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Test + ODI verdict list

Greatest Test & ODI Players of All Time

Jacques Kallis rises above Viv Richards by a breath. Viv Richards keeps the better strike rate in ODI batting, 90.20 to 73.13. Jacques Kallis's volume in Test bowling settles it, 291 wickets to 32 wickets.

#1
Jacques Kallis

South Africa

Combined88.7
Test · Batting led
92.5
ODI · Batting led
84.9
#2
Viv Richards

West Indies

Combined87.9
Test · Batting led
86.5
ODI · Batting led
89.3
#3
Combined87.3
Test · Batting led
88.3
ODI · Batting led
86.4
#4
Joe Root

England

Combined86.8
Test · Batting led
88.3
ODI · Batting led
85.3
#5
AB de Villiers

South Africa

Combined86.3
Test · Batting led
85.0
ODI · Batting led
87.6
#6
Richard Hadlee

New Zealand

Combined86.3
Test · Bowling led
88.3
ODI · Bowling led
84.4
#7
Wasim Akram

Pakistan

Combined86.2
Test · Bowling led
83.8
ODI · Bowling led
88.5
#8
Combined85.2
Test · Bowling led
84.8
ODI · Bowling led
85.5
#9
Combined85.0
Test · Batting led
82.2
ODI · Batting led
87.8
#10
Shaun Pollock

South Africa

Combined84.2
Test · Bowling led
83.3
ODI · Bowling led
85.0
Where the verdict was won: Test Batting
Jacques Kallis
96.4 — led by Average (27.7 of it), then Volume (24.9)
Viv Richards
94.8 — led by Average (26.9 of it), then Volume (24.4)
Sachin Tendulkar
96.2 — led by Average (27.5 of it), then Volume (25.0)
Joe Root
95.3 — led by Average (26.9 of it), then Volume (25.0)
AB de Villiers
94.4 — led by Average (27.0 of it), then Volume (24.5)
Richard Hadlee
62.2 — led by Volume (20.7 of it), then Average (14.5)
Wasim Akram
54.6 — led by Volume (20.3 of it), then Average (10.9)
Muthiah Muralidaran
34.4 — led by Volume (14.6 of it), then Longevity (9.9)
Virat Kohli
91.3 — led by Average (26.1 of it), then Volume (24.6)
Shaun Pollock
70.5 — led by Volume (21.7 of it), then Average (18.3)
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
Jacques Kallis
56.9 — led by Volume (20.8 of it), then Bowling average (13.5)
Viv Richards
11.5 — led by Longevity (9.8 of it), then Bowling average (0.9)
Sachin Tendulkar
17.5 — led by Longevity (10.0 of it), then Volume (3.2)
Joe Root
25.8 — led by Longevity (9.8 of it), then Volume (9.3)
Richard Hadlee
91.2 — led by Bowling average (25.9 of it), then Volume (22.7)
Wasim Akram
87.0 — led by Bowling average (25.1 of it), then Volume (22.5)
Muthiah Muralidaran
90.4 — led by Bowling average (25.7 of it), then Volume (25.0)
Shaun Pollock
84.7 — led by Bowling average (25.4 of it), then Volume (22.6)
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.
Where the verdict was won: ODI Batting
Jacques Kallis
87.5 — led by Average (19.3 of it), then Volume (14.9)
Viv Richards
93.7 — led by Average (19.5 of it), then Strike rate (15.2)
Sachin Tendulkar
92.4 — led by Average (19.2 of it), then Volume (15.0)
Joe Root
93.5 — led by Average (19.8 of it), then Strike rate (14.4)
AB de Villiers
97.3 — led by Average (19.9 of it), then Strike rate (17.0)
Richard Hadlee
51.0 — led by Volume (10.1 of it), then Strike rate (9.5)
Wasim Akram
53.4 — led by Strike rate (14.8 of it), then Volume (12.7)
Muthiah Muralidaran
29.7 — led by Strike rate (10.5 of it), then Longevity (9.9)
Virat Kohli
97.6 — led by Average (20.0 of it), then Strike rate (16.0)
Shaun Pollock
63.6 — led by Strike rate (13.6 of it), then Volume (12.2)
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: ODI Bowling
Jacques Kallis
61.2 — led by Volume (13.3 of it), then Bowling average (10.0)
Viv Richards
50.0 — led by Economy (11.3 of it), then Volume (9.7)
Sachin Tendulkar
32.4 — led by Volume (11.0 of it), then Longevity (10.0)
Joe Root
11.9 — led by Longevity (8.8 of it), then Away bowling average (1.1)
Richard Hadlee
88.1 — led by Bowling average (18.7 of it), then Economy (16.9)
Wasim Akram
92.4 — led by Bowling average (18.1 of it), then Economy (15.8)
Muthiah Muralidaran
91.7 — led by Bowling average (18.3 of it), then Economy (15.8)
Shaun Pollock
87.4 — led by Bowling average (17.5 of it), then Economy (16.4)
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 1,218 batters who played at least 20 innings.

Test Bowling factors and weights

Compared with 504 bowlers who played at least 20 innings and bowled at least 3,000 balls.

ODI Batting factors and weights

Compared with 867 batters who played at least 20 innings.

ODI Bowling factors and weights

Compared with 441 bowlers who played at least 20 innings and bowled at least 1,500 balls.

Important scoring choices

Longevity: uses the square root of career span in years multiplied by matches selected. Match counts and first/last dates come from playing-XI appearances, so a did-not-bat or did-not-bowl match still counts.

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

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.

Greatest-player mix: within each format, the stronger qualified batting or bowling verdict contributes 90%. A secondary discipline contributes 10% only when the player clears its qualification bar. Test, ODI and T20I then contribute equally when they are included.

ODI eligibility: this curated list includes players representing current ICC full-member teams. All of their recorded opposition still counts.

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
Test + ODIGreatest Test & ODI Players of All TimeTop 10