10 most underrated test cricketers of all time

Test cricket is the purest form of the game. From the invention of the game, test cricket has produced many legends and greats them. From Don Bradman to Sachin Tendulkar, Ambrose to Syen people have seen some greats of the game over the years. However, under the shadow of other flamboyant greats, few went unnoticed. As the World Test Championship Final is only one month away, we present you with the list of the 10 most underrated test cricketers of all time.

All about World Test Championship Final

The World Test Championship Final is going to begin from 18th June to 22nd June 2021. The two teams to participate in the WTC Final is India and New Zealand. The top ranker of the table was New Zealand after the league round of the World Test Championship. India confirmed their place in the Final after they won the home series against England.

India squad- Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Md. Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subject to fitness clearance), Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper; subject to fitness clearance).

New Zealand squad- Kane Williamson (c), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Tom Blundell, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling (wk), Tom Latham, Daryll Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Doug Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Will Young.

Read Also: WTC Final: IND vs NZ All Players Stats, Records In England, WTC and against each other

10 most underrated test cricketers of all time

Since the beginning of cricket history, we have witnessed many cricketers who are good in their game but got overshadowed by other eminent cricketers. There is a saying that nobody remembers the second person who landed on the moon. Similarly, no one remembers those cricketers who did not show their greatest performances in most of the matches. There are so many underrated test cricketers who could have glorified more but got suppressed due to the extraordinary performances of their colleagues. Here is a list of the 10 most underrated test cricketers of all time who did not receive enough accolades that they truly deserved.

1. Younis Khan

Younis Khan, one of the most underrated test cricketers was a crucial part of the Pakistan cricket team. The two best years of his test cricket career were 2006 and 2014 where he made many well-known records. Some of his best knocks are 127 vs England (2012), 218 vs England (2016), and 267 & 84 vs India (2005). Even after his immense contribution to the team and a test average of 52, he is underrated.

Read also: WTC Final: IND Vs NZ All Players Stats, Records In England, WTC And Against Each Other

2. Chaminda Vaas

Chaminda Vaas, the former bowler of Sri Lanka, made his test in 1994 and since then he has played efficiently and became one of the best fast bowlers of Sri Lanka within a year. In the test match against West Indies in 2001-2002, he took a total of 14 wickets in the third test. In the test match he back 26 wickets against West Indies. He was also selected in the World Test XI by ICC in 2004 and 2005 for his exceptional bowling performances.

3. Irfan Pathan

Indian all-rounder former cricketer, Irfan Pathan was not acknowledged and appreciated enough for his talent, expertise, and caliber. He was a right-arm medium bowler who played 29 test matches and bagged 100 wickets.
He is also the second Indian to take three wickets in the first over of a test match against Pakistan on 29 January 2006.

4. Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke, the former skipper of Australia, had a dreamy cricket career. He played so many important knocks for his team but still got overshadowed because of the extraordinary batting lineup of Australia. Not only in batting, but he has also shown impeccable performance being the captain of the team. He played 115 test matches and schooled 8643 runs. In these test matches, he hit 27 half-centuries and 28 centuries with a batting average of 49.10.

5. Rangana Herath

Rangana Herath, the left-arm bowler of Sri-Lanka, has played exceptionally in his cricket career. Yet he did not get the recognition and accolades that he truly deserves. He is an absolute legend but has been considered as one very rarely. He played in 93 test matches where he successfully took 433 wickets which is an appreciated number. The legend has also made the record of the most number of wickets by a left-arm spinner in a test match.

6. Graeme Smith

Graeme Smith, the former South African cricketer is considered to be one of the best captains in test cricket with 53 wins. He became the captain of South Africa age of 22 only. He has made the world record of captaining the team in the most number of Test matches. Graeme played in 11 7 matches and scored 9265 runs within a batting average of 48.25. He has also scored 38 half-centuries and 27 centuries in 117 matches. He is also the record holder of the most number of catches by a non-wicketkeeper. The former captain is the fastest South African cricketer to reach 1000 runs in test cricket.

7. Ajit Agarkar

Ajit Agarkar, the former Indian bowler has been a part of 26 test matches. He is an unsung hero of the Indian team taken the Indian team out of difficulties many times. In the 26 matches, he took 58 wickets. One of the most spectacular performances by him is his 6-wicket haul in the second innings of the Adelaide Test in 2003.

8. Shivnarayan Chanderpaul

The former captain of the West Indies cricket team is considered to be one of the greatest batsmen during his time. Though he has proven his caliber by his stats and records, his teammates still overshadowed him at times. He has been a part of 164 test matches where he scored 11867 runs which is only 46 runs less than that of Brian Lara. This understated cricketer left behind legends like Gordon Greenidge, Vivian Richards, and Garfield Sobers.

9. Bj Watling

The former New Zealand international cricketer is considered to be one of the most underrated cricketers of all time despite his immense contribution to his team. He not only played for himself but also supported his teammates at tough times. The South African-born cricketer has supported players like Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson during their triple centuries. He has played 55 test matches and scored 3773 with an average of 38.11. Walting has also scored 19 half-centuries and 8 centuries in test cricket. He is also the ninth wicketkeeper with the most number of dismissals, 257.

10. Makhaya Ntini

Makhaya Ntini, the former South African fast bowler, is one of the best bowlers of his time. One of his most remarkable performances is when he 13 wickets and gave only 132 runs against West Indies in 2005. With this match, he has created the record of the second most number of wickets by a South African cricketer in a test match. He has played 101 matches in his Test career and bagged 390 wickets which is unknown to a lot of people. Due to his exceptional bowling, he has always been a pivotal part of the team but never got the deserved recognition and appreciation.