| Throughout the history of cricket there have been | | | | with an average of 34.03. He is best known for being |
| those that were special, who were slightly different | | | | the first batsman ever to score six sixes in one over |
| to their fellow cricketers and made the crowd sit up | | | | in 1968 in a first class cricket match while playing for |
| whenever they arrived on the pitch. Of course every | | | | Notts against Glamorgan. |
| game has its heroes and cricket is no exception. And | | | | Ian Botham was a great English all-rounder. He was |
| every nation has its own cricketing legends that they | | | | the scourge of bowlers with his prodigious batting |
| believe were better than those of other teams. This | | | | ability and he was just as adept as a fast medium |
| article will introduce you to 9 of the world's great | | | | paced bowler. He was born in Cheshire in 1955 and |
| cricketers from past and present. | | | | played mainly for Somerset. He was very much a |
| Imran Kahn was a great Pakistani cricketer who | | | | true all rounder as he was as good at bowling as |
| played at the highest level for over twenty years | | | | batting. He played in 102 test matches and scored |
| from his debut in 1971. He was a great all rounder | | | | 5200 runs, with an average of 33.34 and he took 383 |
| who led the Pakistan team to their first world cup | | | | wickets with an average of 28.40. |
| just before he retired. Always elegant in both action | | | | WG Grace is thought by many to be the most |
| and speech he was one of the best all-rounders that | | | | influential cricketer the game has ever seen. He was |
| the game has ever had. He is now a politician in | | | | born in 1848 at a time when cricket was not the |
| Pakistan and the leader of a major political party. He | | | | massive sport that it is today. He is one of the |
| played in 88 tests with a batting average of 37.69. | | | | reasons, with his great batting ability, that cricket |
| He took 362 wickets with an excellent bowling | | | | became so popular. When he was out first ball at a |
| average of 22.81. | | | | match once, he refused to go telling the umpire that, |
| Shane Warne is an Australian spin bowler who is one | | | | "the crowd are here to watch me bat and not to |
| of, if not the, greatest spin bowler the game has | | | | watch you umpire!". There were not many test |
| ever seen. He was born in 1969 in Victoria and has | | | | matches then so he played only 22 and scored 1098 |
| played test cricket since 1990, retiring in 2007. He has | | | | runs with an average of 32.29. He took 9 wickets |
| taken more test wickets than any other player in | | | | with an average of 26.22. This average is low even |
| history. He was also the first player to take more | | | | though he was playing into his late fifties! |
| than 600 test wickets. He played in 140 tests and | | | | Allan Border was born in 1955 in Sydney and was |
| has taken 685 wickets with a bowling average of | | | | Australian captain. He still has the world record for |
| 25.25. | | | | the greatest number of uninterrupted test matches. |
| Gary Sobers was a highly talented cricketer who was | | | | He also had the record, at the time, for the most |
| born in Barbados in 1936. He played 93 tests for the | | | | runs in test matches at 11174 in 156 tests. He was |
| West Indies and scored an impressive 8032 runs. He | | | | also one of the most prolific hitters of centuries with |
| had a batting average of 57.78. He was also a very | | | | 27 in test matches. He also took 39 wickets with an |
| good slow left arm bowler, taking 235 test wickets, | | | | average of 39.10. |