Top 10 Shortest Cricketers Of All Time

Many people believe that tall and mammoth size cricketers are the most successful players. However, as the quote says, ‘Good things come in small packages’, many short cricketers have attained massive success in their career. Who are they? 

The pocket-sized dynamos have always been a surprise package for their opponents as they were much more capable of doing then they seem to do. From Sachin Tendulkar to Sunil Gavaskar, the world cricket has witnessed many short cricketers dominating the cricket field.

We at Cricket Addictor will take a look at the top ten shortest cricketers to play international cricket since the inception of the game:

Read More: 5 Indian Cricketers Who Can Lead Team India In Future

10. Sachin Tendulkar (5.5 ft)

Sachin Tendulkar has been the most prolific run-scorers of this generation, making batting look easy. He has been the most complete player of his generation and the biggest star of the game. His 100 international centuries and over 34000 runs are the perfect examples of his greatness.

He is one of the greatest of all time who has taken Indian cricket to greater heights. With a height of 5.5 ft same as his idol Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar has been a nightmare for the bowlers across the globe. He is among the shortest cricketers to have played the game of cricket.

Read More: Kagiso Rabada Hails India Skipper Vira

9. Tatenda Taibu (5.41 ft)

Tatenda Taibu is one of Zimbabwe’s brightest stars to have played the game. He earned the vice-captaincy in 2003 only at the age of 19, such was his importance in the Zimbabwe Cricket. And in 2004, he took over leadership from Heath Streak.

The wicket-keeper batsman shocked the cricketing world when he resigned as the captain and announced his international retirement in 2005. After spells in Bangladesh and England, he moved to South Africa later in 2006 in a bid to play for the Proteas.

However, it didn’t work out as Taibu announced his retirement in 2012. With only 5.41 ft height, Taibu is one of the shortest cricketers to play the game.

8. David Williams (5.4 ft)

David Williams was always on a hiding to nothing trying to follow Jeff Dujon. He struggled to contribute with the bat (he made seven ducks in 18 completed Test innings) meant he only played 11 Tests. But he did have his moment in the sun when he hit 65 against England in Trinidad in 1997-98.

Among all the latest cricketers to have played for West Indies, Williams was the shortest of all. With only 5.4 ft heigh, he also enters the list of the shortest cricketers of all time. The wicket-keeper batsman played 11 Tests and 36 ODIs for his country.

Read More: Pragyan Ojha And His Wife Blessed With A Child

Post his retirement, he has worked as the assistant coach to the West Indies team for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa.

7. Alvin Kallicharran (5.4 ft)

West Indies batsman Alvin Kallicharran was one of the good batsmen from the country. He had a good poise, balance, orthodoxy, a full range of strokes off either foot which made him one of the best during that era.

His short height of 5.4 ft also helped him to succeed as a batsman against some of the greatest bowlers. Notably, he is one of the shortest cricketers to have played the game of cricket. Kallicharran averaged over 44 from the 66 Test matches he played.

He also led West Indies in 1977–1978 when Clive Lloyd resigned over the Packer issue.

6. Kedar Jadhav (5.41 ft)

The India all-rounder Kedar Jadhav has been a crucial part of the limited-overs set-up for his exploit with the bat. However, he has lacked consistency and many have time and again questionned his place in the playing XI. He was also a part of the 2015 World Cup squad.

Jadhav, who is only 5.4 ft tall became a breakthrough bowler for India with his off-breaks under MS Dhoni’s regime. With his round-arm action,  Jadhav has dominated the middle-overs and kept the scoreboard in check.

A short-height cricketer, the cricketer from Maharashtra is one of the shortest cricketers to have played the game of cricket.

5. Gundappa Vishwanath (5.3 ft)

The former India cricketer Gundappa Vishwanath was a delight, using quick footwork and strong wrists to send the ball all around the ground. He made a century in his first Test and – unlike any of the other Indians who had done that at the time – added more, 13 more to his tally.

He was Sunil Gavaskar’s brother-in-law, and even smaller than him. Vishwanath was around 5.3 ft tall which made him one of the shortest cricketers to play cricket ever since its inception. He played 91 Test matches and 25 ODIs for his country.

4. Mushfiqur Rahim (5.3 ft)

Former Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim is one of the greatest to play the game from his country. He became the youngest cricketer to play a Test match at the Lord’s Cricket Stadium in London.

Rahim barely looked a bit taller than the timber when he came out against England in 2015 only at the age of 16. He showed glimpses of his talent only in his first innings and since then, has played many memorable innings for his country.

He has grown a little since then but is still 5ft 3 inches, which takes him to the list of shortest cricketers of all time.

3. Mominul Haque (5.3 ft)

A left-handed batsman, Mominul Haque had an impressive start to his career. The 5 ft 3 inches tall batsman scored a valiant fifty against Sri Lanka in his debut in 2012 and backed it will some swashbuckling knocks.

While he has not been consistent in the international circuit since then, Mominul boasts a rich average in the domestic circuit. He is also one of the valuable cricketers in the Bangladesh Premier League. Short in stature and with only 5.4 ft height, Mominual is one of the shortest cricketers of all time.

2. Parthiv Patel (5ft)

When Parthiv Patel made his Test debut against England in 2002 at the age of 17, he looked like a little kid. He showed resilience with the bat in the next few matches but his wicket-keeping errors cost him his place in the Indian team.

However, he has been a legend for Gujarat in the domestic circuit. Despite scoring tons of runs for Gujarat, he failed to attract the selectors due to the omnipresence of MS Dhoni. Although he has grown a few inches from then, Parthiv is still only 5ft tall.

1. Kruger van Wyk (4.75 ft)

A feisty, efficient wicketkeeper-batsman, Kruger van Wyk is the shortest cricketers to play the game of cricket. Despite being a legend in the domestic cricket, van Wyk could only manage nine Tests for his country after making his debut in 2012 against South Africa.

Hailing from the Rainbow Nation, van Wyk failed to make it to the South Africa squad due to the presence of Mark Boucher. Then he decided to move to New Zealand and eventually made his international debut in place of BJ Watling.

Kruger, who has 341 international runs to his name is the shortest cricketer ever.