gary Sobers and Jacques Kallis who are arguably the best, at least in terms of statistics. But their batting averages are very high, way beyond those of other great allrounders. Conversely, some great allrounders do not have batting averages above 30, but their bowling averages are brilliant. This is true of Richard Hadlee and Alan Davidson.

They other yardstick to rate allrounders statistically is by arriving at an allrounder’s quotient, that is, dividing the batting average by the bowling average.

Using these yardsticks, since the commencement of Test cricket in 1877 till date, the top four allrounders among those who have scored at least 1,000 runs and captured 100 wickets are: 1. Gary Sobers, 2. Jacques Kallis, 3. Imran Khan, and 4. Keith Miller. In terms of statistics the difference between Sobers and Kallis is almost a dead heat. Imran and Miller are not too far behind, both being very accomplished, and often explosive, batsmen and devastating fast bowlers. Sobers was a multi-faceted genius with a brilliant batting record, as good as anyone except Bradman. Kallis was definitely a batting allrounder, an accumulator of runs, and a back-up paceman. But Imran and Miller were true-blooded thoroughbred allrounders, embodying the very definition of a cricket allrounder.     

Trailing close behind this great quartet are some world class allrounders, though the next three names, Shaun Pollock, Trevor Goddard and Tony Grieg, might cause a bit of surprise to some. But a second look at their records would leave no doubt that they are indeed top-quality and genuine allrounders.

Richard Hadlee, Monty Noble and Alan Davidson make up the top ten. Hadlee was a bowling allrounder whose batting abilities flowered as his career advanced. Noble was probably the first great allrounder. Davidson was perhaps the greatest left-arm paceman along with Wasim Akram. In recent times, Akram has been lauded, and rightly so, but Davidson was in no way inferior and had a bowling action so exquisite that everyone wanted to emulate it.

The next six are those with allrounder's quotient also above 1, that is, with batting average higher than bowling average, and they too qualify among the very best. They are Ian Botham, Chris Cairns, Shakib Al Hasan, Wilfred Rhodes, Kapil Dev and Trevor Bailey. Botham and Kapil Dev complete the great quartet of the seventies, eighties and early nineties, possibly the modern golden age of cricket. But for injuries, Cairns would certainly have ranked even higher. Shakib is definitely the pride of Bangladesh and poised to go places. Rhodes’ longevity ensured that he played alongside and against three of the true greats of batting, Grace, Hobbs and Bradman, and he built up a formidable record. Bailey rendered yeomen service to England in the 1950s, and helped re-assert pride in the post-Bradman era.

The next batch, which narrowly missed the coveted allrounder’s quotient of 1, comprises Irfan Pathan, Maurice Tate, Vinoo Mankad, Andrew Flintoff and Wasim Akram. Pathan first promised great things with the ball, then with the bat, but for some reason did not realise his true potential. Maurice Tate was one of the finest fast-medium bowlers, precursor to Alec Bedser, and Akram was a true great of left-arm fast bowling, successor to Davidson. Vinoo Mankad and Andrew Flintoff were genuine allrounders and could well have figured higher but for a few quirks of statistics. Mankad could win a match with bat or ball, or both, and few Tests have been named after a player as was the Lord’s Test of 1952, even though his team lost. Flintoff was explosive with bat and ball but ultimately his big frame proved too unwieldy for top-class cricket any longer than it did. It is pertinent to point out here that spinners are at a slight disadvantage while rating allrounders statistically as their bowling averages are generally higher than pace bowlers, and this showed in Mankad’s case.

The Australians, Ray Lindwall and Richie Benaud come next, one a great fast bowler and the other a great leg-spinner, both very handy with the bat.

Bringing up the rear in the list of quality Test allrounders are Daniel Vettori, Ravi Shastri and George Giffen. Vettori was probably the finest left-arm spinner of present times who always added value with the bat. Shastri was a fighter to the core, whose strong mind made up what he lacked in terms of pure natural ability. Giffen is the only one in our list to play Test matches solely in the 19^th century, and for much of the early part of his career wickets were of poor quality. But the disadvantage that he suffered as a batsman was nullified by what he gained as a batsman. In that sense conditions get neutralised while assessing allrounders, but equally our yardstick of allrounder’s quotient is not always the ultimate test.            

The top allrounders in the history of Test cricket in terms of quotient are :

1.  Gary Sobers (West Indies) ….. Test career span 1954-1974,  Tests 93,  Highest score 365*,  Runs 8,032,   Average 57.78,  Hundreds 26,  Wickets 235,  Average 34.03,  Best bowling 6/73,  5 Wickets / Innings 6,  Catches 109,  Quotient 1.697.

2.  Jacques Kallis (South Africa) ….. Test career span 1995-2013,  Tests 166,  Highest score 224,  Runs 13,289,   Average 55.37,  Hundreds 45,  Wickets 292,  Average 32.65,  Best bowling 6/54,  5 Wickets / Innings 5,  Catches 200,  Quotient 1.695.

3.  Imran Khan (Pakistan) ….. Test career span 1971-1992,  Tests 88,  Highest score 136,  Runs 3,807,   Average 37.69,  Hundreds 6,  Wickets 362,  Average 22.81,  Best bowling 8/58,  5 Wickets / Innings 23,  Catches 28,  Quotient 1.65.

4.  Keith Miller (Australia) ….. Test career span 1946-1956,  Tests 55,  Highest score 147,  Runs 2,958,   Average 36.97,  Hundreds 7,  Wickets 170,  Average 22.97,  Best bowling 7/60,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 38,  Quotient 1.60.

5.  Shaun Pollock (South Africa) ….. Test career span 1995-2008,  Tests 108,  Highest score 111,  Runs 3,781,  Average 32.31,  Hundred 2,  Wickets 421,  Average 23.11,  Best bowling 7/87,  5 Wickets / Innings 16,  Catches 72,  Quotient 1.39.

6.  Trevor Goddard (South Africa) ….. Test career span 1955-1970,  Tests 41,  Highest score 112,  Runs 2,516,   Average 34.46,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 123,  Average 26.22,  Best bowling 6/53,  5 Wickets / Innings 5,  Catches 48,  Quotient 1.31.

7.  Tony Grieg (England) ….. Test career span 1972-1977,  Tests 58,  Highest score 148,  Runs 3,599,   Average 40.43,  Hundreds 8,  Wickets 141,  Average 32.20,  Best bowling 8/86,  5 Wickets / Innings 6,  Catches 87,  Quotient 1.25.

8.  Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) ….. Test career span 1973-1990,  Tests 86,  Highest score 151*,  Runs 3,124,   Average 27.16,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 431,  Average 22.29,  Best bowling 9/52,  5 Wickets / Innings 36,  Catches 39,  Quotient 1.218.

9.  Monty Noble (Australia) ….. Test career span 1898-1909,  Tests 42,  Highest score 133,  Runs 1,997,   Average 30.25,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 121,  Average 25.00,  Best bowling 7/71,  5 Wickets / Innings 9,  Catches 26,  Quotient 1.210.

10.  Alan Davidson (Australia) ….. Test career span 1953-1963,  Tests 44,  Highest score 80,  Runs 1,328,   Average 24.59,  Hundreds 0,  Wickets 186,  Average 20.53,  Best bowling 7/93,  5 Wickets / Innings 14,  Catches 42,  Quotient 1.19.

11.  Ian Botham (England) ….. Test career span 1977-1992,  Tests 102,  Highest score 208,  Runs 5,200,   Average 33.54,  Hundreds 14,  Wickets 383,  Average 28.40,  Best bowling 8/34,  5 Wickets / Innings 27,  Catches 120,  Quotient 1.18.

12.  Chris Cairns (New Zealand) ….. Test career span 1989-2004,  Tests 62,  Highest score 158,  Runs 3,320,   Average 33.53,  Hundreds 5,  Wickets 218,  Average 29.40,  Best bowling 7/27,  5 Wickets / Innings 13,  Catches 14,  Quotient 1.14.

13.  Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) ….. Test career span 2007-2013,  Tests 32,  Highest score 144,  Runs 2,105,   Average 36.92,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 113,  Average 32.62,  Best bowling 7/36,  5 Wickets / Innings 10,  Catches 14,  Quotient 1.13.

14.  Wilfred Rhodes (England) ….. Test career span 1899-1930,  Tests 58,  Highest score 179,  Runs 2,325,   Average 30.19,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 127,  Average 26.96,  Best bowling 8/68,  5 Wickets / Innings 6,  Catches 60,  Quotient 1.11.

15.  Kapil Dev (India) ….. Test career span 1978-1994,  Tests 131,  Highest score 163,  Runs 5,248,   Average 31.05,  Hundreds 8,  Wickets 434,  Average 29.64,  Best bowling 9/83,  5 Wickets / Innings 23,  Catches 64,  Quotient 1.04.

16.  Trevor Bailey (England) ….. Test career span 1949-1959,  Tests 61,  Highest score 134*,  Runs 2,290,   Average 29.74,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 132,  Average 29.21,  Best bowling 7/34,  5 Wickets / Innings 5,  Catches 32,  Quotient 1.01.

17.  Irfan Pathan (India) ….. Test career span 2003-2008,  Tests 29,  Highest score 102,  Runs 1,105,   Average 31.57,  Hundreds 1,  Wickets 100,  Average 32.26,  Best bowling 7/59,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 8,  Quotient 0.978.

18.  Maurice Tate (England) ….. Test career span 1924-1935,  Tests 39,  Highest score 100*,  Runs 1,198,   Average 25.48,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 155,  Average 26.16,  Best bowling 6/42,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 11,  Quotient 0.974.

19.  Vinoo Mankad (India) ….. Test career span 1946-1959,  Tests 44,  Highest score 231,  Runs 2,109,   Average 31.47,  Hundreds 5,  Wickets 162,  Average 32.32,  Best bowling 8/52,  5 Wickets / Innings 8,  Catches 33,  Quotient 0.973.

20.  Andrew Flintoff (England) ….. Test career span 1998-2009,  Tests 79,  Highest score 167,  Runs 3,845,   Average 31.77,  Hundreds 5,  Wickets 226,  Average 32.78,  Best bowling 5/58,  5 Wickets / Innings 3,  Catches 52,  Quotient 0.96.

21.  Wasim Akram (Pakistan) ….. Test career span 1985-2002,  Tests 104,  Highest score 257*,  Runs 2,898,   Average 22.64,  Hundreds 3,  Wickets 414,  Average 23.62,  Best bowling 7/119,  5 Wickets / Innings 25,  Catches 44,  Quotient 0.95.

22.  Ray Lindwall (Australia) ….. Test career span 1946-1960,  Tests 61,  Highest score 118,  Runs 1,502,   Average 21.15,  Hundreds 2,  Wickets 228,  Average 23.03,  Best bowling 7/38,  5 Wickets / Innings 12,  Catches 26,  Quotient 0.91.

23.  Richie Benaud (Australia) ….. Test career span 1952-1964,  Tests 63,  Highest score 122,  Runs 2,201,   Average 24.45,  Hundreds 3,  Wickets 248,  Average 27.03,  Best bowling 7/72,  5 Wickets / Innings 16,  Catches 65,  Quotient 0.90.

24.  Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) ….. Test career span 1997-2012,  Tests 112,  Highest score 140,  Runs 4,516,   Average 30.10,  Hundreds 6,  Wickets 360,  Average 34.42,  Best bowling 7/87,  5 Wickets / Innings 20,  Catches 58,  Quotient 0.874.

25.  Ravi Shastri (India) ….. Test career span 1981-1992,  Tests 80,  Highest score 206,  Runs 3,830,   Average 35.79,  Hundreds 11,  Wickets 151,  Average 40.96,  Best bowling 5/75,  5 Wickets / Innings 2,  Catches 36,  Quotient 0.873.

26.  George Giffen (Australia) ….. Test career span 1881-1896,  Tests 31,  Highest score 161,  Runs 1,238,   Average 23.25,  Hundred 1,  Wickets 103,  Average 27.09,  Best bowling 7/117,  5 Wickets / Innings 7,  Catches 24,  Quotient 0.85.

This is how great Test allrounders have been ranked in terms of pure statistics. Some of these might not be allrounders in the true cricketing sense of the term, but most are, and few would disagree that there have been no better allrounders in Test cricket. To rate them using other parameters comes within the scope of books. Having said that, I think the best allrounders in Test cricket are 1. Sobers, 2. Imran, 3. Miller, 4. Botham, 5. Kapil Dev and 6. Hadlee for their sheer brilliance and their ability to turn matches.

(Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).