Wisden Cricketers of the Century
Encyclopedia
The Wisden Cricketers of the Century are five cricketer
s who were judged to be the most prominent players of the 20th century, as selected by a 100-member panel of cricket
experts appointed by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
in 2000. The 97 men and three women ("the doyenne of English women's cricket, Netta Rheinberg, the Pakistani journalist Fareshteh Gati and the Barbadian commentator Donna Symmonds") on the panel were each given five votes with which to select the list. In order of votes, the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century are:
Many members of the panel complained that two of the five votes cast by each member would be wasted, as they would almost certainly be cast for Bradman
and Sobers
. The editor of Wisden at the time, Matthew Engel
, noted that the only real deficiency of the list was the absence of a fast bowler in the top five places. Fast bowlers dominated cricket from the 1970s until at least the mid-1990s, and the most famous pre-war test series, Bodyline
, had aroused controversy because of England's fast bowling strategy designed to counter Don Bradman.
There was also a big controvery when the choices were announced. Accusations were made by several sections of media that the list was biased. The panellists did not select any players from Asia or Africa, omitting highly-regarded players from these regions such as Imran Khan
(polled 13 votes), Graeme Pollock
(4) and Sunil Gavaskar
(12).
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
s who were judged to be the most prominent players of the 20th century, as selected by a 100-member panel of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
experts appointed by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
in 2000. The 97 men and three women ("the doyenne of English women's cricket, Netta Rheinberg, the Pakistani journalist Fareshteh Gati and the Barbadian commentator Donna Symmonds") on the panel were each given five votes with which to select the list. In order of votes, the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century are:
| Position | Name | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sir Donald Bradman Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time... |
100 |
| 2. | Sir Garfield Sobers Garfield Sobers Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers AO, OCC is a former cricketer who captained West Indies. His first name of Garfield is variously abbreviated as Gary or Garry. He is widely regarded as one of cricket's greatest ever all-rounders, having excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and... |
90 |
| 3. | Sir Jack Hobbs Jack Hobbs Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930.... |
30 |
| 4. | Shane Warne Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet... |
27 |
| 5. | Sir Viv Richards Viv Richards Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald... |
25 |
Many members of the panel complained that two of the five votes cast by each member would be wasted, as they would almost certainly be cast for Bradman
Donald Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman, AC , often referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time...
and Sobers
Garfield Sobers
Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers AO, OCC is a former cricketer who captained West Indies. His first name of Garfield is variously abbreviated as Gary or Garry. He is widely regarded as one of cricket's greatest ever all-rounders, having excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and...
. The editor of Wisden at the time, Matthew Engel
Matthew Engel
Matthew Lewis Engel is a British writer and editor who began his career in 1972. He worked on The Guardian newspaper for nearly 25 years, reporting on a wide range of political and sporting events including a stint as Washington correspondent beginning on 9/11. He now writes a column in the...
, noted that the only real deficiency of the list was the absence of a fast bowler in the top five places. Fast bowlers dominated cricket from the 1970s until at least the mid-1990s, and the most famous pre-war test series, Bodyline
Bodyline
Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia, specifically to combat the extraordinary batting skill of Australia's Don Bradman...
, had aroused controversy because of England's fast bowling strategy designed to counter Don Bradman.
There was also a big controvery when the choices were announced. Accusations were made by several sections of media that the list was biased. The panellists did not select any players from Asia or Africa, omitting highly-regarded players from these regions such as Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
(polled 13 votes), Graeme Pollock
Graeme Pollock
Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
(4) and Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
(12).