There is so much to consider when evaluating the best cricketers in the world. How does a five-wicket Test haul compare with an IPL-winning 70? How much value is placed in being an all-format cricketer?

Compiling these rankings meant balancing form with track record. We don’t want to succumb to recency bias, but if we’re looking at the best cricketers right now, there had to be a weighting to performances over the last 12 months.

All-rounders seemingly have an advantage. If you can influence the game in multiple ways, that surely puts you ahead of a specialist batter or bowler. Yet there is still huge value in the best players in their discipline, whether that’s a T20 finisher with the willow in hand or a new-ball genius in Test cricket.

Statistics are more accessible than ever, but a list of this nature will always be subjective and there are going to be players left out that many fans would want included.

Best cricketers in the world 2024

10 Shakib Al Hasan

The ICC rankings aren’t everything. Shakib Al Hasan ranking in the top three among all-rounders in Tests, ODIs and T20Is is significant, though, particularly for a player who has maintained this standard over such a long period.

His batting average is higher than his bowling average in all three formats. Shakib might be into his mid-thirties, and his career hasn’t been short of controversy, but he remains one of the best players in the world.

9 Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada made his international debut back in 2014. Since then, he has established himself as an incredibly effective, all-format, fast bowler. Rabada’s control, pace and bounce make him an asset even on unhelpful surfaces.

He averages just 22 with the ball in Test cricket, and has become a fixture on the franchise T20 circuit. Boasting the best Test match strike rate of bowlers to play more than 18 Tests, Rabada has flourished as the leader of the South African attack after the retirements of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

8 Pat Cummins

The last 12 months couldn’t have gone much better for Pat Cummins. After retaining the Ashes and winning the World Test Championship, Cummins skippered Australia to World Cup glory, which included an exceptional bowling performance in the final.

Named the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year for 2023, Cummins then became the second-most expensive IPL player ever at the 2024 auction. His diverse skillset with the ball is paired with useful lower-order batting, and there are signs he’s improving as a captain.

7 Daryl Mitchell

Daryl Mitchell might have arrived late to international cricket, but he’s wasted no time making a major impact. Averaging over 50 with the bat in both Tests and ODIs, the New Zealander has also picked up several franchise gigs, including a big-money deal with the Chennai Super Kings for the 2024 season.

Mitchell has constructed lengthy Test knocks and provided explosive white-ball cameos. He’s among the most versatile batters in the world at the moment, and is one of the first names on the Black Caps’ team sheet in all formats.

6 Joe Root

England’s greatest ever batter had to find a place in these rankings even after a lean spell. Joe Root is third in the Test batting rankings, and remains an excellent white-ball player.

His majestic 122 not out in Ranchi was arguably his greatest innings of all, which is saying something for a player with 47 international centuries and an average just shy of 50 in both Tests and ODIs. With 11,626 Test runs to his name, and still only 33 years old, Root could catch Sachin Tendulkar for the most Test runs of all time.

5 Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal has taken international cricket by storm. His pair of double centuries against England have accounted for numerous records. It’s not just the runs, though, but the manner in which he has scored them.

Jaiswal has attacked the new ball, he’s dug in when required, and he’s shown all the flair that’s made him an accomplished short-format player. At just 22 years of age, the sky really is the limit. Owner of the fastest 50 in IPL history, Jaiswal is going to be an all-format superstar.

4 Heinrich Klaasen

Placing a batter with minimal Test experience this high up might be controversial. Heinrich Klaasen has played just four Tests at the time of writing, but his extraordinary white ball hitting means he has to be considered among the world’s best players.

The South African has the second-highest strike rate in IPL history. Of the top 13 players by career ODI strike rate, Klaasen is the only one to average 40 with the bat. Capable of destroying any bowling attack, the Pretoria native has become a sought-after player on the T20 circuit thanks to his ability to hit boundaries in the middle overs and finish off innings with big hitting.

3 Rachin Ravindra

Like Jaiswal, Rachin Ravindra has quickly grabbed the headlines. Excellent in the World Cup and impressing with the bat and ball in the Test series against South Africa, Ravindra is a key player for the Black Caps across all three formats.

The numbers are yet to paint a full picture of just how good Ravindra is. Only turning 25 later this year, the best is still to come, and don’t be surprised if we see some more statement performances from the all-rounder.

2 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world. There is no debate at this point – Bumrah is the man you want with the ball in his hand whether it’s the first over of a Test or the last of a white-ball final.

His short run and unique, jerky action make it difficult for batters to pick him up. Awkward angles are created. He can swing and seam the red ball when conditions allow, plus he has a nasty bouncer, which is paired with some unplayable yorkers.

1 Ravindra Jadeja

Top of the Test all-rounder rankings by a mile, Ravindra Jadeja is a complete cricketer. Not only an accomplished batter across all three formats, Jadeja is an excellent spinner, capable of attacking in the subcontinent and playing a holding role overseas.

That’s before we’ve even mentioned his fielding, where he’s arguably the best in the world.

Like so many all-rounders, his averages do not fully reflect his impact on the game, though averaging 12 more with the bat than the ball in Tests is an indication of his greatness.

Sometimes his bowling is in the shadow of Ravichandran Ashwin, and he’s never going to be the batting star alongside Virat Kohli and others. Jadeja is a fierce competitor, though, and would be in contention for a world XI in any conditions in any format.