Here's an XI of all-time great Test cricketers who did not hit the 10,000-run and 400-wicket mark.
What's the statistical benchmark for Test greatness? Ten thousand runs seems to be a logical rounded-off figure: a total of 15 batters currently sit within that list. The bowling equivalent can be 400 wickets, with 17 bowlers having crossed that milestone in Test history.
Also read: Wisden’s ‘Masters of all conditions’ all-time Test XI
And yet, there are several legendary Test figures who might have fallen short of those two metrics, yet put together great careers. Many did not play long enough (or played in a different era or role), some looked set to breach these targets but trailed off towards the end (like the recently retired Virat Kohli).
All in all, this makes for one formidable unit.
Len Hutton
6,971 runs @ 56.67, 19 100s, HS: 364
A brief part of Hutton's Test career was pre-War, including the epic 364. However, he remained prolific post-War for England and Yorkshire, despite an arm shortened by two inches due to injury. The low-scoring 1950/51 Ashes stands out, where he scored 533 runs at 89. As opener, he averaged 56 – his tally of 19 hundreds is bettered only by Alastair Cook, Geoff Boycott and Andrew Strauss. He was also England's first professional Test captain since the MCC assumed control.
Graeme Smith (c)
9,265 runs @ 48.25, 27 100s, HS: 277
The most-capped Test captain, Smith devoted 109 of his 117 Tests to leading South Africa. Along the way, he became a bulwark at the top, ending as South Africa's second-highest scorer when he retired at 33. Barring India and Sri Lanka, he hit centuries everywhere he played, averaging much higher away from home (53.93 vs 41.52). In Test cricket, no one has scored more fourth-innings runs than his 1,611 at an average better than his 51.96.
Viv Richards
8,540 runs @ 50.23, 24 100s, HS: 291
Richards would seamlessly fit anywhere from No.3 to No.5, essaying his firebrand style of batting that was central to West Indies' success across two decades. He retired as West Indies' top run-getter, surpassing Garry Sobers. Against England, he averaged 62: his career-best 291 and his 56-ball Test hundred (a record that stood for nearly three decades) were separated by ten years. His form did taper off slightly in the last few years.
Virat Kohli
9,230 runs @ 46.85, 30 100s, HS: 254
At his peak, scaling 10,000 Test runs (a personally set milestone) seemed such a surety: in 2019, his average had crossed 55. And while he ended up slightly underachieving, Kohli stood tall as India's batting superstar through the 2010s. He hit seven double-hundreds, the fifth-most of all time, and hit centuries everywhere he batted except Bangladesh. As captain, he took the Indian Test team to all-time highs.
Garry Sobers
8,032 runs @ 57.78, 26 100s, HS: 365; 235 wickets @34.03, 6 five-fors, BBI: 6-73
Undoubtedly one of the finest cricketers of all time, Sobers set the benchmark for all-round greatness. At 23, he broke the world record with 365 not out, a Test high score that stayed untouched for 35 years. He was the first to cross the 8,000-run mark in Tests, and is one of only two (alongside Jacques Kallis) to combine that with 200 Test wickets.
Ian Botham
5,200 runs @ 33.54, 14 100s, HS: 208; 383 wickets @ 28.40, 27 five-fors, BBI: 8-34
Botham averaged much higher at five, but slots just fine at six, a position where he scored five centuries. Few had the ability and verve to single-handedly turn matches around like Botham, and fewer could match the peak of his all-round pedigree. Aside from him, only Vinoo Mankad has a Test eight-for and a double-century. In the sub-400 wickets club, no one took more five-fors (27). As the larger-than-life superstar of the eighties, his cult extended far beyond the cricketing field.
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
5,570 runs @ 47.60, 17 100s, HS: 204*
Test wicketkeeping was never the same after Gilchrist graced it. There's little to suggest he wouldn't have gone on to hit 10,000 Test runs if he'd debuted earlier than he did, at 29. No one scored more runs at No.7, and no designated keeper scored more runs or hit more centuries. With a 5,000-run cutoff, only Virender Sehwag scored quicker. Need we say more?
Imran Khan
3,807 runs @ 37.69, 6 100s, HS: 136; 362 wickets @ 22.81, 23 five-fors, BBI: 8-58
A generational cricketer, Imran – as leader, pace spearhead and steady batter – stayed at the fulcrum of Pakistan's team for nearly two decades. Their highest-wicket taker when he retired, he inspired scores of youngsters to bowl fast. Only Misbah-ul-Haq has led them in more Tests, and the number of wins under him (14) are still the joint second-most.
Malcolm Marshall
376 wickets @ 20.94, 22 five-fors, BBI: 7-22
Shorter than his pace-bowling teammates but arguably the fastest, Marshall had his own place in the West Indies' storied legacy of the eighties. The third-highest wicket-taker in their Test history, he took a five-for 22 times, jointly their highest, alongside Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. With a 300-wicket cutoff, no one had a better bowling average. Aside from his long association with Hampshire, he was especially devastating in England, taking 94 wickets at 18.70. For someone with over 10,000 first-class runs and seven centuries, Marshall's batting remained understated.
Waqar Younis
373 wickets @ 23.56, 22 five-fors, BBI: 7-76
One of the fastest of his time, Waqar built a career by aiming at batter's toes, merging speed with a venomous inswinger that became his trademark. If not for the tremendous load on his body, and the injuries that came along, Waqar could have easily crossed the 400-wicket mark. Alongside Wasim Akram, he made for one of the most prolific fast-bowling pairs. When he retired, no bowler with at least 200 wickets had a better strike-rate.
Jim Laker
193 wickets @ 21.24, 9 five-fors, BBI: 10-53
Laker, the lone spinner in here, will always be remembered for his 19-90, but his career had more to it. Initially a fast bowler, he switched to off-spin on advice in his early days. He was truly a dominant force in England, averaging 18.08 and taking seven five-fors; among English spinners, only Derek Underwood took more wickets at home. Against Australian batters not trained against off-breaks, he took five five-fors, averaging 18.27.
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