ACF-17: The Only 3 Players with a Double of 10000 Runs and 500 Wickets in International Cricket – CricIndeed

All-rounders are the backbone of any side in cricket and they can be match-winners on their given day. Yes, the teams are generally comprised of players who specialize in batting or bowling, but a player who can contribute and excel in both is an invaluable assets to the side.

They form the fulcrum of the side, be in any format as they have the capability to churn out good performances in either or both departments in a single game. Their skill set makes them stand apart from rest of their peers. When they do it over a period of time, these players are revered by fans as legends.

Yes there have been many exceptional all-rounders, both in the modern day cricket as well as in the yesteryears. Players like Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee were torch bearers for the term all-rounders back in 1960s to the 2000s while present-day players like Ravindra Jadeja, and Ben Stokes proudly carry their legacy. These players have made their respective nations a formidable force by being their 2 in 1 player who makes a difference both with bat & ball. But these players completed the landmark of 500 international wickets but couldn’t the cross 10000 runs mark. Sanath Jayasuriya is another player who breached the 10K mark but finished ever so close at 440 international wickets. You can read the list of players with 10K runs and 200 wickets to understand who came so close to this elite list.

So this leaves us with 3 cricketing legends who have showcased their all-round brilliance and completed the double of 10000 runs and 500 wickets in international arena. Here they are:

Jacques Kallis

One of the finest cricketers ever to play the game of cricket and during his 18-year that concluded in 2013, Kallis was the go to man across formats for South Africa. He was South Africa’s main pillar in the batting order during their dominant phase both in Tests & ODIs and filled in their third or fourth pacer many a times. During the course of his 519 match career for the Proteas and ICC World XI, the legendary all-rounder surpassed 10,000 runs in both the formats to go along with 250+ wickets he has taken in each of them.

With all the three formats included, Jacques Kallis amassed a jaw-dropping 25534 runs at an incredible average of 49.10 with the help of 62 centuries. Find his detailed profile here. What is more astonishing that, the champion player has accumulated 577 wickets as a bowler at an impressive average of 32.15 with 7 five-wicket hauls.

In any other line-up, he can simply enter their playing as either a batter or bowler. The fact he was able to churn out performances in both departments for South Africa made the team a formidable force.

Shakib Al Hasan

One of the reasons why Bangladesh improved leaps and bounds, especially in both white-ball formats was the contributions made by Shakib Al Hasan in all departments of the game. Many a times, he would wage a lone battle in the initial phase of his career both with bat & ball, particularly away from home.

His numbers highlight he has performed for the Asian nation in a career that started in 2006 and he is yet to hang his boots at the highest level. In what is proving to be hall of fame career, the all-rounder has claimed 703 wickets with 25 five-wicket hauls in 443 games across formats. With the bat, the left-hander has stroked 14626 runs at an average of just over 34 with 14 centuries to his name.

Shahid Afridi

A great entertainer of the game, coming in at an very young age, Shahid Afridi proved to be one of the biggest match-winners for Pakistan in the late 90s, 2000’s and early part of 2010s. He had the ability to rattle a batting line-ups with his leg breaks, especially in ODIs & T20Is and get large chunk of wickets on his day. With the bat, though Afridi was inconsistent, he used to be destructive on his day. He had amassed 8064 runs with a staggering strike rate of 117.01 in ODI cricket to go along with 395 wickets with the ball.

Overall in the 524 matches he played at the highest level, Afridi plundered 11196 runs at an incredible strike rate of 114.14 with 11 tons, while taking 541 wickets at a reasonable average of just under 33.