Ranking The 5 Best All Rounders In World Cricket Presently

International cricket teams are regularly on the lookout for all-rounders, but only a selected few find gems that add to their depth in either skill. That is because most players focus their energies on developing in one aspect of the game and those capable of delivering the goods with both bat and ball are rarities.

Such players lend a fantastic balance to the side, allowing the captains to field five bowling options without having to compromise the length of the batting. The modern-day game is blessed to have such all-rounders part of different national teams, performing brilliantly across formats.

Ranking The 5 Best All Rounders In World Cricket Presently

5. Chris Woakes

Woakes has quietly been a very effective cricketer for England. Featuring in the side predominantly as a right-arm paceman, he has also regularly provided crucial runs lower down the order. The 31-year-old has played 38 Tests, 104 ODIs and 8 T20Is in an often overlooked but impactful career.

Woakes has scored over 2,000 runs and taken nearly 300 wickets in international cricket. The Warwickshire cricketer has been integral to England’s victories in recent years. Woakes was among the highest wicket-takers for England at the 2019 World Cup. He took 16 wickets at an average of 27.66 in three lions’ eventually successful quest to lift the coveted world title. In Test wins, Woakes’ overall career bowling average improves to 22.25 and he has also added handy runs with the bat, averaging nearly 30.

4. Jason Holder

West Indies captain Holder is acknowledged widely for his leadership and reviving the interest for Test cricket in the Caribbean. But Holder is also one of the best all-rounders in world cricket at the moment.

Holder has played 45 Tests, 113 ODIs and 17 T20Is for the Calypso Kings. The 29-year-old has taken close to 300 wickets and scored over 4,000 runs in international cricket.

Holder’s record is even more impressive in recent years, especially in Test matches. Since the start of 2018, Holder has an astonishing bowling average of just 19.04 and has struck almost 40 runs per innings with the bat in game’s traditional format.

3. Ravindra Jadeja

Jadeja has gradually taken giant strides as an all-round cricketer for India. The Saurashtra cricketer faced heavy criticism at the start of his career but is now integral to the team’s success across formats.

Jadeja has now played 50 Tests, 168 ODIs and 50 T20Is for the country. He has made above 4,000 runs and taken more than 400 wickets in international cricket.

Jadeja’s career graph has only gone upwards in the last four years as he has shown drastic improvement with both bat and ball at the highest level. Jadeja has the best batting (46.29) and bowling (24.97) averages among Test all-rounders since 2016.

2. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib is easily the greatest Bangladeshi cricketer to have played the game. Among the world’s best all-rounders, the gifted right-hand batsman and the intelligent left-arm spinner has had an illustrious career.

The 33-year-old has featured in 56 Tests, 206 ODIs and 76 T20Is for his country. Shakib has scored more than 11,000 runs and taken above 550 wickets at the highest level.

Shakib has been extremely crucial to Bangladesh’s progress as an international side in the last decade or so. His consistent performances have impacted their fortunes. The all-rounder has withstood the toughest challenges. In wins against traditional top 8 sides, no bowler has taken more wickets and only one batsman has scored more runs for Bangladesh than Shakib.

1. Ben Stokes

Stokes has been the most vital cog in England’s wheels and is rated as the finest all-rounder in world cricket at the moment. He has played 67 Tests, 95 ODIs and 29 T20Is at the highest level. The 29-year-old has scored more than 7,000 runs and taken close to 250 wickets in international cricket.

The left-hand batsman and right-arm quick has only enhanced his reputation in recent times. As an all-round package, Stokes is often compared with England’s greatest cricketer Sir Ian Botham.

Like Botham, Stokes has proven highly impactful for England. He played decisive knocks in the 2019 World Cup final and the famous Ashes Test in Headingley, both of which saw England come out triumphant.