Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 31 (ANI): Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis and Muthiah Muralidaran have been named the greatest men’s international cricketers of the 21st century by an all-star jury of players and former players for the Cricinfo Honours, according to a press release from ESPN Cricinfo.
Tendulkar was voted the greatest batter, Muralidaran the greatest bowler, and Kallis the greatest all-round cricketer for their performances in the 2000-2025 period across international formats. Australia’s Ellyse Perry was voted the greatest women’s international cricketer of the century.
The picks were the culmination of a rollout on Cricinfo, where the top 25 greatest men’s internationals were revealed. The selections were made on the basis of voting by a 25-member jury that included Wasim Akram, Greg Chappell, Faf du Plessis, Matthew Hayden, Angelo Mathews, Tom Moody, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Shastri, Daniel Vettori, and Shane Watson.
Joining Kallis, Tendulkar, and Muralidaran in the top five men’s internationals are Virat Kohli (No. 3) and Ricky Ponting (No. 5). Alongside Kohli, currently active players who feature in the top 25 are Joe Root (No. 9), Jasprit Bumrah (No. 15), Kane Williamson (No. 16), and Mitchell Starc (No. 17).
Men’s Test and ODI Honours
– Sachin Tendulkar: The most prolific scorer across formats in the history of the game, Tendulkar is the leading run-maker in Tests and ODIs. He holds the records for the most hundreds and fifties in Tests, the most fifties in ODIs, and until recently held the record for most hundreds in the format as well.
– Jacques Kallis: Ranking alongside Garry Sobers as the greatest all-round performer in the history of the game, Kallis finished with 13,289 runs and 292 wickets in Tests, placing him fourth among the all-time Test run-scorers. Reflecting on his career, Kallis noted that South Africa’s back-to-back Test series wins in Australia (2008-09 and 2012-13) and England (2008 and 2012) were his highlights. Among his individual innings, he singled out his 201 not out against India in Centurion (2010) and his match-saving 101 against Australia in Melbourne (1997) as standouts.
– Muthiah Muralidaran: Finishing his epoch-making career in 2010 with exactly 800 Test wickets at an average of under 23, Muralidaran was central to Sri Lanka’s status as a dominant force in the 2000s
Reflecting on receiving the Cricinfo Honours award, Sachin Tendulkar expressed gratitude, saying he was humbled by the recognition from fellow players on the jury. He reflected on his early start in cricket, acknowledged both supporters and critics who motivated him throughout his career, and thanked the jury and fans for the honour.
“I started playing cricket as a three-year-old and, like any other kid, enjoyed the game. What makes it even more special is that the players I’ve played with and against are part of the jury and they thought I was the appropriate name to receive this, and I’m very, very humbled by that. I really appreciate it. It’s even more special because there were a number of doubters who challenged me, but at the same time there were a number of backers who, in their own way, challenged me too and that pushed me harder than ever to keep up to the level I aspired to. I accept this with humility and gratitude. Thank you so very much to Cricinfo jury and all fans,” he said.
T20 Honours
Other winners at the Cricinfo Honours night in Mumbai included AB de Villiers, who was voted best T20 batter, and Jasprit Bumrah, who was picked as best T20 bowler.
– De Villiers finished his T20 career with just short of 9,500 runs at a strike rate of 150–set before that sort of scoring became normalized–and was the lynchpin of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.
– Bumrah, who has won two T20 World Cups with India and five IPL titles with the Mumbai Indians, currently has 349 wickets in 283 matches at an economy rate of under 7 an over.
AB de Villiers on receiving the award said. “I would like to thank the Cricinfo jury and the fans for this award. There are quite a few players who are equally capable of winning this, so I am incredibly grateful to the jury for selecting me this time and making this award truly special. It has been a long time since I last caught up with the fellow cricketers present here, and I’m glad such events allow us all to reconnect.”
Jasprit Bumrah on receiving the award remarked. “This one means a lot. 25 years, a jury of legends and to be named among the 25 greatest men cricketers of the era is really great. I want to thank the Cricinfo jury and everyone who followed this game so closely. Cricket has given me everything and it has taught me my valuable life lessons. Thank you Cricinfo. This is truly special.”
Muthiah Muralidaran on receiving the award added. “I am truly humbled to receive this prestigious award from Cricinfo. I’d like to extend my heartiest congratulations to all the other worthy recipients celebrating their incredible success. Thank you so much to Cricinfo for this honour.”
Women’s Cricket Honours
– Ellyse Perry: Widely regarded as one of the greatest talents across all sports in the modern era, Perry picked the 2020 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne–which Australia won to record their fifth title–as a career highlight, despite not playing in the game herself. “It was a real moment and also a nod to the foundations that had been laid for women’s cricket and every person that had worked hard for women’s cricket and fought for its development that day,” she said.
In Test cricket, she boasts stellar numbers of over 60 with the bat and under 20 with the ball. She highlighted her Ashes encounters with England as particularly special, including her 6 for 39 in the fourth innings at Canterbury (2015), and a phenomenal all-round performance in Perth (2014) where she scored 71 and 31 and took 8 for 79. (ANI)
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