DeepMidwicket
← All verdict lists

Test verdict list

Best Test All-rounders of the 21st Century

Ravindra Jadeja rises above Ravichandran Ashwin with daylight to spare. Ravichandran Ashwin keeps the better volume in Test bowling, 537 wickets to 356 wickets. Ravindra Jadeja's average in Test batting settles it, 37.82 to 25.76.

Combined82.7
Test Batting
83.2
Test Bowling
82.3
Combined76.0
Test Batting
64.2
Test Bowling
89.9
#3

South Africa

Combined75.7
Test Batting
71.6
Test Bowling
80.1
#4

South Africa

Combined75.3
Test Batting
98.8
Test Bowling
57.4
#5

England

Combined74.5
Test Batting
81.8
Test Bowling
67.8
#6

Bangladesh

Combined74.5
Test Batting
83.3
Test Bowling
66.7
#7

New Zealand

Combined71.7
Test Batting
82.5
Test Bowling
62.4
#8

South Africa

Combined71.0
Test Batting
59.9
Test Bowling
84.1
#9
Combined69.3
Test Batting
55.7
Test Bowling
86.2
#10
Combined69.2
Test Batting
77.1
Test Bowling
62.1
Where the verdict was won: Test Batting
Ravindra Jadeja
83.2 — led by Volume (31.6 of it), then Average (23.7)
Ravichandran Ashwin
64.2 — led by Volume (30.6 of it), then Average (15.2)
Shaun Pollock
71.6 — led by Volume (28.5 of it), then Average (20.4)
Jacques Kallis
98.8 — led by Volume (34.9 of it), then Average (29.6)
Ben Stokes
81.8 — led by Volume (33.8 of it), then Average (21.7)
Shakib Al Hasan
83.3 — led by Volume (32.0 of it), then Average (23.7)
Chris Cairns
82.5 — led by Average (27.0 of it), then Volume (24.1)
Vernon Philander
59.9 — led by Volume (26.8 of it), then Average (14.0)
Mitchell Starc
55.7 — led by Volume (28.9 of it), then Average (11.4)
Andrew Flintoff
77.1 — led by Volume (31.0 of it), then Average (20.7)
Each bar is that player’s score out of 100, split into what produced it: segment length is the facet’s peer score times its weight. Darkest segment first. The segments add up to the score, so the bars are read against each other, not against a grid.
Where the verdict was won: Test Bowling
Ravindra Jadeja
82.3 — led by Volume (31.3 of it), then Bowling average (25.6)
Ravichandran Ashwin
89.9 — led by Volume (33.4 of it), then Bowling average (26.6)
Shaun Pollock
80.1 — led by Volume (29.0 of it), then Bowling average (26.0)
Jacques Kallis
57.4 — led by Volume (28.1 of it), then Bowling average (15.3)
Ben Stokes
67.8 — led by Volume (28.7 of it), then Bowling average (18.7)
Shakib Al Hasan
66.7 — led by Volume (28.4 of it), then Bowling average (17.4)
Chris Cairns
62.4 — led by Bowling average (21.2 of it), then Volume (16.2)
Vernon Philander
84.1 — led by Bowling average (27.7 of it), then Volume (27.5)
Mitchell Starc
86.2 — led by Volume (32.6 of it), then Bowling average (24.9)
Andrew Flintoff
62.1 — led by Volume (27.2 of it), then Bowling average (16.6)
Each bar is that player’s score out of 100, split into what produced it: segment length is the facet’s peer score times its weight. Darkest segment first. The segments add up to the score, so the bars are read against each other, not against a grid.

Transparent by design

How this ranking was calculated

The list is computed from scorecards, not selected by an AI model. Every player is measured against the same qualified peer population, and the rules below determine the order.

From scorecards to a verdict score
  1. Build the eligible peer population using the selected format, time window and qualification bars.
  2. Calculate every batting or bowling factor directly from the matching scorecards.
  3. Convert each factor to a score against qualified peers, respecting whether higher or lower is better.
  4. Apply the published weights. If a factor is unavailable, its weight is redistributed across that player's recorded factors.
  5. Add the weighted factors to produce the verdict score out of 100, then rank from highest to lowest.
Test Batting factors and weights

Compared with 748 batters who played at least 10 innings.

Test Bowling factors and weights

Compared with 317 bowlers who played at least 10 innings and bowled at least 1,500 balls.

Important scoring choices

Contribution: total runs or wickets measure output within the selected period.

Fixed-era weighting: longevity is not scored because a player should not be penalised when only part of their career overlaps the era. Its allocation moves to runs or wickets.

Test average magnitude: overall averages use 85% peer position and 15% raw distance from the best qualified average. For bowlers the ratio is reversed because a lower average is better. Contextual averages remain pure percentiles.

Wicket magnitude: career and long-era wicket volume uses 85% peer position and 15% raw distance from the leading qualified wicket total. This preserves the difference between exceptional totals that sit together at the top of a percentile table. Run volume stays a pure percentile, because career run totals vary far more widely and blending raw magnitude there would penalise a short career of outstanding quality.

All-rounders: a player must clear both qualification bars. The batting and bowling verdicts are combined with a geometric mean, preventing one outstanding discipline from completely carrying a weak one.

Editorial scope: this is a transparent judgement model, not an official record table. It does not insert or promote named players, and it applies no blanket era multiplier.

Data and query audit
TestBest Test All-rounders of the 21st CenturyTop 10