ESPN-Cricinfo has named the best cricketers of the 21st century based on their performances from 2000 to 2025. The list was full of legendary cricketers who took this game to a different level and dominated world cricket for over 25 years.
25 legendary male cricketers of the 21st century were named in the list, including some of the greatest cricketers like Kumar Sangakkara, Dale Steyn, Joe Root, Steve Smith, and many more.
Who will win this match?
ESPNcricinfo undertook a huge task to name the best players to represent those qualities, the elite cricketers of the 21st century. The project looked at performances in international cricket from 2000 to 2025 while bringing together a number of the game’s most talented minds to decide the best players of the modern era.
Key Results and Awards
The god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, was awarded the title of the greatest men’s batter. The South African legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis was awarded the title of the Greatest Men’s International Cricketer. Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralidaran is named the Greatest Men’s Bowler.
Mr. 360, AB de Villiers, was named the Greatest Men’s T20 Batter, and Indian speedster Jasprit Bumrah was awarded the title of the Greatest Men’s T20 Bowler. Australian female all-rounder Ellyse Perry got the award of the ‘Greatest Women’s Cricketer’ title.
| Award | Player |
| Greatest Men’s International Cricketer | Jacques Kallis (South Africa) |
| Greatest Men’s Batter | Sachin Tendulkar (India) |
| Greatest Men’s Bowler | Muttiah Muralidaran (Sri Lanka) |
| Greatest Women’s Cricketer | Ellyse Perry (Australia) |
| Greatest Men’s T20 Batter | AB de Villiers (South Africa) |
| Greatest Men’s T20 Bowler | Jasprit Bumrah (India) |
List of Greatest Male International Cricketers of the 21st Century
- Jacques Kallis
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Virat Kohli
- Muttiah Muralidaran
- Ricky Ponting
- AB de Villiers
- Kumar Sangakkara
- Dale Steyn
- Joe Root
- Steven Smith
- Adam Gilchrist
- Rahul Dravid
- James Anderson
- MS Dhoni
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Kane Williamson
- Mitchell Starc
- Chris Gayle
- Ben Stokes
- Pat Cummins
- Mahela Jayawardene
- Virender Sehwag
- Kevin Pietersen
- Stuart Broad
- R Ashwin
Recognition Across the Game
The god of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, holds the record of most runs in Test and ODI cricket. His 100 international-century record is also untouchable.
South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis is one of the main people behind the rise of South Africa’s cricket. In his cricket career, he scored 13,289 Test and 11,579 ODI runs and took 292 Test and 273 ODI wickets. With 25,534 runs, he is the 6th-highest international runs scorer in cricket history.
Muttiah Muralitharan ended his Test career in 2010 with 800 wickets. He averaged under 23 with the ball. He served a pivotal role in Sri Lanka becoming a force in world cricket in the 2000s.
All-rounder Ellyse Perry has been named the greatest women’s cricketer of the 21st century, an acknowledgement of a career that has symbolised the sport’s growth into a global success.
By recognising T20 cricket, South Africa’s legend AB de Villiers was voted the greatest men’s T20 batter; on the other hand, India’s Jasprit Bumrah earned the award as the greatest men’s T20 bowler.
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How was the selection done?
At first, there was a total of 70 players’ names on the list. Then, based on their performance and impact, the list is narrowed down to 30 members. The following list was then sent to a panel of 25. The top 25 players were chosen by each panel, and from these, the best batsman, bowler, and all-rounder of the century were chosen.