Wisden’s All-Time Test All-Rounder Rankings: Why Garry Sobers Tops the ICC List
Cricket has produced several extraordinary all-rounders, from the versatile Garry Sobers and the powerful Ian Botham to Pakistan’s legendary Imran Khan and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis. But who deserves the highest place when players from different generations are compared?
A ranking published by Wisden on August 26, 2025, offers an interesting answer. Instead of relying on a panel of experts or a subjective points system created for the article, it examines the highest historical ratings awarded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to Test all-rounders.
The result places West Indies great Garry Sobers at No. 1, followed by England’s Ian Botham and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis. The list also features Australian legends Keith Miller and Richie Benaud, Pakistan’s Imran Khan, and New Zealand’s Chris Cairns.
Interestingly, several famous names, including India’s Kapil Dev and New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee, miss the top 10. Here’s a closer look at the ranking, the players who made it, and what the numbers tell us about the greatest Test all-rounders in cricket history.
How Did Wisden Rank the Greatest Test All-Rounders?
Wisden’s list is based on the ICC’s historical Test all-rounder ratings. The ICC system evaluates players through a points-based model, with ratings ranging up to 1,000. The historical rankings apply the system retrospectively to players from earlier eras, allowing cricketers whose careers ended long before the rankings were introduced to be compared with more recent players.
According to Wisden, the ranking uses each player’s highest recorded rating. It does not introduce a separate subjective formula or manually assign positions to favour particular players.
This distinction matters. The list measures the peak rating achieved by each cricketer, rather than simply counting career runs and wickets or judging the influence a player had on a team’s success.
Top 10 Greatest Test All-Rounders According to Wisden
1. Garry Sobers — 669 points
Garry Sobers occupies the top position with a peak rating of 669, achieved against India in 1967. The West Indian remains one of the most complete cricketers the game has produced.
Sobers scored 8,032 runs in 93 Tests at an exceptional average of 57.78 and took 235 wickets. His versatility made him particularly special: he could bat with extraordinary authority and bowl both pace and spin.
His batting record alone would have made him a legend. The fact that he also delivered substantial bowling contributions strengthens his claim to being the greatest all-rounder in Test history.
2. Ian Botham — 647 points
England’s Ian Botham takes second place with 647 points, recorded against India in 1980. Botham was an aggressive batter, a dangerous bowler and a match-winner capable of changing a Test in a remarkably short period.
He was particularly influential during the early part of his international career, when his batting and bowling performances helped establish him as one of England’s most celebrated cricketers.
Botham’s position demonstrates how highly the ICC model rated his peak performance, even though his career statistics and longevity differ from those of Sobers and Kallis.
3. Jacques Kallis — 616 points
Jacques Kallis ranks third with 616 points, achieved against Pakistan in 2002. His place is hardly surprising given the extraordinary consistency of his international career.
Kallis scored more than 13,000 Test runs and took 292 Test wickets. He also became one of the finest slip fielders of his generation.
His ability to contribute heavily with the bat while providing useful bowling options made him indispensable to South Africa. Although he sits below Sobers and Botham in this particular ranking, Kallis has a strong case in any discussion of the greatest all-rounders ever.
4. Keith Miller — 573 points
Keith Miller, one of Australia’s most celebrated post-war cricketers, occupies fourth place with 573 points, achieved against the West Indies in 1952.
Miller combined fast bowling with aggressive middle-order batting. He was part of Australia’s formidable post-war cricket era and became known for his attacking instincts and charismatic personality.
His place in the ranking also highlights the importance of recognising players from earlier generations whose achievements can be overlooked when discussions focus primarily on modern cricket.
5. Richie Benaud — 532 points
Richie Benaud ranks fifth with 532 points, recorded against Pakistan in 1959.
Best remembered by many fans as a pioneering Australian captain and respected commentator, Benaud was also a highly effective leg-spinner and capable lower-order batter.
He scored three Test centuries and took 248 wickets. His contribution extended beyond individual statistics: he helped shape Australia’s cricketing identity and later became one of the most influential voices in cricket broadcasting.
6. Imran Khan — 517 points
Pakistan’s Imran Khan takes sixth place with 517 points, achieved against India in 1983.
Imran combined fast bowling, middle-order batting and outstanding leadership. He finished his Test career with 3,807 runs and 362 wickets, becoming one of Pakistan’s greatest cricketers.
His bowling was particularly effective, and he developed into a formidable batter as his career progressed. As captain, he led Pakistan to the 1992 ODI World Cup title, further enhancing his legacy.
Imran’s sixth-place finish may surprise those who consider him the greatest all-rounder ever. However, the ICC ranking reflects the peak rating recorded by its algorithm, not a definitive verdict on a player’s overall legacy.
7. Tony Greig — 509 points
Tony Greig of England occupies seventh place with 509 points, achieved against New Zealand in 1975.
Greig was a tall, versatile all-rounder who could bowl seam or spin and contribute valuable runs in the middle order. His performances during the 1970s made him an important figure in English cricket.
He later became a prominent cricket commentator, but his playing career deserves recognition in its own right.
8. Andrew Flintoff — 501 points
Andrew Flintoff, another England all-rounder, recorded a peak rating of 501 against Pakistan in 2005.
Flintoff’s reputation rests heavily on his ability to produce outstanding performances under pressure. His contribution to England’s celebrated 2005 Ashes victory remains a defining chapter in modern English cricket.
Injuries affected his career, limiting his overall output. Nevertheless, his peak rating reflects the impact he made when performing at his best.
9. Aubrey Faulkner — 500 points
South Africa’s Aubrey Faulkner recorded a peak rating of 500 against Australia in 1911.
A key figure in early Test cricket, Faulkner was known for his inventive batting and effective bowling, particularly his use of the googly. His performances in the years before the First World War established him as one of the leading all-rounders of his generation.
His inclusion is an important reminder that cricket’s greatest players cannot be assessed solely through the modern era.
10. Chris Cairns — 500 points
New Zealand’s Chris Cairns completes the top 10 with 500 points, achieved against Zimbabwe in 2000.
Cairns was a powerful middle-order batter and a fast-medium bowler capable of taking important wickets. His aggressive batting made him particularly dangerous in matches where New Zealand needed a rapid change in momentum.
His position also reflects the value of players who could provide a genuine balance between batting depth and bowling strength.
Why Are Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee Missing?
One of the most striking aspects of Wisden’s ranking is the absence of two celebrated all-rounders: India’s Kapil Dev and New Zealand’s Richard Hadlee.
Kapil’s peak ICC Test all-rounder rating was 433, while Hadlee reached 483. Both figures fall below the 500-point threshold reached by the ten players on Wisden’s list.
South Africa’s Shaun Pollock also misses out, with a peak rating of 490. India’s Ravindra Jadeja had reached 475 by 2024, while England’s Ben Stokes had peaked at 498.
These omissions do not mean that Kapil, Hadlee, Pollock, Jadeja or Stokes are inferior cricketers in every meaningful sense. They show that a particular statistical model produces a particular result. Career longevity, match-winning contributions, conditions, roles and the demands of different eras all influence how people assess greatness.
Does Garry Sobers Deserve to Be No. 1?
Sobers has an exceptionally strong statistical case. His batting average of 57.78, 26 Test centuries and 235 wickets demonstrate a rare combination of high-level batting and substantial bowling contribution.
However, other all-rounders have equally compelling arguments based on different criteria. Kallis offers extraordinary longevity and run-scoring consistency, while Imran combined elite fast bowling with increasingly effective batting and outstanding captaincy.
The answer therefore depends partly on what a ranking is designed to measure. A peak-rating list answers one question; a career-value ranking or an expert poll may answer another.
Final Verdict
Wisden’s historical ICC-based ranking provides a useful, data-driven way to compare Test all-rounders across generations. Garry Sobers leads the list, with Ian Botham and Jacques Kallis completing the top three.
The ranking’s biggest strength is its reliance on a consistent statistical framework rather than a manually assembled list of personal favourites. Its main limitation is that peak ratings cannot capture every dimension of greatness.
For cricket fans, the most interesting conclusion is not that one ranking settles the debate forever. It is that Sobers, Botham, Kallis, Miller, Benaud and Imran all reached exceptional levels by a common rating system, while other legends fell just short of the threshold.
Ultimately, the debate over cricket’s greatest all-rounder remains open—and that is precisely what makes comparing these legends so fascinating.
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