Five Cricketers Who Played Alongside Most Players In International Cricket

The longevity of cricketers undoubtedly helps a cricketer in sharing his experiences and knowledge with their teammates. The vast career inevitably means that their numbers in a particular aspect would be awe-inspiring. It subsequently would imply that such cricketers command immense respect from the opposing teams.

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Over the years, there have been plenty of players who have had the privilege to play alongside more than 100 players. Such players’ international careers might have lasted more than a decade, and their achievements would have made them undroppable from the side. Also, the selectors might have extended their stay slightly more to guide the youngsters.

We take a look at five cricketers who played with the most number of cricketers in international cricket:

Rahul Dravid – 134 players

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid is one of the nine players to have made an appearance in more than 500 international games. From 1996 to 2012, Dravid played in 509 matches across Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. As far as playing with the number of players, he stands fifth in the rank with 134 players. The 47-year old featured alongside 94 players in the most extended version in a 164-Test career.

In 344 ODI fixtures, a tally of 116 players featured along with the right-handed batsman. The number of players enhanced when Rahul Dravid played for Asia XI and World XI during the mid-2000s. The veteran had the chance to play with 25 cricketers while playing five ODIs for Asia XI and ICC World XI. It comprised of four Indian players, who have also been regular teammates of Dravid.

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Shoaib Malik – 136 players

Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik has featured alongside a tally of 136 players so far, which is second-last in number. With his career still alive, Malik has the chance of featuring in T20Is after the virus subsides. Having made his international debut way back in 1999, Shoaib Malik has appeared in 435 international games and inevitably playing with plenty of cricketers as the crop kept on changing.

The 38-year old Malik alongside 105 players in 287 One-day internationals, is the tenth most number of teammates for any player in the format. Nevertheless, his greater share of teammates has been from the T20I version.

Shoaib Malik has played alongside a record tally of 87 players during his 113 T20I players, which is the most for any athlete in men’s T20I cricket. The former Pakistan captain was part of the World XI T20I against West Indies in a T20 at Lord’s where nine players played with him.

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Sachin Tendulkar – 141 players

Throughout his glorious 24-year international career, Sachin Tendulkar featured in a whopping 664 games. He played with a total of 141 players, which only two players have managed to eclipse the same. By playing the most number of matches in ODIs and Tests, one would have expected to be at the top; however, the 47-year old wasn’t part of any World XI or Asia XI fixtures.

Sachin Tendulkar played with 110 different athletes in Test cricket. In the early as well as the late 2000s, India boasted of all their core group players, which enabled him to accomplish the feat. Rahul Dravid played 146 Tests with Sachin while Anil Kumble and VVS Laxman featured in 122 and 120 Tests respectively. Sourav Ganguly (103), Virender Sehwag (93), Harbhajan Singh (86), and Zaheer Khan (81) also contributed to Sachin’s vast career.

In 464 ODIs, the Mumbai-born batsman featured alongside 123 players, which is the second-most by anyone in that version. Sachin played over 200 ODIs with five teammates, namely, Dravid (245), Kumble (245), Ganguly (238), Mohammad Azharuddin (223), Javagal Srinath (204).

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Chris Gayle – 145 players

West Indian swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle sits at the second spot for having played with the most number of players with 145. He managed to be at the second spot despite featuring in only 462 international fixtures. The Jamaican appeared alongside 129 players in 301 ODIs, which is the most in the format.

One of the main justifications for Gayle holding a superior record is due to West Indies’ inconsistent selections during his 20-year international career. The Board disputes didn’t enable some of the Caribbean players to feature regularly due to which there existed upheaval in choosing cricketers.

The southpaw’s success in T20 cricket incited him to become a T20 freelancer while selectively going for international events. Yet, he was part of all the ICC events. The inconsistent selection of players also meant that Gayle was playing alongside a different set of athletes every time he played in recent times. The veteran was part of ICC World XI in 2005 in an ODI in which 19 cricketers from different countries played with him.

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Shahid Afridi – 151 players

Pakistani decorated all-rounder Shahid Afridi is the only one to pass the 150-mark on this list. In an international career that transpired almost 22 years, Afridi appeared in 524 games, of which 398 were ODIs. The 398 fixtures enabled him to feature with 122 players, which is the third most after Chris Gayle (129) and Sachin Tendulkar (123).

The former Pakistan captain’s international career came to a close in the 2016 World T20. By that time, Shahid Afridi played with 142 players. The 2018 hurricane relief T20 game wherein he lead the ICC World XI against the West Indies helped him leapfrog Tendulkar(141). As a result of the match being a T20I, it increased his lead to 151.

In 2005, the 41-year old appeared in two ODIs for World XI and three for Asia XI in which he had the privilege to play with 17 players from nations other than Pakistan.

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