The Most Famous

CRICKETERS from United Kingdom

This page contains a list of the greatest British Cricketers. The pantheon dataset contains 136 Cricketers, 7 of which were born in United Kingdom. This makes United Kingdom the birth place of the 4th most number of Cricketers behind Australia, and Pakistan.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary British Cricketers of all time. This list of famous British Cricketers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of British Cricketers.

1. W. G. Grace (1848 - 1915)

With an HPI of 43.65, W. G. Grace is the most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages on wikipedia.

William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He was nominally amateur as a cricketer, but he is said to have made more money from his cricketing activities than any professional cricketer. He was an extremely competitive player and, although he was one of the most famous men in England, he was also one of the most controversial on account of his gamesmanship and moneymaking. He played first-class cricket for a record-equalling 44 seasons, from 1865 to 1908, during which he captained England, Gloucestershire, the Gentlemen, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the United South of England Eleven (USEE), and several other teams. Right-handed as both batsman and bowler, Grace dominated the sport during his career. His technical innovations and enormous influence left a lasting legacy. An outstanding all-rounder, he excelled at all the essential skills of batting, bowling and fielding, but it is for his batting that he is most renowned. He is held to have invented modern batsmanship. Usually opening the innings, he was particularly admired for his mastery of all strokes, and his level of expertise was said by contemporary reviewers to be unique. He generally captained the teams he played for at all levels because of his skill and tactical acumen. Grace came from a cricketing family: E. M. Grace was one of his elder brothers and Fred Grace his younger brother. In 1880, they were members of the same England team, the first time three brothers played together in Test cricket. Grace took part in other sports also: he was a champion 440-yard hurdler as a young man and played football for the Wanderers. In later life, he developed enthusiasm for golf, lawn bowls, and curling. He qualified as a medical practitioner in 1879.

2. Willie Watson (1920 - 2004)

With an HPI of 40.45, Willie Watson is the 2nd most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Willie Watson (7 March 1920 – 24 April 2004) was an English cricketer, who played for Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He was a double international, as Watson was also a footballer who played for England's national team. He was the son of Billy Watson, and brother of Albert Watson, also footballers.

3. Montagu Toller (1871 - 1948)

With an HPI of 36.65, Montagu Toller is the 3rd most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Montagu Henry Toller (1 January 1871 – 5 August 1948) was an English cricketer who played for both Devon and Somerset in the late 19th century. He made six first-class appearances for Somerset, all in 1897, but was predominantly a good club cricketer. In 1900, he was part of the Devon Wanderers team that represented Great Britain in the 1900 Summer Olympics, the only time cricket has featured in the Olympics.

4. Alfred Bowerman (1873 - 1947)

With an HPI of 36.32, Alfred Bowerman is the 4th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Alfred James Bowerman (22 November 1873 – 20 June 1947) was an English cricketer who played two first-class matches for Somerset in the early 20th century, and also played in the only cricket match at the Olympic Games, at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris.

5. William Donne (1876 - 1934)

With an HPI of 35.27, William Donne is the 5th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

William Stephens Donne (2 April 1875 in Wincanton, Somerset – 24 March 1934 in Castle Cary, Somerset) was an English cricket player, and former president of the Rugby Football Union, and was a member of the cricket team that won a gold medal at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

6. James Anderson (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 33.89, James Anderson is the 6th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

James Michael Anderson (born 30 July 1982), also known as Jimmy Anderson is an English cricketer who played for England. He is currently serving as the fast bowling mentor of the England cricket team. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport, he holds the record for the most wickets taken by a fast bowler in Test cricket. Anderson was a member of the England team that won the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2010. In February 2023, he became the oldest player to top the ICC men's Test bowling rankings. and is one of the few fast bowlers (after Maurice Tate in 1935 and Gubby Allen in 1948) to play at Test match level into his forties. Anderson made his Test debut in 2003, played for England's One-Day International (ODI) team between 2002 and 2015, and played for England's Twenty20 International (T20I) team between 2007 and 2009. On the occasion of England's 1,000th Test in 2018, Anderson was named in the country's greatest all-time Test XI by the England and Wales Cricket Board. In February 2024, he was seventh best Test bowler in the world according to the ICC men's player rankings. Anderson plays as a right-arm fast-medium bowler. Among fast bowlers, he is the leading Test wicket-taker of all-time, being the first fast bowler to take 600 or more Test wickets, and in March 2024 he became the first fast bowler to take 700 wickets, and is England's record Test wicket-taker. He has played the most Test matches for England, and the second most of any cricketer, behind Sachin Tendulkar. He is also England's highest wicket-taker in One Day Internationals with 269. As a batter, he shares with Joe Root the world record for highest tenth-wicket partnership in Tests (198). He retired from international cricket on 12 July 2024.

7. C. B. K. Beachcroft (1870 - 1928)

With an HPI of 32.81, C. B. K. Beachcroft is the 7th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Charles B. K. Beachcroft (born Charles Beachey Kay; 21 January 1870 – 1 July 1928) was an English cricketer who was captain of the tournament-winning Devon and Somerset Wanderers team that represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics, the only time cricket has been an Olympic sport.

8. Andrew Symonds (1975 - 2022)

With an HPI of 28.25, Andrew Symonds is the 8th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Andrew Symonds (9 June 1975 – 14 May 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two World Cup–winning squads. Symonds was a part of the team that won both the 2003 Cricket World Cup and, four years later, the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Symonds played as a right-handed, middle-order batsman and alternated between medium pace and off-spin bowling. He was also notable for his exceptional fielding skills. After mid-2008, Symonds spent significant time out of the team due to disciplinary reasons, including alcohol abuse. In June 2009, he was sent home from the 2009 World Twenty20, his third suspension, expulsion or exclusion from selection in the space of a year. His central contract was then withdrawn, and many cricket analysts speculated that the Australian administrators would no longer tolerate him and that Symonds might announce his retirement. Symonds eventually retired from all forms of professional cricket in February 2012, to concentrate on his family life. In 2022, Symonds died in a single-vehicle car crash at Hervey Range, outside Townsville, Queensland. He was 46.

9. Moeen Ali (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 23.45, Moeen Ali is the 9th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Moeen Munir Ali (born 18 June 1987) is an English cricketer, who was formerly vice-captain of England in limited overs cricket. He played for England cricket team between 2014 and 2024. In domestic cricket he represents Warwickshire, having previously played for Worcestershire. He has also played in multiple Twenty20 leagues, including for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Ali made his debuts in all three formats in 2014. He was part of the England teams that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and 2022 T20 World Cup. On 7 June 2023, Ali announced he was coming out of retirement for England Test team following an injury to first choice spinner Jack Leach, just ahead of the 2023 Ashes Series. He fully retired from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes series. He finally announced his international retirement on 8 September 2024.

10. Joe Root (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 20.77, Joe Root is the 10th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the English cricket team and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic cricket. Root is currently the leading run-scorer among all active batsmen, the fifth highest run-scorer of all time in Test cricket and the highest run scorer for England. Root is considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of his era and one of the greatest batsmen England has ever produced. He was part of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup where he top scored for England. As of July 2024, he has topped the ICC rankings for Test batsmen on nine occasions. Root made his Test debut in 2012, his ODI debut in 2013, and played for the England Twenty20 International team between 2012 and 2019. He captained England's Test team between February 2017 and April 2022, and holds the records for most Test matches (64), wins (27) and losses (26) as England captain. On the occasion of England's 1,000th Test in 2018, Root was named in the country's greatest all-time Test XI by the England and Wales Cricket Board. He was named both the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year and the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for 2021. A right-handed batsman, Root originally played as an opener but has played the majority of his cricket for England in the middle order. He is both England's highest run-scorer in Tests and second-highest run-scorer in ODIs. He holds the record for both most Test (35) and most ODI (16) centuries for England. In June 2022, he became the second batsman for England, and fourteenth overall, to score 10,000 Test runs. Along with Harry Brook, he holds the world record for highest fourth-wicket stand (and fourth highest overall) in Tests (454), and with James Anderson the highest tenth-wicket partnership (198). He is also England's leading run scorer in the ICC World Cup and the only English player to score over 1000 runs in the competition. Root also bowls occasional off spin.

People

Pantheon has 15 people classified as British cricketers born between 1848 and 1990. Of these 15, 8 (53.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living British cricketers include James Anderson, Moeen Ali, and Joe Root. The most famous deceased British cricketers include W. G. Grace, Willie Watson, and Montagu Toller. As of April 2024, 8 new British cricketers have been added to Pantheon including Montagu Toller, William Donne, and C. B. K. Beachcroft.