The greatest internationals of the century: Nos. 19 to 17

19. Ben Stokes

by Andrew Miller

Overall: 11,263 runs at 35.64 ave

343 wickets at 33.68 ave

Stokes began his remarkable England career as a locker-punching hothead whose talent was sure to be subsumed by his passion. He will end it, at some point in the coming years, as his country's most influential cricketer in a generation.

As an old-school allrounder - cast from the mould that Ian Botham was meant to have broken - Stokes is synonymous with some of the most extraordinary moments that his sport has ever known, most famously his batting heroics at Lord's and Headingley in his annus mirablis of 2019.

Since his appointment as England captain in 2022, however, Stokes has found a higher calling still. Empathetic yet inspiring, he has become a more passive operator on a day-to-day basis, focused instead on empowering his team-mates to become their own best versions. That iron-clad will to win, however, makes him the ideal ace up the sleeve, as shown by his gut-busting responses to adversity against Australia and India in 2023 and 2025.

And yet, his legend might have ended before it had truly begun. When, in September 2017, Stokes was arrested for a street brawl outside a Bristol nightclub, there were no guarantees that his career could ever recover. Instead, he wore his humiliation like a hair shirt, and committed himself more wholly to the England cause than could have been possible without that brush with career oblivion.

He returned as a more committed professional: training so hard that his coaches had to implore him to slow down, while staring down all pressure situations with a phlegmatism that evoked another great allrounder, Keith Miller, and his attitude to Messerschmidts. What's a must-win situation when you've genuinely feared losing everything?

His stats will never tell the full story - cheap runs and wickets have never been Stokes' bag - but for the massive moments, few players have ever stood taller.

Moeen Ali on Stokes: I think first of all, just the pure passion for the game. Where he stands out is everything he does is 100% - batting, bowling, fitness, fielding. He just can't do anything less - being an allrounder, wanting to be the best bowler, wanting to be the best fielder or batter. Not many people have that mindset; some guys will be really good at batting and then bowling kind of takes a bit of a backseat, or the other way around. But he's a genuine fast bowler who swings it both ways, and he can bat anywhere, from opening all the way down.

I think since he's taken on captaincy, he's just gone on another level. Probably the stats might not say that, but I think as a person, as a player, to lead from the front, and to get everybody else on the same page as him, it's an amazing thing to do if you really think about it.

He is a phenomenal character to have in the changing room, and you'd have him in your team no matter what - no matter what form he's in, what format. There are not many like him.

18. Chris Gayle

by Matt Roller

Overall: 19,535 runs at 38.38 ave; 257 wickets

The self-styled Universe Boss, Gayle was not only T20 cricket's early trailblazer but an attacking opener whose mere presence struck fear into opening bowlers, regardless of the colour of the ball. More than just a short-form power-hitter, Gayle's achievements span all three formats: he even boasts the unique distinction of having scored a Test triple-hundred, an ODI double, and a T20I century.

Gayle's batting was defined by its simplicity. He was the ultimate stand-and-deliver player: he rarely used his feet, instead relying on his hand-eye coordination, height and power. He was also a far more calculated player than many realised, who would pick weak links in opposition attacks and lay into them mercilessly; he eviscerated slow left-arm spinners whenever captains were foolish enough to bowl them to him. While capable of lightning-fast starts, once blasting a 19-ball ODI half-century, Gayle was just as happy biding his time and seeing off the new ball before exploding into life, typically with a flurry of boundaries. Quick singles were anathema to him.

It was not all smooth-sailing and clean-hitting: Gayle often landed himself in trouble by playing up to an ebullient persona, and his position on the longest format is best remembered for him once declaring that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket died out. But his batting was irresistible, and he chipped in with 257 international wickets and 240 catches (mostly at slip) to boot over this quarter-century. A Champions Trophy winner in 2004, his international career reached twin peaks in 2012 and 2016, when he spearheaded West Indies' dual World T20 triumphs.

Daren Ganga on Gayle: CHG was prolific in all formats of the game and was one of the few cricketers who had a natural ability to score boundaries. And he used this obvious strength to bring consistency to his batting. As his opening partner, at times I had to beg him to run singles and rotate strike, such was his reliance on that aspect of his batting!

Gayle was blessed with above average height but he worked hard to develop muscle to match his invincible mindset. This made him a fierce competitor who wanted to be the best on the field. Bowlers struggled to find the right lengths to contain his run-scoring because he rarely moved his feet for a trigger, and then his long arms made even good deliveries run-scoring opportunities.

I recall a Test match in 2006 in Auckland, where we had to chase 291 to win in the fourth innings [with] conditions sporting and bowler-friendly. CHG buckled down and scored 82 against a fiery Shane Bond and Chris Martin. I was on the other end, feeling the wrath of the challenge, but saw a cricketer, a team-mate, who showed the substance in skill, situational awareness, and depth of character to be one of the world's best. The rest is history.

17. Mitchell Starc

by Osman Samiuddin

Overall: 754 wickets at 25.22 ave; 3154 runs

For a while after he made his Test debut, Starc was not even the best left-arm fast bowler named Mitchell in his side, let alone the best left-arm fast bowler in the country. Let alone, as he is now, the greatest left-arm fast bowler of this century.

Endurance has long been the hallmark of a great fast bowler, though it's one thing to last as long as Starc has and quite another to remain as quick as Starc has all career. In an age when fast bowling is faster than ever but also more prone to breakdowns, Starc, nearly 36 and with nearly 300 games for Australia, mostly maintains speeds in the high 140s.

That pace - the kind that feels fast without needing a speed gun to acknowledge it - remains a primal thrill, embellished by the fuller lengths and the swing. It is a combination that has helped him succeed no matter the age or colour of the ball, or the colour of the kit. Indeed, the abiding Starc dismissal, full and inswinging, rapping pads or crashing into stumps, is applicable to any format, any year, any side.

Not that it is his one and only trick. He has evolved over the years into a more rounded threat, with more ways of slicing through sides, and at no cost to the impact: seventh-best strike rate in Tests for bowlers with at least 300 wickets; second-best in ODIs for bowlers with at least 200. The ultimate impact, of course, in the multiple trophies: twice a World Cup winner, a T20 World Cup winner, an IPL winner as well as a World Test Champion.

Alex Carey on Mitchell Starc: I'd put him in my top five almost. I think he's such a professional athlete, an amazing team-mate. He's bloody tough. He pushes through a lot of niggles. He's really resilient. He wants to play as many games as possible and is always finding ways to improve. At times you might be a little bit too close [keeping to him], and he'll keep pushing you back closer to the 30-yard circle. When he's at full flight, too, I don't get a lot of balls. It's normally hitting the stumps or hitting pads, which we like to see. I think his strength is his consistency with that pace, with that shape. If it's not swinging, he's able to now nip the ball across right-hand batters. He comes around the wicket to right-handers and straightens it down the line. I think when batters walk out to bat, they know where it's going to be, but they still find it difficult to hit.

Stats are for the 2000-2025 period

Click here to read article