As on 2020 - TOP 100 Greatest Cricket Batsmen of All Time

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45. VVS Laxman


Experience: 1996-2012
Country: India
Other major teams: Hyderabad, Lancashire
Career stats in Tests: 134 matches, 8,781 runs, 45.97 average, 49.37 strike rate, 281 highest score, 17 100s
Career stats in ODIs: 86 matches, 2,338 runs, 30.76 average, 71.23 strike rate, 131 highest score, 6 100s

VVS Laxman was a true artist with his stroke play, and it was a joy to see him bat. He had the rare ability to hit the same ball to either side of the wicket.
Laxman will be remembered for his magical 281 against Australia in 2001. He, along with Dravid, stitched a 376-run partnership. The match-winning knock turned out to be one for the ages. When Cricket Monthly chose top 50 Test performances from the last 50 years in 2016, Laxman’s epic knock was ranked first.
Batting with tail-enders is a special s**** to have, and the Hyderabad-born player was a master. He won many games batting with the tail.
Australia was a top side during his playing career, and he scored heavily against them — 2,434 runs at 49.67, six 100s, 12 50s.

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44. Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh was not as decorated as his older twin brother, Steve Waugh. However, Mark debuted in Tests in the fourth Test of the 1990-91 series against England in place of his brother. Soon, Steve was back on the team, and the brothers dictated terms against opponents, scoring 3,435 runs at an average of 49.07.
Steve relied on his grit while Mark was an effortless stroke-maker. His cuts, drives and pulls were pleasing to the eyes.
The younger Waugh had an excellent record in World Cups, scoring 1,004 runs at an average of 52.83, with 4 hundreds. In the 1996 World Cup, he made 484 runs at a stellar average of 80.66, including a match-winning century against New Zealand in the quarterfinal.


Experience: 1988-2002
Country: Australia
Other major teams: Es***, New South Wales
Career stats in Tests: 128 matches, 8,029 runs, 41.81 average, 52.27 strike rate, 153 highest score, 20 100s
Career stats in ODIs: 244 matches, 8,500 runs, 39.35 average, 76.90 strike rate, 173 highest score, 18 100s

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43. Ross Taylor


Experience: 2006-present
Country: New Zealand
Other major teams: Sus***, Victoria
Career stats in Tests: 92 matches, 6,727 runs, 46.71 average, 60.22 strike rate, 290 highest score, 18 100s
Career stats in ODIs: 218 matches, 8,026 runs, 48.34 average, 83.37 strike rate, 181 highest score, 20 100s


Ross Taylor has incredible numbers in both ODIs and Tests. However, his name never is discussed when you talk about best batsmen in the current era. Yes, he is the unsung hero of the current generation.
He has more hundreds than any New Zealander in ODIs (20), and he is second on the list of hundreds in Tests for a Kiwi batsman with 18.
He has made the No.4 position his own in both formats. In ODIs, he is the highest run-getter at No.4, with 7,109 runs at 52.66. And in Tests, he is the eighth-highest run-getter at that position, with 6,166 runs at 49.73.

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42. Clive Lloyd


Experience: 1966-85
Country: West Indies
Other major teams: Guyana, Lancashire
Career stats in Tests: 110 matches, 7,515 runs, 46.67 average, 242 highest score, 19 100s
Career stats in ODIs: 87 matches, 1,977 runs, 39.54 average, 81.22 strike rate, 102 highest score, 1 100s


Clive Lloyd is the greatest captain that cricket has ever seen, and captaincy never affected his batting. Captaining West Indies in the inaugural edition of the World Cup in 1975, Lloyd scored a scintillating 85-ball 102 against Australia in the final and guided his team to victory.
The West Indies icon had a strike-rate of 81.22, when top run-getters in that era scored at a rate of 50s and 60s.
Lloyd had a fantastic Test record, too. He batted well in all positions from 4-8, averaging 44.19, 46.20, 49.16, 47.27 and 74.00, respectively. He scored all these runs with eyes that were damaged when he was 12 years old.

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41. Steve Smith


Experience: 2010-present
Country: Australia
Other major teams: New South Wales, Rajasthan Royals
Career stats in Tests: 64 matches, 6,199 runs, 61.37 average, 55.49 strike rate, 239 highest score, 23 100s
Career stats in ODIs: 108 matches, 3,431 runs, 41.84 average, 86.35 strike rate, 164 highest score, 8 100s
Steve Smith started his career as a leg spinner and was touted as the next Shane Warne. Along the way, Smith's bowling took a back seat, and he has become the best Test player of the current era. His average, 61.37, is second-best among players who have scored 2000-plus runs, only behind Don Bradman.
Smith was in stunning form from 2014 to 2017. During the period, he scored 1,000 runs in every year, and his averages read 81.86, 73.7, 71.93 and 70.44. In 2017, he reached 945 ICC rankings rating points, which are the second-highest of all time, only behind Bradman (961).
Although Smith is not an ODI giant yet, his contribution to Australia’s World Cup win in 2015 was nothing short of exceptional. He made 402 runs at an average of 67.00 and a strike rate of 91.57 in the tournament.