Mumbai: Cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan have been named the greatest men’s international cricketers of the 21st century at the Cricinfo Honours Awards, while Australian star Ellyse Perry was voted the greatest women’s international cricketer of the century.
The awards were decided by a distinguished 25-member jury comprising former and current cricketers, including names such as Wasim Akram, Greg Chappell, Faf du Plessis, Eoin Morgan and Shane Watson. The selections were based on performances across international formats between 2000 and 2025.
Tendulkar was recognised as the greatest batter of the era, Kallis as the greatest all-rounder, and Muralitharan as the greatest bowler. Widely regarded as one of the finest cricketers in history, Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in both Tests and One-Day Internationals. Kallis combined world-class batting and bowling throughout his career, while Muralitharan finished with a record 800 Test wickets.
Speaking after receiving the honour, Tendulkar expressed gratitude to the jury and fans, describing the recognition as especially meaningful because it came from players he had competed with and against throughout his career.
Loading ...Among the top-ranked men’s cricketers, Virat Kohli secured third place, followed by Ricky Ponting in fifth. Active players featured in the Top 25 list include Kohli, Joe Root, Jasprit Bumrah, Kane Williamson and Mitchell Starc.
In the women’s category, Perry was recognised for her outstanding achievements with both bat and ball. She highlighted Australia’s triumph in the 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup as one of the defining moments of her career and praised the growth of women’s cricket worldwide.
The Cricinfo Honours also celebrated excellence in T20 cricket, with AB de Villiers being voted the best T20 batter and Bumrah receiving the award for best T20 bowler.
