Australia is undoubtedly an incredible cricketing nation. With so many great teams and players throughout the years, we can't name them all, but here are just a few that have made a significant impact on the game.
Highest Test batting average ever; scored 334 vs England in 1930; led the undefeated “Invincibles” tour of 1948.
Sir Donald Bradman is often thought of as the greatest Australian cricketer, a top Australian athlete, and possibly the greatest batsman of all time. He scored nearly 7,000 runs in 52 Test matches, with an average of 99.94. With 29 centuries and as the captain of the legendary 1948 "Invincibles", Bradman led Australia to a 4-0 Ashes victory, undoubtedly inspiring an entire generation of cricketers in the process.
Since the earliest days of cricket, Australians have been pretty good at it. | Photo by Nipun Chandra Surnilla
Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Full Name:
Shane Keith Warne
Role:
Bowler
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm leg break
International Career Span:
1992–2007
Test Matches Played:
145
ODIs:
194
Test Wickets / Average:
708 wickets @ 25.41
Test Five-Wicket Hauls / Ten-Wicket Matches:
37 / 10
Best Test Bowling Figures:
8/71
Test Runs / Batting Average:
3,154 runs @ 17.32, HS 99
Notable Achievements:
First bowler to 700 Test wickets; “Ball of the Century” vs England 1993; ICC Wisden Cricketer of the Century.
Shane Warne claimed 708 wickets over 145 tests, which was a record until 2007. While Warne was more known for bowling, he also scored 3,154 Test runs and an average of 17.32. Charismatic and a master of spin, he was quite the character. When he passed in 2022, a state memorial at the MCG was attended by 55,000 fans and an outpouring of love that most of Australia's top golfers could only dream of.
Just watch some of Shane Warne's best wickets now.
Shane Warne changed the game.
Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Full Name:
Glenn Donald McGrath
Role:
Bowler
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm fast-medium
International Career Span:
1993–2007
Test Matches Played:
124
ODIs Played:
250
Test Wickets / Average:
563 @ 21.64
ODI Wickets / Average:
381 @ 22.02
Test Five-Wicket Hauls / Ten-Wicket Matches:
29 / 3
Best Test Bowling Figures:
8/24
Best ODI Bowling Figures:
7/15 (vs Namibia, World Cup 2003)
Notable Achievements:
Third-highest Test wicket-taker among fast bowlers, Most ODI wickets for Australia at retirement, Top wicket-taker at the 2007 World Cup (26 wickets), ICC Cricket Hall of Famer; instrumental in three straight World Cup wins
Glenn McGrath is another of the best Australian bowlers and was key to Australia's Test and ODI dominance. Over 124, he picked up 53 wickets. He also took the most wickets (26) in the 2007 World Cup, helping Australia to defend its title.
Australia has won
6
ICC Men's Cricket World Cups, more than any other country.
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Full Name:
Ricky Thomas Ponting AO
Role:
Top-order Batsman
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm medium (occasional)
International Career Span:
1995–2012
Test Matches Played:
168
ODIs Played:
375
Test Runs / Batting Average:
13,378 @ 51.85
ODI Runs / Batting Average:
13,704 @ 42.03
Test Centuries/Half-Centuries:
41 / 62
Test Wickets / Bowling Average:
5 @ 55.20
Captaincy Record (Tests):
77 Tests – 48 wins, 16 losses (62 % win rate)
ODI Captaincy:
229 ODIs – 164 wins (76 % win rate)
Notable Achievements:
Third-highest Test run-scorer for Australia; only batsman with 30+ centuries in both Tests and ODIs; led Australia to 2003 & 2007 World Cup victories and two Champions Trophies; ICC Hall of Famer.
Ricky Ponting is one of the greatest Australian cricketers, a prolific batsman and inspirational captain, just like the top Australian Paralympians. 13,378 runs over 168 Tests and 13,704 in 375 ODIs. Ponting ranks among Australia's top run-scorers in both Test and ODI formats and helped lead Australia to back-to-back World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007.
Australia's best cricketers have inspired players young and old. | Photo by Village Cricket Co
Stand-in Test captain; retired from ODIs in March 2025
Notable Achievements:
ICC Test Cricketer of the Decade; known for extreme consistency and iconic 144/142 twin tons in the 2019 Ashes; third Australian to cross 10,000 Test runs.
One of the best Australian cricketers of the modern era, Steve Smith is known for unorthodox yet devastating batting. With 10,477 runs in 119 tests, he's the fourth-highest run-scorer in Australian Test history behind Bradman, Ponting, and Taylor.
First Australian fast bowler to become full-time Test captain, led Australia to the 2023 World Cup & 2023 WTC final, recorded 300 Test wickets, first captain to take a five-for at Lord's
Named Test captain in late 2021, Cummins' win rate over 37 Tests is 62%. He captained Australia to their sixth ODI World Cup success in 2023, and his fast bowling, tactics, and leadership have made him one of the best Australian bowlers and one of the greatest captains of all time.
Great Australian cricketers have also contributed to the sport's popularity. | Photo by Tyson Bennett
Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh
Full Name:
Stephen Rodger Waugh AM
Role:
All-Rounder (Batsman)
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm medium pace (occasional)
International Career Span:
1985–2004
Test Matches Played:
168
ODIs Played:
325
Test Runs / Batting Average:
10,927 @ 51.06
ODI Runs / Batting Average:
8,699 @ 32.90
Test Wickets / Bowling Average:
92 @ 37.32
ODI Wickets / Bowling Average:
54 @ 34.67
Captaincy Record (Tests):
57 matches – 41 wins, 9 losses (72% win rate)
Notable Achievements:
Led Australia to the 2003 World Cup win and a record 16 consecutive Test victories; Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1997.
Steve Waugh's career spanned nearly two decades. As Test captain from 1999 to 2004, he led Australia to 41 wins in 57 matches and the 2003 World Cup victory, showing that Australia was the best in the world, just like Australia's best Olympians over the years. During the captaincy, he also set the world record for consecutive Test wins with 16!
watch_later
Longest International Career
Steve Waugh had one of the longest international cricket careers for Australia, spanning nearly 20 years from 1985 to 2004, at the top level.
Jason Gillespie
Jason Gillespie
Full Name:
Jason Neil Gillespie
Role:
Bowler
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm fast-medium
International Career Span:
1996–2006
Test Matches Played:
71
ODIs Played:
97
Test Wickets / Average:
259 @ 26.13
ODI Wickets / Average:
142 @ 24.08
Test Five-Wicket Hauls:
10
Test Runs / Batting Average:
812 @ 11.02
Notable Achievements:
Leading Indigenous Australian bowler; played a crucial role in Australia’s 1999 World Cup win; scored a historic Test double century as a nightwatchman, the only one by a bowler in Test history.
Jason Gillespie is a proud example of famous Australian Aboriginal cricketers. Across 71 Tests, he took 259 wickets and was among Australia's top pacers for his generation. He was also key to the 1999 World Cup triumph.
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Indigenous Representation
Jason Gillespie and Johnny Mullagh are two of the most notable Indigenous Australian cricketers, with Mullagh playing in 1868 and Gillespie excelling in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Scott Boland
Scott Boland
Full Name:
Scott David Boland
Role:
Fast-Medium Bowler
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm fast-medium
International Career Span:
2021–present
Test Matches Played:
14
ODIs Played:
14
T20Is Played:
3
Test Wickets / Average:
62 wickets @ 16.53 average
ODI Wickets / Average:
16 @ 45.31
Best Test Bowling Figures:
6/7 (debut Ashes Test, 2021)
Notable Achievements:
Best Australian strike-rate in Test history (38.23 balls/wicket); match-winning 4/31 vs India in Sydney, 2025
Scott Boland has quickly become one of the most effective Australian bowlers in modern Test cricket. He made his debut aged 32 in the 2021 Ashes and has maintained a staggering Test bowling average since. He added a Test hat-trick against the West Indies to his record in July 2025, becoming only the 10th Australian to have ever achieved it.
While you may never get anywhere near some of Australia's best cricketers, there's no reason you can't get out there and play. | Photo by Alfred Kenneally
Johnny Mullagh
Johnny Mullagh
Full Name:
Unaarrimin (known as Johnny Mullagh)
Role:
All-Rounder
Batting Style:
Right-hand bat
Bowling Style:
Right-arm medium
Career Span:
1866–1879 (non-Test era)
First-Class Matches Played:
1 (during the 1868 England tour)
Tour Matches (1868 England tour):
47
Runs Scored (Tour):
1,698
Wickets Taken (Tour):
245
Notable Achievements:
Member of the 1868 Aboriginal team that toured England; first Indigenous Australian to play first-class cricket; namesake of the Johnny Mullagh Medal (Boxing Day Test award)
Johnny Mullagh, born Unaarrimin, was a Wotjobaluk man and the star all-rounder of the 1868 Aboriginal cricket team, the first Australian team to tour England. In 47 matches, he scored 1,698 runs. Despite never playing official Test cricket, he was the first Indigenous Australian cricketer to appear in a first-class match, representing Victoria in 1879, which is why the Johnny Mullagh Medal is awarded to the player of the match in the Boxing Day Test.
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Joseph
Joseph is a French and Spanish to English translator, copywriter, and all-round language enthusiast.
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