This is my list of 12 best Asian cricketers of all time in order of merit. Overall including ODI's and first class games. Sachin Tendulkar Imran Khan Wasim Akram Murlitharan Virat Kohli Javed Miandad Sunil Gavaskar Kapil Dev Kumar Sangakkara Vinoo Mankad Rahul Dravid Zaheer Abbas Only test cricket in order of merit Imran Khan Sachin Tendulkar Sunil Gavaskar Murlitharan Wasim Akram Rahul Dravid Kumar Sangakkara Javed Miandad Younis Khan Kapil Dev Vinoo Mankad Waqar Younus Imran Khan and Sachin Tendulkar draw away from the rest with not even a whisker separating them.Equivalent of comets of their time.Imran was arguably the best fast bowling all-rounder ever while Tendulkar was debatably overall the best batsmen of all time.Imran won more tests having more killer instincts and was a far superior leader but Sachin had greater longevity and faced more pressure.Tendulkar had more staggering statistics but Imran shaped his country's great victories more or defined it's cricket.Sachin was more complete ,Imran more ruthless and agressive. Wasim Akram had staggering 916 international scalps and was also an accomplished left hand batsmen.Played a major role in world cup win and other ODI tournament victories and won more man of the match awards than anyone of his time.Mulitharan was statistically the greatest spinner of all.Kohli has defined the modern era more than anyone ,being it's greatest match-winner.Miandad was the ultimate scourge of opponents,consistently championing a crisis.The records of Younis, Dravid and Sanga simply spoke for themselves.Kapil Dev was the most explosive batsmen amongst all-rounders and bore the brunt of a weak attack capturing 434 scalps on flat sub-continent pancakes which is incredible Vinoo was morally an equal of Kapil Dev if you asess his era , all-round feats and performance as an opening batsmen.Zaheer Abbas had an absolutely outstanding 1st class and ODI record in addition to his great test record on flat wickets in England and Pakistan.Waqar Younus had an incredible strike rate of around 43 in tests and posessed the most deadly swinging yorker in adddition to lethal pace. Tendulkar won overall because of staggering combined figures of 100 centuries but arguably in peak era in test cricket Imran was more impactful than Tendulkar,considering he was also a captain.Imran competed with more great all-rounders than anyone and still stood out from 1981-1988.Imran took Pakistan to the pedestal of the no 1 team in the world from 1987-88 as a cricketer and skipper unlike Sachin.He also led Pakistan to a world cup victory.What went against Imran is that he was not at his best with bat and ball for most of his career and for most of his carer was a great fast bowler who could bat.From 1988-92 Imran became a truly world class batsmen.,even if he revealed shades of his batting ability earlier in India and England.Imran was better at best but Sachin more consistent with more longevity.Sachin significantly better as batsmen than Imran was as a fast bowler or all-rounder in ODI's.Adding leadership Imran edges Sachin by a whisker in test cricket .His performances as a fast bower and all-rounder are on par with Tendulkar in tests,and better in peak period. Overall touch and go between Gavaskar and Kapil,but gave former benefit of the doubt considering pressure and postilion he handled .Kapil was more of a match-winner but Sunil was the more determined.Kohli ranked 2nd because of his ability to rally a team to victories,virtually spinning victories of his own bat.Wasim and Kohli also very close but gave Wasim the nod because of superior skill and stronger opponents.Overall Javed ahead of Dravid and Gavaskar because of significantly better record in ODI's.
Imran Khan Sachin Tendulkar / Wasim Akram Murali Inzamam Saeed Anwar Arjuna Ranatunga Aravinda De Silva Sangakara Aamir Sohail Mohd Yousuf Younus Khan Misbah Jayasurya Dravid Laxman Dhoni Saqlain Mushtaq Mushtaq Ahmed / Waqar Younus Shahid Afridi Saeed Ajmal
Dont think they were good enough.. one man i forgot who deserved to be there was Shoaib Akhtar... surely a top player,.,
19. Shahid Afridi / Shoaib Akhtar / Mohd Asif 20. Saeed Ajmal / Mohd Amir 21. Virat Kohli 22. Moeen Khan 23. Rashid Latif 24. Sehwag 25. Ganguly
12 best Asian Cricketers in each format: Tests: Hanif Mohammad Sunil Gavaskar Imran Khan Kapil Dev Javed Miandad Wasim Akram Waqar Younis Sachin Tendulkar Rahul Dravid Kumar Sangakarra Muttiah Murlidharan Younis Khan ODIs: Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli Saeed Anwar Imzimam ul Haq Mohammad Yousaf Imran Khan MS Dhoni Wasim Akram Waqar Younis Saqlain Mushtaq Chamida Vaas Kumar Sangakarra
12 best Asian Cricketers in each format in order of merit: Tests: Imran Khan Sachin Tendulkar Sunil Gavaskar Muttiah Murlidharan Wasim Akram Kapil Dev Rahul Dravid Kumar Sangakkara Younis Khan Javed Miandad Waqar Younis Hanif Mohammad ODIs: Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli Imran Khan Inzamam ul Haq MS Dhoni Wasim Akram Waqar Younis Kumar Sangakkara Saeed Anwar Mohammad Yousaf Saqlain Mushtaq Chamida Vaas
You already have Imran Wasim Waqar and Saqlain in the bowling squad - not sure if I take Chaminda as a 5th specialist bowler in this ODI squad. I’d rather take an all rounder like Razzaq. Also, it’s very hard to ignore Rohit Sharma in the ODIs. He is a monster. Perhaps I will take him over Yousuf who is more suited for tests.
i really like your list. but i dont know if chaminda's ODI record is such, maybe jaysuria should have been there in the ODI's in place of him.
