The Most Famous
CRICKETERS from United Kingdom
This page contains a list of the greatest British Cricketers. The pantheon dataset contains 68 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 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the 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.
1. W. G. Grace (1848 - 1915)
With an HPI of 40.73, W. G. Grace is the most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 32 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 38.61, Willie Watson is the 2nd most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 18 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. Alfred Bowerman (1873 - 1947)
With an HPI of 38.17, Alfred Bowerman is the 3rd most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 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.
4. James Anderson (1982 - )
With an HPI of 26.18, James Anderson is the 4th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
James Michael Anderson (born 30 July 1982) is an English cricketer who plays for the England and Wales cricket team and Lancashire, and previously played for England's limited overs cricket teams. Anderson is widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He holds the record for most wickets by a pace bowler in Test cricket history, having taken 700 wickets as of 9 March 2024. Anderson was a member of the England team that won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20. 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. As of February 2024 , he is ranked as the number seven Test bowler in the world in 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 batsman, he and Joe Root hold the world record for highest tenth-wicket stand in Tests (198).
5. Andrew Symonds (1975 - 2022)
With an HPI of 18.19, Andrew Symonds is the 5th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 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.
6. Joe Root (1990 - )
With an HPI of 16.82, Joe Root is the 6th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 16 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 and the tenth highest run-scorer of all time in Test cricket. 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. He is also England's leading run scorer in the ICC World Cup and the only English player to score over 1000 runs. 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 the leading run-scorer of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He was named both the ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year and the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World for 2021. In June 2022, he became the second batsman for England, and fourteenth overall, to score 10,000 Test runs. 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 England's second-highest run-scorer in Tests behind Alastair Cook, and England's second-highest run-scorer in ODIs behind Eoin Morgan. He holds the record for most ODI centuries for England with 16 and, along with James Anderson, holds the world record for highest tenth-wicket stand in Tests (198). Root also bowls occasional off spin, although with 68 test wickets to his name it is tempting to think of him as a batting all-rounder.
7. Ian Bell (1982 - )
With an HPI of 13.58, Ian Bell is the 7th most famous British Cricketer. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Ian Ronald Bell (born 11 April 1982) is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsman, described in The Times as an "exquisite rapier," with a strong cover drive, Bell was also an occasional right-arm medium pace bowler and a slip fielder. He was also noted for his sharp reflexes and often fielded in close catching positions. He scored twenty-two Test centuries and four One Day International (ODI) 100s. In the 2006 New Year Honours List, Bell was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his role in the successful Ashes campaign of 2005. In November 2006, he was awarded the Emerging Player of the Year award by the International Cricket Council. During 2008 and 2009, he was a more infrequent member of the England teams – however he reclaimed his Test place during the 2009 Ashes, which England won, and featured in several ODIs the following year. During 2010, he captained Warwickshire to victory in the CB40 final before scoring his first Ashes century the following winter as he helped England retain the Ashes down-under. Warwickshire County Cricket Club awarded Bell a benefit in 2011. In July 2012, Bell signed a new three-year contract with Warwickshire extending his stay at the club at least till 2015. In November 2015, England selectors announced that Bell would be dropped from the English side ahead of the test series with South Africa. In August 2016, it was announced that Bell would be playing for the Perth Scorchers in the 2016–17 Big Bash League season. In August 2018, Bell scored his 20,000th run in first-class cricket. In September 2020, Bell announced his retirement, revealing that his final game for Warwickshire would be a T20 match against Glamorgan.
Pantheon has 7 people classified as cricketers born between 1848 and 1990. Of these 7, 3 (42.86%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living cricketers include James Anderson, Joe Root, and Ian Bell. The most famous deceased cricketers include W. G. Grace, Willie Watson, and Alfred Bowerman. As of April 2022, 4 new cricketers have been added to Pantheon including Alfred Bowerman, James Anderson, and Andrew Symonds.
Living Cricketers
Go to all Rankings
James Anderson
1982 - Present
HPI: 26.18
Joe Root
1990 - Present
HPI: 16.82
Ian Bell
1982 - Present
HPI: 13.58
Deceased Cricketers
Go to all RankingsW. G. Grace
1848 - 1915
HPI: 40.73
Willie Watson
1920 - 2004
HPI: 38.61
Alfred Bowerman
1873 - 1947
HPI: 38.17
Andrew Symonds
1975 - 2022
HPI: 18.19
Newly Added Cricketers (2022)
Go to all RankingsAlfred Bowerman
1873 - 1947
HPI: 38.17
James Anderson
1982 - Present
HPI: 26.18
Andrew Symonds
1975 - 2022
HPI: 18.19
Ian Bell
1982 - Present
HPI: 13.58
Which Cricketers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Cricketers since 1700.
