All-rounders are the backbone of any side in cricket and they can be match-winners on their given day. Yes, the teams are generally comprised of players who specialize in batting or bowling, but a player who can contribute and excel in both is an invaluable assets to the side.
They form the fulcrum of the side, be in any format as they have the capability to churn out good performances in either or both departments in a single game. Their skill set makes them stand apart from rest of their peers. When they do it over a period of time, these players are revered by fans as legends.
Yes there have been many exceptional all-rounders, both in the modern day cricket as well as in the yesteryears. Players like Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee were torch bearers for the term all-rounders back in 1960s to the 2000s while present-day players like Ravindra Jadeja, and Ben Stokes proudly carry their legacy. These players have made their respective nations a formidable force by being their 2 in 1 player who makes a difference both with bat & ball. But these players completed the landmark of 500 international wickets but couldn’t the cross 10000 runs mark. Sanath Jayasuriya is another player who breached the 10K mark but finished ever so close at 440 international wickets. You can read the list of players with 10K runs and 200 wickets to understand who came so close to this elite list.
So this leaves us with 3 cricketing legends who have showcased their all-round brilliance and completed the double of 10000 runs and 500 wickets in international arena. Here they are:
List of All Amazing Cricket Facts Articles
ACF 1: A Hat Trick in 3 Overs, 2 Innings, and 2 Days
ACF 2: Ashwin’s clean sweep against Australia in 2013
ACF 3: When Kapil Dev hit 4 Sixes in a row to avoid the follow-on!
ACF 4: Anil Kumble vs batsmen at nervous 90s
ACF 5: Mohammad Azharuddin holds the World Record of 3 Consecutive Centuries in First Three Tests
ACF 6: When Jasprit Bumrah scored 35 runs off Stuart Broad’s Over in a Test Match
ACF 7: Glenn McGrath Dismissed 104 Batsmen on a Duck in Tests
ACF 8: Glenn McGrath took Wickets on his Last Balls in Test and T20I
ACF 9: The Timeless Test – The Longest Cricket Match that lasted 12 Days
ACF 10: When Mohammad Sami Bowled the Longest Over in Cricket
ACF 11: When Bangladesh Lost 21 Consecutive Test Matches
ACF 12: When Kumar Sangakkara Scored Four Consecutive Centuries in ODI
ACF 13: When Don Bradman Scored 309 Runs in a Single Day of a Test Match
ACF 14: Graeme Smith Converted First 4 Test Centuries to 150+ Scores
ACF 15: When England Declared their Innings on 0/0!
ACF 16: Picking the First 50 ODI Wickets Within a Year of Debut
ACF-17: The Only 3 Players with a Double of 10000 and 500 Wickets in Cricket
ACF 18: When Pakistan Lost by an Innings After Scoring 500+ Runs
ACF 19: All-Rounders with More-than-one Centuries and Five-wicket Hauls at a Single Venue
ACF 20: India Scored 400-plus Totals in 6 Consecutive Test Innings
ACF 21: 4 Batters Who Scored 10000+ Test Runs in a Particular Batting Position
ACF 22: When Aravinda de Silva Scored 2 Unbeaten Centuries in a Test Match
ACF 23: When Vivian Richards became the fastest player to Score 2000 ODI Runs in Australia
ACF 24: Adam Gilchrist Scored All 16 ODI Centuries in Wins
ACF 25: Highest Partnerships by No. 10 and 11 Batters in Test Cricket
ACF 26: When Australia Won 15 Consecutive Matches in ICC Tournaments
Jacques Kallis
One of the finest cricketers ever to play the game of cricket and during his 18-year that concluded in 2013, Kallis was the go to man across formats for South Africa. He was South Africa’s main pillar in the batting order during their dominant phase both in Tests & ODIs and filled in their third or fourth pacer many a times. During the course of his 519 match career for the Proteas and ICC World XI, the legendary all-rounder surpassed 10,000 runs in both the formats to go along with 250+ wickets he has taken in each of them.
With all the three formats included, Jacques Kallis amassed a jaw-dropping 25534 runs at an incredible average of 49.10 with the help of 62 centuries. Find his detailed profile here. What is more astonishing that, the champion player has accumulated 577 wickets as a bowler at an impressive average of 32.15 with 7 five-wicket hauls.
In any other line-up, he can simply enter their playing as either a batter or bowler. The fact he was able to churn out performances in both departments for South Africa made the team a formidable force.
Shakib Al Hasan
One of the reasons why Bangladesh improved leaps and bounds, especially in both white-ball formats was the contributions made by Shakib Al Hasan in all departments of the game. Many a times, he would wage a lone battle in the initial phase of his career both with bat & ball, particularly away from home.
His numbers highlight he has performed for the Asian nation in a career that started in 2006 and he is yet to hang his boots at the highest level. In what is proving to be hall of fame career, the all-rounder has claimed 703 wickets with 25 five-wicket hauls in 443 games across formats. With the bat, the left-hander has stroked 14626 runs at an average of just over 34 with 14 centuries to his name.
Shahid Afridi
A great entertainer of the game, coming in at an very young age, Shahid Afridi proved to be one of the biggest match-winners for Pakistan in the late 90s, 2000’s and early part of 2010s. He had the ability to rattle a batting line-ups with his leg breaks, especially in ODIs & T20Is and get large chunk of wickets on his day. With the bat, though Afridi was inconsistent, he used to be destructive on his day. He had amassed 8064 runs with a staggering strike rate of 117.01 in ODI cricket to go along with 395 wickets with the ball.
Overall in the 524 matches he played at the highest level, Afridi plundered 11196 runs at an incredible strike rate of 114.14 with 11 tons, while taking 541 wickets at a reasonable average of just under 33.
List of All Amazing Cricket Facts Articles
ACF 1: A Hat Trick in 3 Overs, 2 Innings, and 2 Days
ACF 2: Ashwin’s clean sweep against Australia in 2013
ACF 3: When Kapil Dev hit 4 Sixes in a row to avoid the follow-on!
ACF 4: Anil Kumble vs batsmen at nervous 90s
ACF 5: Mohammad Azharuddin holds the World Record of 3 Consecutive Centuries in First Three Tests
ACF 6: When Jasprit Bumrah scored 35 runs off Stuart Broad’s Over in a Test Match
ACF 7: Glenn McGrath Dismissed 104 Batsmen on a Duck in Tests
ACF 8: Glenn McGrath took Wickets on his Last Balls in Test and T20I
ACF 9: The Timeless Test – The Longest Cricket Match that lasted 12 Days
ACF 10: When Mohammad Sami Bowled the Longest Over in Cricket
ACF 11: When Bangladesh Lost 21 Consecutive Test Matches
ACF 12: When Kumar Sangakkara Scored Four Consecutive Centuries in ODI
ACF 13: When Don Bradman Scored 309 Runs in a Single Day of a Test Match
ACF 14: Graeme Smith Converted First 4 Test Centuries to 150+ Scores
ACF 15: When England Declared their Innings on 0/0!
ACF 16: Picking the First 50 ODI Wickets Within a Year of Debut
ACF-17: The Only 3 Players with a Double of 10000 and 500 Wickets in Cricket
ACF 18: When Pakistan Lost by an Innings After Scoring 500+ Runs
ACF 19: All-Rounders with More-than-one Centuries and Five-wicket Hauls at a Single Venue
ACF 20: India Scored 400-plus Totals in 6 Consecutive Test Innings
ACF 21: 4 Batters Who Scored 10000+ Test Runs in a Particular Batting Position
ACF 22: When Aravinda de Silva Scored 2 Unbeaten Centuries in a Test Match
ACF 23: When Vivian Richards became the fastest player to Score 2000 ODI Runs in Australia
ACF 24: Adam Gilchrist Scored All 16 ODI Centuries in Wins
ACF 25: Highest Partnerships by No. 10 and 11 Batters in Test Cricket
ACF 26: When Australia Won 15 Consecutive Matches in ICC Tournaments
