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I haven’t updated my World’s Best All-rounders table since last year. This is because the spot-fixing allegations against the Pakistani tourists made me doubt the value of any current cricket statistics. My doubts still remain, but it doesn’t look like there are going to be any revisions of historical data so I will have to work with what I’ve got.

What’s happened since last year? Here’s the current table:

Player Matches Runs Bat ave Wickets Bowl ave Catches X-factor
JH Kallis 145 11947 57.44 270 32.01 166 31.57
GS Sobers 93 8032 57.78 235 34.04 109 29.92
Imran Khan 88 3807 37.69 362 22.81 28 20.20
KR Miller 55 2958 36.97 170 22.98 38 19.69
ER Dexter 62 4502 47.89 66 34.94 29 18.42
Asif Iqbal 58 3575 38.86 53 28.34 36 16.14
Mushtaq Mohammad 57 3643 39.17 79 29.23 42 15.68
SM Pollock 108 3781 32.32 421 23.12 72 14.86
AW Greig 58 3599 40.44 141 32.21 87 14.73
TL Goddard 41 2516 34.47 123 26.23 48 14.41
BM McMillan 38 1968 39.36 75 33.83 49 11.82
ST Jayasuriya 110 6973 40.07 98 34.35 78 11.44
IT Botham 102 5200 33.55 383 28.40 120 11.32
CL Cairns 62 3320 33.54 218 29.40 14 9.36
JDP Oram 33 1780 36.33 60 33.05 15 8.73
GE Gomez 29 1243 30.32 58 27.41 18 8.52
N Kapil Dev 131 5248 31.05 434 29.65 64 6.89
JR Reid 58 3428 33.28 85 33.35 39 5.60
MH Mankad 44 2109 31.48 162 32.32 33 4.91
A Flintoff 79 3845 31.78 226 32.79 52 4.65
IK Pathan 29 1105 31.57 100 32.26 8 4.59
KD Mackay 37 1507 33.49 50 34.42 16 4.50
Shakib Al Hasan 21 1179 31.03 75 32.13 8 4.27
DL Vettori 105 4167 30.20 345 33.98 57 1.76

 

Notes:

  1. A reminder of the criteria: 500 runs at better than 30, 50 wickets at better than 35.
  2. No more Graeme Swann. His batting average has now fallen below my arbitrary threshold. Here's how his average has fared over his career:

    Graeme Swann's test match batting average over time

    It now seems clear that his average will remain in the mid 20s for the remainder of his career. Opposing bowlers know how to bowl to him and he is unlikely to repeat his exploits of 2009.
  3. We have a new leader: Jacques Kallis. Is he a better all-rounder than Garry Sobers? It seems like heresy to suggest it but his batting average is similar and his bowling average is lower. He takes as many catches per match as Sobers (around 1.15). On the other hand, Garry Sobers is a sensitive, intelligent man who can speak intelligently about cricket and life. Jacques Kallis reportedly once asked how far he was above sea level while jogging along the beach.
  4. Kallis takes 1st place thanks to a change in my X-factor formula - the three components are now simply summed instead of multiplied. This has reduced the volatility that I complained about last year. X-factor = Batting average over 30 + Bowling average under 35 + catches per match.
  5. Only four established all-rounders are currently playing test match cricket. Neither England, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka nor West Indies have a qualified all-rounder in their team, although Shane Watson only needs another 7 wickets to join the list. His approximate X-factor will be 16, putting him in the top 10 post-war all-rounders if his body holds out long enough. I am including Irfan Pathan on the grounds that he hasn't announced a retirement from test cricket despite not being picked since 2008. He is only 26. Lucky India that they can afford to omit him.
  6. Apart from Shane Watson, other near misses from the list include Doug Walters (49 wickets), Hanse Cronje (43 wickets) and Collie Smith (43 wickets). Smith was tragically killed in a car crash after only 26 test matches otherwise we would certainly have heard a lot more about him. Shahid Afridi appears finally to have retired for good. His bowling record of 48 wickets at 35.60 puts him agonisingly close to the table. Fingers crossed for a change of heart and a couple of cheap wickets.