Brian Lara, the West Indies batting legend, has shared his list of cricket’s all-time greats, including Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah alongside other iconic players.
In a recent Stick to Cricket podcast episode with former England cricketers like Phil Tuffnell, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, and David Llyod, Lara revealed his GOATs. Along with Bumrah, he named Australian fast-bowling legend Glenn McGrath, South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, and Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist.
Bumrah, a T20 World Cup winner for India, is a skilled pacer. Across 206 matches, he has taken 455 wickets at an average of 20.47, with his best being 6/19. He has 17 five-wicket hauls. He has 217 wickets in 47 Test matches at an average of 19.48.
McGrath is internationally known as the fifth-highest wicket-taker with 949 wickets at an average of 21.76, his best being 8/24.
He took 36 five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls. He is known as Australia’s successful Test pacer and the second-highest wicket-taker in the format with 563 wickets at an average of 21.64, with 29 five-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls. He is also a previous three-time 50-over World Cup winner in 1999, 2003 and 2007.
Kallis, with over 10,000 runs and over 500 international wickets in both formats, can fit into any team as a batter or a pacer. He has 25,534 runs in 519 matches & 617 innings at an average of 49.10. Making 62 centuries and 149 fifties. He also has 577 international wickets at an average of 32.14, with best figures of 6/54 and seven fifers. He is a past ICC Champions Trophy winner from Australia.
Gilchrist, a superstar, changed wicket-keeping with his great batting abilities. In 396 international matches and 429 innings, he made 15,461 runs at an average of 38.94, with 33 centuries and 81 fifties. His highest score is 204*. He scored 9,619 runs and 16 centuries in 287 ODIs, but his 5,570 runs in 96 Tests at an average of 47.60, strike rate of 81.95 with 17 centuries and 26 fifties in 137 innings tells a story. Also, with three WC wins, he has 905 dismissals across all formats, which makes him the second-highest among all wicketkeepers.
Lara also named India’s captain Rohit Sharma, his ex-teammate Chris Gayle, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, England’s Kevin Pietersen, and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in the ‘legend’ category.
Sharma has played in 499 international matches, scored 19,700 runs at an average of 42.18, with 49 centuries and 108 fifties. He has two ICC T20 World Cups and ICC Champions Trophies, with one as captain. Sharma is an ODI titan, with 11,168 runs in 273 matches and 265 innings at an average of 48.76, with 32 centuries and 58 fifties and has the most World Cup centuries (seven). He has 4,231 runs in 159 matches and 151 innings at an average of 32.05, with five centuries and 32 fifties.
After over 10,000 ODI runs, Gayle is WI’s third-highest run-getter. He has 19,538 runs in 480 international matches including 42 centuries and 104 fifties. His hitting skills changed T20 cricket, making him the first superstar with over 14,562 runs (highest), 22 centuries and 1,056 sixes (highest) and has won two T20 WCs, one Champions Trophy including other T20 league titles.
Afridi does not have an international title, but he is one of the world’s feared pacers and the 12th-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan with 345 scalps in 174 matches at an average of 24.88.
Williamson, who led NZ to its world title at the ICC World Test Championship, is their batter with 19,086 runs at an average of 48.56, with 48 centuries and 102 fifties. His successful format is Tests. He has 9,276 runs in 105 matches at an average of 54.88, with 33 centuries and 37 fifties. He is this generation’s ‘Fab Four’ batters alongside India’s Virat Kohli, England’s Joe Root, and Australia’s Steve Smith.
Pietersen, with one T20 World Cup win, is England’s third-most batter with 13,779 runs in 275 international matches at an average of 44.30, with 32 centuries and 67 fifties. Test cricket became his best format, with 8,181 runs at an average of 47.28, with 23 centuries and 35 fifties and best score of 227.