History of cricket

The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test cricket began   in 1877. During this time, the game developed from its origins in England into a game which is now played professionally in most of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Early cricket

Origin

No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence, much of it circumstantial,

that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the

Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent and

Sussex. In medieval times, the Weald was populated by small farming and metal-working

communities. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a children's game for many centuries

before it was increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of the 17th century.

It is quite likely that cricket was devised by children and survived for many generations as essentially

a children’s game. Adult participation is unknown before the early 17th century. Possibly cricket was

derived from bowls, assuming bowls is the older sport, by the intervention of a batsman trying to stop

the ball from reaching its target by hitting it away. Playing on sheep-grazed land or in clearings, the

original implements may have been a matted lump of sheep’s wool (or even a stone or a small lump

of wood) as the ball; a stick or a crook or another farm tool as the bat; and a stool or a tree stump or

a gate (e.g., a wicket gate) as the wicket .

Derivation of the name of "cricket"

A number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term "cricket". In the earliest known

reference to the sport in 1598 (see below), it is called creckett. The name may have been derived

from the Middle Dutch krick(-e), meaning a stick; or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch

or staff. Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used

for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket.

According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University, "cricket" derives from

the Middle Dutch met de (krik ket)sen (i.e., "with the stick chase"), which also suggests a Dutch connection

in the game's origin. It is more likely that the terminology of cricket was based on words in use in south

east England at the time and, given trade connections with the County of Flanders, especially in the 15th

century when it belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy, many Middle Dutch words found their way into

southern English dialects.

First definite reference

John Derrick played creckett at The Royal Grammar School in Guildford

Despite many prior suggested references, the first definite reference to the game is found in a 1598

court case concerning dispute over a school's ownership of a plot of land. A 59-year old coroner,

John Derrick, testified that he and his school friends had played creckett on the site fifty years

earlier. The school was the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, and Mr Derrick's account proves beyond

reasonable doubt that the game was being played in Surrey c.1550.

The first reference to it being played as an adult sport was in 1611, when two men in Sussex were

prosecuted for playing cricket on Sunday instead of going to church. In the same year, a dictionary

defines cricket as a boys' game and this suggests that adult participation was a recent development.

Early seventeenth century

A number of references occur up to the English Civil War and these indicate that cricket had become

an adult game contested by parish teams, but there is no evidence of county strength teams at this

time. Equally, there is little evidence of the rampant gambling that characterised the game throughout

the 18th century. It is generally believed, therefore, that village cricket had developed by the middle

of the 17th century but that county cricket had not and that investment in the game had not begun.

The Commonwealth

After the Civil War ended in 1648, the new Puritan government clamped down on "unlawful assemblies",

in particular the more raucous sports such as football. Their laws also demanded a stricter observance

of the Sabbath than there had been previously. As the Sabbath was the only free time available to the

lower classes, cricket's popularity may have waned during the Commonwealth. Having said that, it did

flourish in public fee-paying schools such as Winchester and St Paul's. There is no actual evidence that

Oliver Cromwell's regime banned cricket specifically and there are references to it during the

interregnum that suggest it was acceptable to the authorities providing it did not cause any "breach

of the Sabbath".

Gambling and press coverage

Cricket certainly thrived after the Restoration in 1660 and is believed to have first attracted gamblers

making large bets at this time. In 1664, the "Cavalier" Parliament passed the Gaming Act 1664 which

limited stakes to £100, although that was still a fortune at the time, equivalent to about £11 thousand

in present day terms. Cricket had certainly become a significant gambling sport by the end of the 17th

century. There is a newspaper report of a "great match" played in Sussex in 1697 which was 11-a-side

and played for high stakes of 50 guineas a side.

With freedom of the press having been granted in 1696, cricket for the first time could be reported in

the newspapers . But it was a long time before the newspaper industry adapted sufficiently to provide

frequent, let alone comprehensive, coverage of the game. During the first half of the 18th century,

press reports tended to focus on the betting rather than on the play.

Eighteenth century cricket

Gambling introduced the first patrons because some of the gamblers decided to strengthen their

bets by forming their own teams and it is believed the first "county teams" were formed in the

aftermath of the Restoration in 1660. The first known game in which the teams use county names

is in 1709 but there can be little doubt that these sort of fixtures were being arranged long before

that. The match in 1697 was probably Sussex versus another county.

The most notable of the early patrons were a group of aristocrats and businessmen who were active

from about 1725, which is the time that press coverage became more regular, perhaps as a result

of the patrons' influence. These men included Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, Sir William

Gage, 7th Baronet, Alan Brodrick and Edward Stead. For the first time, the press mentions individual

players like Thomas Waymark.

Cricket moves out of England

Cricket was introduced to North America via the English colonies in the 17th century, probably before

it had even reached the north of England. In the 18th century it arrived in other parts of the globe.

It was introduced to the West Indies by colonists and to India by British East India Company mariners

in the first half of the century. It arrived in Australia almost as soon as colonization began in 1788.

New Zealand and South Africa followed in the early years of the 19th century.

Development of the Laws

The basic rules of cricket such as bat and ball, the wicket, pitch dimensions, overs, how out, etc.

have existed since time immemorial. In 1728, the Duke of Richmond and Alan Brodick drew up

"Articles of Agreement" to determine the code of practice in a particular game and this became a

common feature, especially around payment of stake money and distributing the winnings given

the importance of gambling.

In 1744, the Laws of Cricket were codified for the first time and then amended in 1774, when

innovations such as lbw, middle stump and maximum bat width were added. These laws stated

that the principals shall choose from amongst the gentlemen present two umpires who shall absolutely

decide all disputes. The codes were drawn up by the so-called "Star and Garter Club" whose members

ultimately founded MCC at Lord's in 1787. MCC immediately became the custodian of the Laws and

has made periodic revisions and recodifications subsequently.

Continued growth in England

The game continued to spread throughout England and, in 1751, Yorkshire is first mentioned as a

venue. The original form of bowling (i.e., rolling the ball along the ground as in bowls) was superseded

sometime after 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball and study variations in line, length and pace.

Scorecards began to be kept on a regular basis from 1772 and since then an increasingly clear picture

has emerged of the sport's development.

An artwork depicting the history of the cricket bat. (Click on the image for larger view)

The first famous clubs were London and Dartford in the early 18th century. London played its matches

on the famous Artillery Ground, which still exists. Others followed, particularly Slindon in Sussex which

was backed by the Duke of Richmond and featured the star player Richard Newland. There were other

prominent clubs at Maidenhead, Hornchurch, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Bromley, Addington, Hadlow and

Chertsey.

But far and away the most famous of the early clubs was Hambledon in Hampshire. It started as a

parish organisation that first achieved prominence in 1756. The club itself was founded in the 1760s

and was well patronised to the extent that it was the focal point of the game for about thirty years

until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's Cricket Ground in 1787. Hambledon produced

several outstanding players including the master batsman John Small and the first great fast bowler

Thomas Brett. Their most notable opponent was the Chertsey and Surrey bowler Edward "Lumpy" Stevens,

who is believed to have been the main proponent of the flighted delivery.

It was in answer to the flighted, or pitched, delivery that the straight bat was introduced. The old "hockey

stick" style of bat was only really effective against the ball being trundled or skimmed along the ground.

Cricket and crisis

Cricket faced its first real crisis during the 18th century when major matches virtually ceased during the

Seven Years War. This was largely due to shortage of players and lack of investment. But the game

survived and the "Hambledon Era" proper began in the mid-1760s.

Cricket faced another major crisis at the beginning of the 19th century when a cessation of major matches

occurred during the culminating period of the Napoleonic Wars. Again, the causes were shortage of players

and lack of investment. But, as in the 1760s, the game survived and a slow recovery began in 1815.

MCC was itself the centre of controversy in the Regency period, largely on account of the enmity between

Lord Frederick Beauclerk and George Osbaldeston. In 1817, their intrigues and jealousies exploded into

a match-fixing scandal with the top player William Lambert being banned from playing at

Lord's Cricket Ground for life. Gambling scandals in cricket have been going on since the 17th century.

In the 1820s, cricket faced a major crisis of its own making as the campaign to allow roundarm bowling

gathered pace.

Nineteenth century cricket

A cricket match at Darnall, Sheffield in the 1820s.

The game also underwent a fundamental change of organisation with the formation for the first time

of county clubs. All the modern county clubs, starting with Sussex, were founded during the 19th century.

No sooner had the first county clubs established themselves than they faced what amounted to "player

action" as William Clarke created the travelling All-England Eleven in 1846. Though a commercial venture,

this team did much to popularise the game in districts which had never previously been visited by

high-class cricketers. Other similar teams were created and this vogue lasted for about thirty years.

But the counties and MCC prevailed.

The growth of cricket in the mid and late 19th century was assisted by the development of the railway

network. For the first time, teams from a long distance apart could play one other without a prohibitively

time-consuming journey. Spectators could travel longer distances to matches, increasing the size of crowds.

In 1864, another bowling revolution resulted in the legalisation of overarm and in the same year

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack was first published. The "Great Cricketer", W G Grace, made his first-class

debut in 1865. His feats did much to increase the game's popularity.

International cricket begins

The first Australian touring team (1878) pictured at Niagara Falls

The first ever international cricket game was between the USA and Canada in 1844. The match was

played at the grounds of the St George's Cricket Club in New York.

In 1859, a team of leading English professionals set off to North America on the first-ever overseas

tour and, in 1862, the first English team toured Australia.

Between May and October 1868, a team of Australian Aborigines toured England in what was the

first Australian cricket team to travel overseas.

In 1877, an England touring team in Australia played two matches against full Australian XIs that

are now regarded as the inaugural Test matches. The following year, the Australians toured England

for the first time and were a spectacular success. No Tests were played on that tour but more soon

followed and, at The Oval in 1882, arguably the most famous match of all time gave rise to

The Ashes. South Africa became the third Test nation in 1889.

National Championships

A major watershed occurred in 1890 when the official County Championship was constituted in England.

This organisational initiative has been repeated in other countries. Australia established the

Sheffield Shield in 1892-93. Other national competitions to be established were the Currie Cup in

South Africa, the Plunkett Shield in New Zealand and the Ranji Trophy in India.

The period from 1890 to the outbreak of the First World War has become an object of nostalgia,

ostensibly because the teams played cricket according to "the spirit of the game", but more realistically

because it was a peacetime period that was shattered by the First World War. The era has been called

The Golden Age of cricket and it featured numerous great names such as Grace,

Wilfred Rhodes, C B Fry, K S Ranjitsinhji and Victor Trumper.

Balls per over

In 1889 the immemorial four ball over was replaced by a five ball over and then this was changed to

the current six balls an over in 1900. Subsequently, some countries experimented with eight balls an over.

In 1922, the number of balls per over was changed from six to eight in Australia only. In 1924 the

eight ball over was extended to New Zealand and in 1937 to South Africa. In England, the eight ball

over was adopted experimentally for the 1939 season; the intention was to continue the experiment in

1940, but first-class cricket was suspended for the Second World War and when it resumed, English cricket

reverted to the six ball over. The 1947 Laws of Cricket allowed six or eight balls depending on the

conditions of play. Since the 1979/80 Australian and New Zealand seasons, the six ball over has been

used worldwide and the most recent version of the Laws in 2000 only permits six ball overs.

Twentieth century cricket

Growth of Test cricket

When the Imperial Cricket Conference (as it was originally called) was founded in 1909, only England,

Australia and South Africa were members. India, West Indies and New Zealand became Test nations

before the Second World War and Pakistan soon afterwards. The international game grew with

several "affiliate nations" getting involved and, in the closing years of the 20th century, three of

those became Test nations also: Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Test cricket remained the sport's highest level of standard throughout the 20th century but it had

its problems, notably in the infamous "Bodyline Series" of 1932-33 when Douglas Jardine's England

used so-called "leg theory" to try and neutralise the run-scoring brilliance of Australia's Don Bradman.

Suspension of South Africa (1970-1991)

Starved of top-level competition for its best players, the South African Cricket Board began funding

so-called "rebel tours", offering large sums of money for international players to form teams and

tour South Africa. The ICC's response was to blacklist any rebel players who agreed to tour South Africa,

banning them from officially sanctioned international cricket. As players were poorly remunerated during

the 1970s, several accepted the offer to tour South Africa, particularly players getting towards the end

of their careers for whom a blacklisting would have little effect.

The rebel tours continued into the 1980s but then progress was made in South African politics and it

became clear that apartheid was ending. South Africa, now a "Rainbow Nation" under Nelson Mandela,

was welcomed back into international sport in 1991.

World Series Cricket

Limited overs cricket

In the 1960s, English county teams began playing a version of cricket with games of only one innings

each and a maximum number of overs per innings. Starting in 1963 as a knockout competition only,

limited overs grew in popularity and in 1969 a national league was created which consequently caused

a reduction in the number of matches in the County Championship.

Although many "traditional" cricket fans objected to the shorter form of the game, limited overs cricket

did have the advantage of delivering a result to spectators within a single day; it did improve cricket's

appeal to younger or busier people; and it did prove commercially successful.

The first limited overs international match took place at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1971 as a

time-filler after a Test match had been abandoned because of heavy rain on the opening days.

It was tried simply as an experiment and to give the players some exercise, but turned out to

be immensely popular. Limited overs internationals (LOIs or ODIs, after One-day Internationals)

have since grown to become a massively popular form of the game, especially for busy people

who want to be able to see a whole match. The International Cricket Council reacted to this

development by organising the first Cricket World Cup in England in 1975, with all the Test

playing nations taking part.

Limited overs cricket increased television ratings for cricket coverage. Televised coverage

beginning with ODIs and quickly adopted for test coverage introduced in-depth statistics,

graphical analysis, cameras in the stumps, shots from many angles, high speed photography

and various technologies to enable television viewers to judge caught behind decisions, runouts,

and lbw with far better information than the umpires.

In 1992, the use of Third Umpires adjudicating runouts with television replays was introduced in

the test series between South Africa and India. The first player to be called out by television replay

was Sachin Tendulkar. The use of third umpires has expanded steadily to other types of disputed

umpiring calls since then.

21st century cricket

Cricket remains a major world sport in terms of participants, spectators and media interest.

The ICC has expanded its Development Program with the goal of producing more national teams

capable of competing at Test level. Development efforts are focused on African and Asian nations;

and on the United States. In 2004, the ICC Intercontinental Cup brought first-class cricket to 12 nations,

mostly for the first time.

In June 2001, the ICC introduced a "Test Championship Table" and, in October 2002 a

"One-day International Championship Table". Australia has consistently topped both these

tables in the 2000s.

Cricket's newest innovation is Twenty20, essentially an evening entertainment. It has so far enjoyed

enormous popularity and has attracted large attendances at matches as well as good TV audience

ratings. The inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup tournament was held in 2007. The formation of

Twenty20 leagues in India - the unofficial Indian Cricket League, which started in 2007, and

the official Indian Premier League, starting in 2008 - raised much speculation in the cricketing press about

their effect on the future of cricket.

Top 100 Test Batsmen
ID	Rat.	Name	Nat.	Career Best Rating
1	859	K.C. Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	938 v England, 01/12/2007
2	847	G. Gambhir		847 v New Zealand, 03/04/2009
3	830	D.P.M.D. Jayawardena		854 v Bangladesh, 26/12/2008
4	821	S. Chanderpaul		901 v New Zealand, 19/12/2008
5	818	Mohammad Yousuf		933 v West Indies, 27/11/2006
6	808	M.J. Clarke		855 v England, 09/08/2009
7	801	Younus Khan		880 v Sri Lanka, 21/02/2009
8	782	G.C. Smith		810 v Australia, 26/12/2008
9	779	R.T. Ponting		942 v England, 01/12/2006
10	755	J.H. Kallis		935 v New Zealand, 18/11/2007
11	742	A.G. Prince		756 v Pakistan, 11/01/2007
12	741	T.T. Samaraweera		741 v New Zealand, 26/08/2009
13	740	A.B. de Villiers		740 v Australia, 19/03/2009
13	740	A.J. Strauss		769 v South Africa, 13/01/2005
15	727	K.P. Pietersen		909 v West Indies, 28/05/2007
16	720	S.R. Tendulkar		898 v Zimbabwe, 21/02/2002
17	704	R.R. Sarwan		767 v England, 26/02/2009
18	703	V.V.S. Laxman		753 v Australia, 02/01/2004
19	687	S.M. Katich		720 v England, 08/07/2009
20	685	V. Sehwag		854 v South Africa, 28/11/2004
21	681	T.M. Dilshan		695 v New Zealand, 18/08/2009
22	674	M.E.K. Hussey		921 v West Indies, 23/05/2008
23	645	C.H. Gayle		704 v England, 13/02/2009
23	645	R.L. Taylor		645 v Sri Lanka, 26/08/2009
25	644	H.M. Amla		671 v Australia, 03/01/2009
26	637	R. Dravid		892 v Pakistan, 16/03/2005
27	634	A.N. Cook		711 v Sri Lanka, 18/12/2007
28	626	D.L. Vettori		626 v Sri Lanka, 26/08/2009
29	609	P.D. Collingwood		730 v Australia, 01/12/2006
30	589	B.J. Haddin		623 v England, 16/07/2009
31	583	A. Symonds		718 v West Indies, 30/05/2008
32	581	P.J. Hughes		599 v England, 16/07/2009
33	573	M.S. Dhoni		573 v New Zealand, 03/04/2009
34	568	M.J. Prior		589 v Australia, 09/08/2009
35	564	Kamran Akmal		614 v Sri Lanka, 21/02/2009
36	563	J.D. Ryder		607 v India, 26/03/2009
37	551	I.R. Bell		704 v South Africa, 10/07/2008
38	547	Shoaib Malik		547 v Sri Lanka, 20/07/2009
39	542	M.J. North		610 v England, 09/08/2009
40	534	Misbah-ul-Haq		610 v Sri Lanka, 21/02/2009
41	532	N.D. McKenzie		642 v England, 30/07/2008
42	510	D.J.J. Bravo		579 v England, 15/06/2007
43	505	B.B. McCullum		558 v India, 26/03/2009
44	499	Shakib Al Hasan		499 v West Indies, 20/07/2009
45	496	P.A. Jaques		631 v India, 02/01/2008
46	493	J.D.P. Oram		606 v Australia, 18/11/2004
47	465	M.V. Boucher		566 v England, 14/08/2003
48	461	A. Flintoff		645 v Sri Lanka, 11/05/2006
49	454	Yuvraj Singh		506 v Pakistan, 29/01/2006
50	450	S.C.J. Broad		450 v Australia, 20/08/2009
51	446	J.P. Duminy		466 v Australia, 06/03/2009
52	445	I.J.L. Trott		445 v Australia, 20/08/2009
53	443	Mushfiqur Rahim		443 v West Indies, 20/07/2009
54	435	M.G. Johnson		477 v England, 16/07/2009
54	435	Salman Butt		540 v England, 20/11/2005
56	431	B.P. Nash		492 v England, 06/05/2009
57	424	Tamim Iqbal		432 v New Zealand, 04/01/2008
58	417	Fawad Alam		445 v Sri Lanka, 12/07/2009
59	408	D. Ramdin		437 v England, 17/05/2007
60	403	B.S.M. Warnapura		518 v India, 08/08/2008
61	400	D.E. Bernard		400 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
62	396	Mohammad Ashraful		491 v Sri Lanka, 03/07/2007
63	391	S.R. Watson		391 v England, 20/08/2009
64	387	T.M. Dowlin		387 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
65	385	Junaid Siddique		416 v West Indies, 09/07/2009
66	381	D.R. Flynn		432 v India, 18/03/2009
67	379	B.J. Hodge		518 v South Africa, 16/12/2005
68	377	D.S. Smith		407 v Australia, 03/11/2005
69	366	R.S. Bopara		444 v West Indies, 14/05/2009
70	362	C.K. Kapugedera		367 v Bangladesh, 03/01/2009
71	361	G.P. Swann		361 v Australia, 20/08/2009
72	356	J.M. How		443 v England, 05/06/2008
73	354	Rajin Saleh		475 v Sri Lanka, 25/06/2007
74	353	Faisal Iqbal		365 v Australia, 03/10/2002
75	348	J.A. Morkel		348 v Australia, 19/03/2009
76	344	M.G. Vandort		460 v England, 09/12/2007
77	340	A.D. Mathews		343 v New Zealand, 18/08/2009
78	329	T.R. Ambrose		381 v New Zealand, 13/03/2008
78	329	K.K.D. Karthik		461 v England, 09/08/2007
80	328	H.A.P.W. Jayawardene		356 v India, 08/08/2008
81	321	O. Phillips		360 v Bangladesh, 09/07/2009
82	302	M.J. Guptill		302 v Sri Lanka, 26/08/2009
83	301	R.S. Morton		359 v Australia, 23/05/2008
84	296	Raqibul Hasan		296 v West Indies, 20/07/2009
84	296	N.T. Paranavitana		324 v Pakistan, 20/07/2009
86	295	Khurram Manzoor		298 v Sri Lanka, 01/03/2009
87	290	Harbhajan Singh		290 v New Zealand, 03/04/2009
88	287	J.E.C. Franklin		314 v Sri Lanka, 15/12/2006
89	280	T.G McIntosh		319 v West Indies, 19/12/2008
90	272	Mehrab Hossain jnr		296 v South Africa, 19/11/2008
91	268	A.J. Redmond		288 v Australia, 28/11/2008
92	258	J.E. Taylor		297 v England, 26/02/2009
93	256	B. Lee		338 v England, 01/12/2006
94	252	M.J. Vijay		265 v Australia, 06/11/2008
95	251	Mashrafe Mortaza		254 v West Indies, 09/07/2009
96	245	X.M. Marshall		302 v New Zealand, 11/12/2008
97	243	D.J.G. Sammy		254 v Bangladesh, 09/07/2009
98	221	Zaheer Khan		221 v New Zealand, 03/04/2009
99	219	D.M. Richards		219 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
100	212	Yasir Arafat		218 v Sri Lanka, 21/02/2009

Top 100 Test Bowlers
ID	Rat.	Name	Nat.	Career Best Rating
1	844	D.W. Steyn		897 v India, 03/04/2008
2	824	M. Muralidaran		920 v Bangladesh, 11/07/2007
3	786	M.G. Johnson		825 v England, 08/07/2009
4	741	M. Ntini		863 v India, 26/12/2006
5	735	Harbhajan Singh		765 v New Zealand, 12/12/2002
6	710	S.R. Clark		863 v West Indies, 12/06/2008
7	669	P.L. Harris		669 v Australia, 19/03/2009
8	650	Zaheer Khan		689 v Pakistan, 26/11/2007
9	643	J.M. Anderson		710 v Australia, 30/07/2009
10	634	G.P. Swann		634 v Australia, 20/08/2009
11	631	D.L. Vettori		681 v Australia, 11/03/2000
12	621	B. Lee		811 v West Indies, 30/05/2008
13	617	P.M. Siddle		617 v England, 20/08/2009
13	617	S.C.J. Broad		617 v Australia, 20/08/2009
15	614	J.E. Taylor		717 v England, 04/02/2009
16	610	R.J. Sidebottom		769 v South Africa, 10/07/2008
17	605	Danish Kaneria		723 v England, 12/11/2005
18	603	J.H. Kallis		742 v England, 21/08/2003
19	587	C.S. Martin		643 v England, 24/05/2004
20	586	Umar Gul		627 v West Indies, 27/11/2006
21	580	I. Sharma		608 v New Zealand, 26/03/2009
22	579	A. Flintoff		810 v Pakistan, 12/11/2005
23	566	Shakib Al Hasan		566 v West Indies, 20/07/2009
24	558	F.H. Edwards		590 v England, 06/05/2009
25	540	M.S. Panesar		721 v West Indies, 15/06/2007
26	539	I.E. O'Brien		543 v India, 18/03/2009
27	503	M. Morkel		510 v Australia, 26/02/2009
28	487	H.M.R.K.B. Herath		487 v New Zealand, 26/08/2009
29	477	S.J. Harmison		875 v West Indies, 19/08/2004
30	466	B.A.W. Mendis		572 v Bangladesh, 03/01/2009
31	463	D.J.J. Bravo		517 v Australia, 12/06/2008
32	461	C.R.D. Fernando		543 v Bangladesh, 03/07/2007
33	456	J.E.C. Franklin		679 v Sri Lanka, 07/12/2006
34	424	B.W. Hilfenhaus		424 v England, 20/08/2009
35	422	Mashrafe Mortaza		459 v India, 18/05/2007
36	398	J.D.P. Oram		522 v England, 15/05/2008
37	391	C.H. Gayle		413 v England, 15/06/2007
38	387	G. Onions		393 v Australia, 30/07/2009
38	387	M.T. Thushara		404 v New Zealand, 18/08/2009
40	386	Shahadat Hossain		431 v South Africa, 29/02/2008
41	384	D.B. Powell		423 v New Zealand, 11/12/2008
42	381	Mahmudullah		381 v West Indies, 20/07/2009
43	376	A. Mishra		395 v Australia, 06/11/2008
44	374	K.D. Mills		466 v England, 05/06/2008
45	373	K.A.J. Roach		373 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
46	368	J.S. Patel		368 v Sri Lanka, 26/08/2009
47	363	D.J.G. Sammy		363 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
48	344	K.M.D.N. Kulasekara		347 v New Zealand, 18/08/2009
49	318	N.M. Hauritz		333 v England, 16/07/2009
50	315	Enamul Haque jnr		382 v Zimbabwe, 14/01/2005
51	297	Saeed Ajmal		297 v Sri Lanka, 20/07/2009
52	295	M.M. Patel		396 v West Indies, 10/06/2006
53	263	S.J. Benn		304 v England, 13/02/2009
54	260	M. Zondeki		338 v Zimbabwe, 11/03/2005
55	238	K.T.G.D. Prasad		243 v Bangladesh, 26/12/2008
56	235	V. Sehwag		320 v Australia, 29/10/2008
57	217	A. Symonds		305 v India, 24/01/2008
58	208	Yasir Arafat		237 v India, 08/12/2007
59	206	J.J. Krejza		318 v India, 06/11/2008
60	205	A.B. McDonald		252 v South Africa, 06/03/2009
61	201	M.R. Gillespie		319 v England, 13/03/2008
62	183	S.R. Watson		243 v New Zealand, 20/11/2008
63	175	T.G. Southee		247 v Australia, 20/11/2008
64	159	T.M. Dilshan		170 v Bangladesh, 03/01/2009
65	145	Mohammad Ashraful		148 v West Indies, 09/07/2009
65	145	S.R. Tendulkar		235 v Australia, 11/03/2001
67	138	R.O. Hinds		138 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
68	126	Shoaib Malik		133 v England, 29/11/2005
69	125	S.M. Katich		356 v India, 12/12/2003
70	116	Mohammad Aamer		223 v Sri Lanka, 04/07/2009
71	115	P.D. Collingwood		216 v New Zealand, 13/03/2008
72	111	Abdur Rauf		112 v Sri Lanka, 12/07/2009
73	108	Yuvraj Singh		140 v New Zealand, 18/03/2009
74	105	M.J. Clarke		265 v New Zealand, 18/03/2005
75	104	R.R. Sarwan		294 v Bangladesh, 04/06/2004
76	102	M.J. North		102 v England, 20/08/2009
77	101	A.D. Mathews		110 v Pakistan, 20/07/2009
78	100	Younus Khan		100 v Sri Lanka, 20/07/2009
79	89	A.J. Redmond		95 v Australia, 28/11/2008
80	88	D.E. Bernard		101 v Bangladesh, 09/07/2009
81	86	T.T. Samaraweera		239 v Bangladesh, 28/07/2002
82	75	Abdur Razzak		80 v New Zealand, 25/10/2008
83	66	Mahbubul Alam		69 v South Africa, 26/11/2008
84	65	T.T. Bresnan		68 v West Indies, 14/05/2009
85	61	C.L. White		84 v India, 29/10/2008
86	58	G.C. Smith		78 v Australia, 26/12/2005
87	57	L.S. Baker		75 v England, 06/03/2009
88	51	D.P.M.D. Jayawardena		73 v Pakistan, 21/06/2000
88	51	J.D. Ryder		77 v India, 03/04/2009
90	46	B. Casson		55 v West Indies, 12/06/2008
90	46	Mehrab Hossain jnr		77 v Sri Lanka, 03/07/2007
92	38	S. Chanderpaul		59 v Bangladesh, 08/12/2002
93	37	D.J. Pattinson		43 v South Africa, 18/07/2008
94	34	R.A. Austin		34 v Bangladesh, 20/07/2009
95	33	J.P. Duminy		39 v Australia, 03/01/2009
96	32	Rubel Hossain		51 v West Indies, 09/07/2009
97	30	K.P. Pietersen		38 v South Africa, 10/07/2008
98	27	R.T. Ponting		127 v West Indies, 26/03/1999
99	22	D.E. Bollinger		24 v South Africa, 03/01/2009
100	20	G.D. Elliott		22 v Australia, 20/11/2008

Top 100 ODI Batsmen
ID	Rat.	Name	Nat.	Career Best Rating
1	814	M.S. Dhoni		831 v New Zealand, 11/09/2009
2	766	Yuvraj Singh		794 v West Indies, 26/06/2009
3	763	G.C. Smith		792 v Bangladesh, 14/03/2008
4	761	A.B. de Villiers		765 v New Zealand, 24/09/2009
5	754	M.E.K. Hussey		863 v New Zealand, 28/01/2007
6	747	S. Chanderpaul		793 v England, 22/03/2009
7	744	C.H. Gayle		804 v Zimbabwe, 30/11/2003
8	726	R.T. Ponting		832 v New Zealand, 20/12/2007
9	723	S.R. Tendulkar		887 v Zimbabwe, 13/11/1998
10	710	V. Sehwag		774 v New Zealand, 11/01/2003
11	701	J.H. Kallis		816 v West Indies, 04/02/2004
12	699	H.H. Gibbs		750 v Sri Lanka, 03/03/2003
13	695	Mohammad Yousuf		777 v South Africa, 10/10/2003
14	681	M.J. Clarke		756 v Sri Lanka, 22/02/2008
15	659	K.C. Sangakkara		760 v India, 11/02/2007
16	655	G. Gambhir		713 v Sri Lanka, 05/02/2009
17	652	K.P. Pietersen		834 v Australia, 08/04/2007
18	651	Shoaib Malik		690 v West Indies, 12/11/2008
19	646	R.R. Sarwan		798 v India, 23/05/2006
20	641	S.T. Jayasuriya		838 v Bangladesh, 14/02/2003
21	640	P.D. Collingwood		669 v New Zealand, 21/06/2008
22	629	Younus Khan		673 v West Indies, 16/11/2008
22	629	Salman Butt		698 v Sri Lanka, 21/01/2009
24	626	R.L. Taylor		699 v Australia, 10/02/2009
25	623	Shakib Al Hasan		636 v Zimbabwe, 11/08/2009
26	613	A. Symonds		778 v India, 14/10/2007
27	611	T.M. Dilshan		616 v South Africa, 22/09/2009
28	606	D.P.M.D. Jayawardena		737 v West Indies, 19/12/2001
29	601	B.B. McCullum		654 v Ireland, 01/07/2008
30	596	J.P. Duminy		632 v Australia, 13/04/2009
31	594	S. Raina		607 v New Zealand, 08/03/2009
32	593	R.N. ten Doeschate		593 v Afghanistan, 01/09/2009
32	593	Misbah-ul-Haq		602 v West Indies, 16/11/2008
34	589	O.A. Shah		611 v South Africa, 27/09/2009
35	588	Tamim Iqbal		600 v Zimbabwe, 16/08/2009
35	588	S.R. Watson		588 v New Zealand, 05/10/2009
37	579	I.R. Bell		705 v India, 27/08/2007
38	572	S.B. Styris		665 v England, 28/06/2008
39	570	M.V. Boucher		642 v Scotland, 20/03/2007
40	560	M.J. Guptill		560 v England, 29/09/2009
41	559	B.J. Haddin		616 v Pakistan, 22/04/2009
42	540	C.J. Ferguson		588 v England, 12/09/2009
43	538	A.J. Strauss		697 v Pakistan, 10/12/2005
44	536	S.H.T. Kandamby		550 v England, 25/09/2009
45	532	Kamran Akmal		539 v Sri Lanka, 07/08/2009
46	531	R. Dravid		754 v West Indies, 18/05/2006
47	528	E.J.G. Morgan		545 v South Africa, 27/09/2009
48	525	S.C. Williams		536 v Bangladesh, 11/08/2009
49	523	H.M. Amla		573 v Australia, 30/01/2009
50	522	E. Chigumbura		573 v South Africa, 22/08/2007
51	520	G.D. Elliott		527 v Pakistan, 03/10/2009
51	520	Mohammad Ashraful		540 v Zimbabwe, 09/08/2009
53	516	J.D.P. Oram		584 v Bangladesh, 11/10/2008
54	515	Rizwan Cheema		551 v Kenya, 19/08/2009
54	515	R.S. Morton		605 v South Africa, 20/01/2008
54	515	J.M. How		604 v England, 20/02/2008
57	512	Umar Akmal		512 v New Zealand, 03/10/2009
57	512	H. Masakadza		514 v Bangladesh, 14/08/2009
59	510	J.D. Ryder		521 v India, 14/03/2009
60	507	B.R.M. Taylor		579 v Bangladesh, 04/08/2006
61	505	P.G. Fulton		633 v England, 09/02/2008
62	504	L.P.C. Silva		603 v West Indies, 10/04/2008
63	501	Shahid Afridi		663 v India, 02/10/1997
64	499	J.R. Hopes		517 v Pakistan, 27/04/2009
65	497	R.S. Bopara		514 v Australia, 06/09/2009
65	497	A. Flintoff		749 v Sri Lanka, 18/09/2004
67	494	W.U. Tharanga		688 v New Zealand, 28/12/2006
68	490	Raqibul Hasan		490 v Zimbabwe, 18/08/2009
69	485	S.O. Tikolo		535 v South Africa, 30/09/1999
70	483	W.T.S. Porterfield		488 v Scotland, 22/08/2009
71	474	C.L. White		474 v New Zealand, 05/10/2009
72	471	S. Matsikenyeri		501 v West Indies, 02/12/2007
73	470	C.K. Kapugedera		493 v Zimbabwe, 28/11/2008
74	468	K.J. O'Brien		490 v Canada, 06/04/2009
75	467	S.E. Marsh		595 v South Africa, 18/01/2009
76	461	Shahriar Nafees		697 v Bermuda, 25/02/2007
77	460	N.J. O'Brien		468 v Canada, 19/04/2009
77	460	A. Obanda		487 v Zimbabwe, 01/02/2009
79	458	D.J.J. Bravo		494 v Zimbabwe, 07/12/2007
80	456	T. Taibu		499 v Bangladesh, 26/01/2005
81	450	V. Kohli		450 v West Indies, 30/09/2009
82	448	A. Bagai		459 v Scotland, 07/07/2009
83	447	M.J. Prior		463 v Australia, 04/09/2009
83	447	S. Dhaniram		447 v Holland, 11/07/2009
85	445	R.G. Sharma		471 v New Zealand, 14/03/2009
86	443	Abdul Razzaq		635 v India, 19/03/2004
87	442	C.K. Coventry		460 v Bangladesh, 16/08/2009
88	440	Mushfiqur Rahim		440 v Zimbabwe, 18/08/2009
89	439	L.O. Cann		482 v Kenya, 25/10/2007
90	437	G.M. Hamilton		439 v New Zealand, 31/05/1999
91	426	A.M. Samad		442 v Bermuda, 01/07/2008
92	424	A.R. Uthappa		509 v Pakistan, 05/11/2007
93	421	T.D. Paine		463 v Pakistan, 30/09/2009
94	419	D.J. Hussey		469 v New Zealand, 10/02/2009
95	418	J.A. Morkel		418 v England, 27/09/2009
95	418	C.O. Obuya		426 v Ireland, 12/07/2009
97	414	T.M. Odoyo		481 v Canada, 18/10/2007
98	411	V. Sibanda		525 v Pakistan, 21/01/2008
99	410	M.A. Vermeulen		442 v West Indies, 26/11/2003
99	410	A.N. Cook		488 v New Zealand, 23/02/2008

 

Top 100 ODI Bowlers
ID	Rat.	Name	Nat.	Career Best Rating
1	710	K.D. Mills		723 v Australia, 06/02/2009
2	700	K.M.D.N. Kulasekara		749 v Pakistan, 24/01/2009
3	698	D.L. Vettori		790 v England, 23/02/2008
4	686	Shakib Al Hasan		709 v Zimbabwe, 11/08/2009
5	666	S.E. Bond		811 v South Africa, 14/04/2007
6	652	B.A.W. Mendis		664 v South Africa, 22/09/2009
7	648	N.W. Bracken		806 v Sri Lanka, 16/04/2007
8	645	Mashrafe Mortaza		678 v India, 17/03/2007
8	645	M. Muralidaran		913 v New Zealand, 09/04/2002
8	645	D.W. Steyn		645 v New Zealand, 24/09/2009
11	638	Shahid Afridi		685 v Bangladesh, 08/06/2008
11	638	M.G. Johnson		726 v Bangladesh, 03/09/2008
13	632	J. Botha		664 v Australia, 05/04/2009
14	625	S.C.J. Broad		701 v South Africa, 26/08/2008
15	623	J.E. Taylor		688 v South Africa, 25/01/2008
16	620	B. Lee		853 v South Africa, 03/02/2006
17	618	A. Flintoff		755 v Bangladesh, 12/11/2003
18	616	Harbhajan Singh		735 v West Indies, 29/05/2002
19	612	Zaheer Khan		700 v South Africa, 13/04/2003
20	611	J.D.P. Oram		768 v Australia, 16/09/2004
21	609	J.R. Hopes		665 v Pakistan, 22/04/2009
21	609	J.M. Anderson		689 v Bangladesh, 12/11/2003
23	604	R.W. Price		604 v Bangladesh, 18/08/2009
24	602	Iftikhar Anjum		639 v Sri Lanka, 20/01/2009
25	593	P.S. Kumar		608 v New Zealand, 06/03/2009
26	587	W.P.U.J.C. Vaas		861 v South Africa, 20/08/2004
26	587	Umar Gul		640 v Sri Lanka, 24/01/2009
28	585	M.T. Thushara		602 v New Zealand, 08/09/2009
29	582	D.B. Powell		686 v Australia, 27/06/2008
30	579	P. Utseya		651 v Bangladesh, 06/08/2006
30	579	Sohail Tanvir		673 v West Indies, 16/11/2008
32	564	M. Ntini		782 v West Indies, 25/01/2004
33	556	D.J.J. Bravo		591 v Sri Lanka, 12/04/2008
34	555	I. Sharma		571 v New Zealand, 11/09/2009
34	555	Syed Rasel		588 v Sri Lanka, 25/07/2007
36	553	T. Mupariwa		565 v Bangladesh, 14/08/2009
37	549	S.R. Clark		632 v Bangladesh, 06/09/2008
37	549	N.M. Hauritz		549 v New Zealand, 05/10/2009
39	545	Saeed Ajmal		545 v New Zealand, 03/10/2009
40	544	Abdur Razzak		711 v England, 11/04/2007
40	544	S.R. Watson		561 v West Indies, 05/11/2006
42	539	M.F. Maharoof		671 v England, 07/10/2007
43	538	P.J. Ongondo		610 v Bermuda, 27/10/2007
44	534	W.K. McCallan		546 v Scotland, 22/08/2009
45	524	Mohammad Asif		607 v Sri Lanka, 20/05/2007
46	519	T.M. Odoyo		556 v Ireland, 25/08/2008
47	511	S.L. Malinga		687 v Bangladesh, 23/07/2007
48	509	D.T. Johnston		509 v England, 27/08/2009
49	507	D.M. Leverock		507 v Holland, 08/04/2009
50	503	M.R. Gillespie		548 v West Indies, 13/01/2009
51	500	A.C. Botha		500 v England, 27/08/2009
51	500	M. Morkel		520 v Australia, 03/04/2009
53	498	M.M. Patel		572 v England, 23/11/2008
54	492	G.P. Swann		507 v Australia, 20/09/2009
55	489	H.A. Varaiya		492 v Ireland, 12/07/2009
56	486	Naved-ul-Hasan		743 v India, 06/02/2006
57	481	E.C. Rainsford		512 v Kenya, 27/01/2009
58	479	J.H. Kallis		641 v West Indies, 09/05/2001
59	478	F.H. Edwards		552 v Scotland, 12/07/2007
60	477	C.R.D. Fernando		628 v England, 13/10/2007
60	477	Shoaib Malik		658 v Sri Lanka, 06/10/2004
60	477	S.T. Jayasuriya		591 v New Zealand, 26/10/1998
63	468	S.W. Tait		565 v New Zealand, 20/12/2007
64	459	R.N. ten Doeschate		473 v Afghanistan, 30/08/2009
64	459	J.S. Patel		533 v West Indies, 07/01/2009
66	458	D.J.G. Sammy		458 v India, 30/09/2009
66	458	Yuvraj Singh		465 v Sri Lanka, 14/09/2009
68	457	P.D. Collingwood		526 v Pakistan, 12/12/2005
69	456	S. Dhaniram		509 v Bermuda, 18/08/2008
70	451	Shoaib Akhtar		699 v Australia, 19/06/2002
71	448	U. Bhatti		466 v Ireland, 19/04/2009
72	447	S.J. Harmison		728 v Australia, 07/07/2005
73	444	J.E.C. Franklin		536 v Sri Lanka, 24/04/2007
73	444	R.P. Singh		526 v Sri Lanka, 03/07/2008
75	442	J.A. Morkel		479 v Australia, 16/01/2009
76	439	S.O. Tikolo		465 v Canada, 14/03/2007
77	437	E. Chigumbura		439 v Sri Lanka, 28/11/2008
78	435	R. Rampaul		462 v South Africa, 20/01/2008
79	431	Mohammad Aamer		431 v New Zealand, 03/10/2009
80	430	M.J. Mason		508 v England, 12/02/2008
81	428	I.K. Pathan		772 v England, 03/04/2006
82	422	R.J. Sidebottom		487 v New Zealand, 28/06/2008
83	416	R.E. van der Merwe		431 v New Zealand, 24/09/2009
84	415	H. Osinde		415 v Kenya, 19/08/2009
85	410	R.M. Haq		421 v Ireland, 22/08/2009
86	409	T.G. Southee		458 v Australia, 08/02/2009
87	406	D.R. Tuffey		692 v India, 06/11/2003
88	405	P. Chawla		485 v Hong Kong, 25/06/2008
88	405	A.D. Mascarenhas		415 v Australia, 17/09/2009
90	403	C.B. Mpofu		418 v Sri Lanka, 20/11/2008
91	400	S.B. Styris		610 v Australia, 19/02/2005
92	399	A. Nehra		637 v New Zealand, 26/08/2005
93	397	Abdul Razzaq		678 v West Indies, 17/02/2002
94	396	W.B. Rankin		400 v Kenya, 12/07/2009
95	394	M.J. Clarke		435 v Pakistan, 01/05/2009
95	394	C.M. Wright		404 v Canada, 08/04/2009
97	388	N.O. Miller		397 v Australia, 26/09/2009
98	387	P.P. Ojha		419 v Sri Lanka, 05/02/2009
99	385	Nazmul Hossain		391 v Zimbabwe, 11/08/2009
99	385	W.D. Parnell		385 v England, 27/09/2009