Top 10 Tallest Cricketers Of All Time

In sports, it is necessary to have the skillset to succeed in the international arena. But sometimes physical attributes also play significant roles for player’s success. Height plays a major role not only in basketball and volleyball but also is crucial in cricket. So in this article, we will talk about the ten tallest cricketers of all time.

It is mainly the bowlers who attract a lot of advantage because of their height. They can extract some bounce out of flat wicket and at times releasing the ball from such a height can also make the difference. The batsmen can also get some assistance due to their height like reaching the ball with a long front foot to time the ball, and also it assists the fielders.

Let us take a look at the top ten tallest cricketers of all time:

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Ishant Sharma (India) – 6′ 5″

With a physique and height of 6′ 5″, Ishant Sharma shot into prominence during the 2007-08 Test series in Australia. His ability to clock 150kmph consistently made him one of the best Indian pacers during the period.

The fast bowler from Delhi had the best season in 2011 when he picked 43 Test wickets in one season to finish as the second highest wicket-taker in the world after Saeed Ajmal. Ishant has claimed 267 wickets from 90 Test matches which make him one of the best in the business. Although he doesn’t feature in white ball cricket anymore, Ishant is a regular feature for India when it comes to five-day cricket.

Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan) – 6′ 6″

The 19-year-old Saheen Afridi hhas already made his presence felt in the international cricket. With his express pace and bounce, the left-arm seamer will bring Pakistan cricket a lot of laurels in the near future.

Shaheen has already impressed in his debut ICC World Cup 2019 claiming 16 wickets in the five matches he played with the best figure of six for 35. So far he has played three Tests, 19 ODIs, and 10 T20Is claiming 66 wickets in total. Pakistan will want to nurture the young talent well for the future.

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Peter Fulton (New Zealand) – 6′ 6″

Nicknamed as ‘Two Meter Peter’, Peter Fulton made his international debut after his consistent show in the first-class cricket. The middle-order batsman showed his class in the 2007 ICC World Cup after coming in as a replacement of injured Lou Vincent.

However, a stringent of injuries cut short his career playing only 23 Tests, 49 ODIs, and 12 T20Is over a span of seven-eight years. But Fulton was a regular in the domestic circuit scoring tons of runs for his domestic side Canterbury.

Chris Tremlett (England) – 6′ 7″

With a 6 feet 7 inches height, Chris Tremlett burst on to the scene as a quick bowler of immense ability.  He made an outstanding start to his career claiming a hattrick in the ODIs.

However, with an extraordinary height comes a lot of injuries. A number of injuries cut short his international career as he represented only 12 Tests and 15 ODIs claiming 68 wickets in the process. But he made a name for himself in the first class cricket playing for Hampshire in County Cricket.

Jason Holder (West Indies) – 6′ 7″

Jason Holder has come up the ranks quickly to be one of the best players in their history. With his ability to contribute to all the formats, the management soon picked Holder to lead the team and made his World Cup debut as a skipper in 2019.

The tall and lanky West Indian has been a significant contributor to their cricket with both bat and ball. The 27-year-old, who has played 37 Tests and 104 ODIs, still has a lot of cricket left in him and will look to take West Indies cricket to greater heights in the near future.

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Tom Moody (Australia) – 6′ 7″

Making his international debut in 1987, the giant-looking Tom Moody impressed as a batsman against some top-class bowling. He was also a capable medium-pace swing bowler, a safe slip fieldsman and a natural leader.

Despite a brief Test career, Moody had a good run in the ODIs making a significant contribution to help Australia win the 1999 World Cup. After retiring in 1999, Moody made a name for himself as a coach and is currently working with various teams across the globe.

Curtly Ambrose (West Indies) – 6′ 7″

A giant in every nature, West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose was one of the deadliest pacers of his generation. With more than 600 wickets in his international career, Ambrose was a nightmare to the batsmen.

His colossal 6’ 7″ height was a threatening sight for any batsman, and although his pace fell away due to age, he still bowled excellent line and length and, due to his height, could extract humungous bounce from any pitch which is a danger to even some of the finest batsmen of all. Ambrose’s partnership with another legendary Courtney Walsh was one of the greatest new ball pair the world has ever seen.

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 Bruce Reid (Australia) – 6′ 8″

Bruce Reid shared the same height as Garner, making him the joint second tallest cricketer to have played the game at international level. Making his debut in the same match with Mark Hughes, Reid’s ability to bring the ball back to the batsmen made him one of the best during that period.

Reid played 27 Tests for Australia taking 113 Test wickets at an average of 24.63 runs per wicket. He also played 61 ODIs claiming 63 wickets. The left-arm pacers biggest achievement came when he took 13 wickets against England in the Boxing Day Ashes Test at Melbourne in 1990-91.

Joel Garner (West Indies) – 6′ 8″

Famously called as the Big Bird, Goel Garner is arguably the best pacer to have played the game of cricket. The 6 feet 8 inches tall fast bowler was highly known for demoralising opposition batsmen with the steep bounce he generated in any kind of wicket.

Garner played in 58 Tests between 1977 and 1987 and took 259 wickets at an average of slightly over 20, making him one of the most efficient fast bowlers of all time. He also had an excellent record in the ODIs bowing under an average of 20, only a handful of bowlers have achieved.

Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan) – 7′ 1″

The left-arm fast bowler from a small town in East Pakistan, Mohammad Irfan is the tallest cricket to have played the game of cricket. Although there were speculations over his height, Irfan himself confirmed that he is 7′ 1” tall making him the tallest cricketer overtaking his idol Joel Garner.

The tall and lanky fast bowler made his ODI debut for Pakistan on September 10, 2010, against England in the wake of the spot-fixing controversy. Irfan represented his country in 60 ODIs and 20 T20Is claiming 98 wickets in total before a fixing accusation during the PSL ruined his career.

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