Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been named the greatest cricketer of the 21st century.
A special jury of ESPNcricinfo experts and former cricketers selected the greatest male international players of the 21st century, with South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, India’s Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan taking the top honours.
Sachin Tendulkar was named the best batsman of the century, Muttiah Muralitharan as the best bowler and Jacques Kallis as the best all-rounder based on his performance in international cricket from 2000 to 2025.
In women’s cricket, Australia’s Alice Perry became the greatest international cricketer of the 21st century.
It’s probably the greatest of all time 🌟
The greatest women’s cricketer of the last 25 years: Ellyse Perry #CricinfoHonours pic.twitter.com/g0GgjTROJp
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
The 25-member jury consists of Wasim Akram, Greg Chappell, Faf du Plessis, Matthew Hayden, Angelo Mathews, Owen Morgan, Ravi Shastri, Daniel Vettori and Shane Watson.
Sachin Tendulkar is considered one of the most successful batsmen in the history of cricket.
He is the highest run-getter in Test and ODI cricket and holds many batting records even today.
The gold standard of percussion in the modern era
The greatest men’s international player of the last 25 years: Sachin Tendulkar #CricinfoHonours pic.twitter.com/OV9oipWQgq
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
Jacques Kallis, one of the greatest all-rounders in history, scored more than 13,000 Test runs and nearly 300 wickets in his career.
On top of that, he cited the historic Test series wins against Australia and England as the memorable moments of his career.
It was a sign of high skill and intensity 💪
Greatest men’s international cricketer of the last 25 years: Jacques Kallis 👏 #CricinfoHonours pic.twitter.com/On9ZeJyTOl
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
Muralitharan ended his career with 800 Test wickets and played a key role in Sri Lanka’s success for two decades.
He could completely destroy opposing battle lines
The greatest male player of the last 25 years: Muthiah Muralidaran #CricinfoHonours pic.twitter.com/Y1rqUxJww6
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
South Africa’s ABD Villiers was named the best T20 batsman and India’s Jasprit Bumrah was named the best T20 bowler.
He redefined what hitting looked like for the next generation
Greatest T20 batsman of the century: AB de Villiers #CricinfoHonours pic.twitter.com/v2Q9INy1cg
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
It’s as tight as there’s ever been in this game.
The greatest batsman of the T20 century: Jasprit Bumrah 🎉 #CricinfoHonours pic.twitter.com/gZUgP5sYyr
– ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 30, 2026
List of 25 Greatest Male International Cricketers:
1. Jack Kells
2. Sachin Tendulkar
3. Virat Kohli
4. Mathia Muralidharan
5. Ricky Ponting
6. AB de Villiers
7. Kumar Sangakkara
8. Dale Stein
9. Joe Root
10. Steve Smith
11. Adam Gilchrist
12. Rahul Dravid
13. James Anderson
14. MS Dhoni
15. Jaspreet Bumrah
16. Ken Williamson
17. Mitchell Starc
18. Chris Gayle
19. Ben Stokes
20. Pat Cummins
21. Mahila Jayawardene
22. Virender Sehwag
23. Kevin Peterson
24. Stuart Broad
25. Ashwin
