Table of Contents
The game of cricket is all about strength and skill, but sometimes there are physical attributes that make a difference. A good height, more often than not, makes a crucial impact on the game.
Let’s have a look at the top 10 tallest cricketers of all time.
1. Mohammad Irfan
National Team – Pakistan
Height – 7’1’’ (216cm)
Mohammad Irfan, Pakistani left-arm medium-pacer, is the tallest bowler in history to play cricket with a height of 7ft 1in.
Born in Punjab, Pakistan, the tall medium-pacer made his ODI debut against England in 2010. He impressed everyone with his ability to bowl at 140 km/hr consistently. Later in 2013, he made his Test debut but was soon out of the side as he was prone to injuries.
He has played 60 ODIs taking 83 wickets and 4 Test matches, and 22 T20I, taking 10 and 16 wickets in the respective format of the game.
2. Joel Garner
National Team – West Indies
Height – 6’8’’
The former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner, also known as the “Big Bird”, with the height of 6ft 8in, is one of the tallest cricketers to play international cricket.
The fast bowler appeared in 58 Tests between 1977 and 1987 and took 259 wickets at an average of 20.98, making him statistically one of the most effective bowlers of all times.
In limited-overs cricket, Garner put his height to use with devastating effect. In 98 matches, he took 146 wickets. His greatest ability was to deliver toe crushing yorkers. The batsmen often said that it seemed that the bowl was “delivered from the clouds”.
His statistics of 5 for 39 against England in the 1979 World Cup final remains the best performance by a bowler in a world cup final.
3. Bruce Reid
National Team – Australia
Height – 6’8’’
Bruce Reid, a former Australian left-arm fast bowler, is another tall bowler who features in this list. With the height of 6ft 8in, he, along with Joel Garner, was among the tallest to play cricket before the appearance of Mohammad Irfan. Prone with injuries, a career that could have been one of the finest was cut short at 29.
He took 113 wickets in 27 Test matches at an average of 24.6, and in the 61 ODIs he played, he took 63 wickets.
4. Kyle Jamieson
National Team – New Zealand
Height – 6’8”
New Zealand pacer, Kylie Jamieson finds himself in the list with an impressive height of 6ft 8in. He rose to fame after the 2014 Under 19 World Cup, where he was the joint second highest wicket-taker for his team. Since then, Jamieson has not looked back and made his international debut in 2020.
5. Boyd Rankin
National Team – England & Ireland
Height – 6’7’’
Measured at 6ft 8in in height, Boyd Rankin is the next cricketer on the list. The tall fast bowler first made a debut in 2007 for Ireland against Bermuda. Later in his career, he went on to play for England and made his T20I debut in 2013.
He took 107 wickets in the 75 one day matches he featured, along with eight wickets in 3 Tests.
6. Chris Tremlett
National Team – England
Height – 6’7’’
Born in Southampton, England, Chris Tremlett is another tall fast bowler with a height of 6ft 7ini. His physique gave him the perfect ingredients a fast bowler should have – pace, bounce and accuracy.
Tremlett made his One Day International debut in 2005 and later in 2007 made his Test debut. He went on to play 12 Test matches and took 53 wickets, and in the 15 ODIs, he took only 15 wickets.
7. Steven Finn
National Team – England
Height – 6’7’’
The 6ft 7in tall England’s pacer made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2010. After that, he is part of the English cricket team in all three formats of cricket. Finn has a height that helps him to generate pace at any surface and consistently hit 145 km/hr.
He has played 36 Tests, 69 ODIs and 21 T20Is, taking 125, 102 and 27 wickets, respectively.
8. Curtly Ambrose
National Team – West Indies
Height – 6’7’’
The member of the hall of fame, West Indies fast bowler, Curtly Ambrose is known as the ‘gentle giant’.
His height of 6ft 7in allowed him to generate pace and good bounce, and with the excellent accuracy that he had, it made life hell for the batsmen.
In the 98 Test matches he featured in, he took 405 test wickets at an excellent average of 20.99. He was on top of the ICC Player Rankings for a larger part of his career. In the 176 ODIs he played, he took 225 wickets at an average of 3.48.
The Antiguan government knighted Ambrose in 2014.
9. Sulieman Benn
National Team – West Indies
Height – 6’7’’
Sulieman Benn, left-arm orthodox spinner born in Barbados, having a height of 6 ft 7in, was one of the tallest to play for the West Indies.
He is best known for his aggression which was no less than fast bowlers. He was often in trouble breaching the code of conduct.
In the 26 Test matches he played, he took 87 wickets. In ODIs, he scalped 39 wickets in 47 games and in the 24 T20Is he featured, he took 18 wickets at an economy of 7.21.
10. Jason Holder
National Team – West Indies
Height – 6’7’’
6 ft 7 in tall, Jason Holder is one of the best all-rounders playing world cricket at the moment.
He emerged as an upcoming star in 2010 Under 19 World Cup and has not disappointed since then. Holder is also the youngest West Indian to captain the side in both ODI and Test format.
