All-Rounder in Cricket — Types, Rankings and the Greatest All-Rounders
What makes an all-rounder in cricket, the difference between batting and bowling all-rounders, how the ICC ranks them, and the greatest all-rounders in Test and T20 history.
An all-rounder is a cricket player who makes meaningful contributions in both batting and bowling — not merely a batter who can bowl a few overs, but a player whose dual skills are genuinely valuable to the team. All-rounders are among the most prized players in all formats: they give captains extra bowling options without sacrificing batting depth.
Batting vs Bowling All-Rounders
A batting all-rounder bats in the top six and bowls regularly — typically 10+ overs per Test or the equivalent in white-ball. Their batting is their primary value. Examples: Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja. A bowling all-rounder bats lower (7 or 8) but takes wickets consistently — their bowling is their primary skill. Examples: Mitchell Starc (can bat), Stuart Broad. True 'genuine' all-rounders who bat in the top five AND take 5-wicket hauls regularly are extremely rare.
ICC All-Rounder Rankings
The ICC ranks all-rounders using a formula that combines batting and bowling rating points (each rated out of 1000). To appear in the all-rounder rankings, a player must have a minimum batting AND bowling rating — preventing specialist batters or bowlers from topping the list. The ICC publishes all-rounder rankings for Tests, ODIs and T20Is separately.
Greatest All-Rounders in History
Garfield Sobers (West Indies) — universally considered the greatest all-rounder: Test batting average 57.78, 235 wickets. Ian Botham (England) — 5,200 Test runs and 383 wickets, won series with bat and ball simultaneously. Imran Khan (Pakistan) — 3,807 runs and 362 wickets, became captain and led Pakistan to their only World Cup win (1992). Kapil Dev (India) — 5,248 runs and 434 wickets, won 1983 World Cup. Shaun Pollock (South Africa) — among the finest technical all-rounders of the modern era. Richard Hadlee (New Zealand) — first bowler to 400 Test wickets.
Frequently asked questions
What average does a batter need to be considered a genuine all-rounder?
There is no official threshold, but generally a Test batting average above 30 and a bowling average below 35 is considered all-rounder standard. Most authorities require a 1:1 ratio of batting to bowling averages as a rough guide.
Is a wicketkeeper-batter an all-rounder?
Not traditionally — keeper-batters are a separate category. All-rounders specifically refers to players who bat and bowl. However, ICC rankings treat keeper-batters who bowl occasionally the same way.
Who is the best T20 all-rounder?
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) held the top ICC T20I all-rounder ranking for extended periods. Hardik Pandya (India), Andre Russell (West Indies), and Sam Curran (England) are also elite T20 all-rounders.