The 2000s was one of the best periods for a cricket fan. It was almost the golden age of cricket where the batters and the bowlers were of the highest quality and the matches were close. There were at least 2-3 good bowlers in every country. It was the decade dominated by Australia as they won 2 ODI World Cups in 2003 and 2007.

Let’s look at the Top 10 Greatest Cricketers of the 2000s

1) Muttiah Muralidaran – Sri Lanka

Without a doubt the number 1 cricketer of the 2000s has to be Muttiah Muralidaran of Sri Lanka. No other bowler has taken more wickets in this decade. He played 84 Test Matches in the 2000s and he picked a mammoth 565 Wickets which means he averaged almost 7 Wickets per Test Match. The second place bowler has taken 185 wickets less. His best bowling figures were 9/51. In ODI Cricket as well Muttiah Muralidaran took the most number of wickets in the 2000s. He played in 205 Matches and he took 335 Wickets. This means he took 900 International Wickets in one decade.

2) Ricky Ponting – Australia

The best batter in the 2000s was Ricky Ponting. He scored the most runs in both Test Cricket and ODI Cricket. He played 107 Test Matches in the 2000s. He made 9458 runs at an average of 58.38. He made 32 Rest centuries in a decade. In ODI Cricket he played 239 Matches and he made 9103 runs. He hit 23 hundreds in ODI Cricket in the 2000s. He made more than 18500 runs and 55 hundreds in international cricket. It was under his leadership that Australia won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

3) Jacques Kallis – South Africa

The greatest all rounder to have ever played the sport of cricket. Jacques Kallis is one of the greatest players of all time. In the 2000s he was the second highest run getter in Test Cricket. He made 8620 runs in 101 Test Matches. He had a good average of 58.70 and he hit 27 hundreds in Test Cricket. In ODI Cricket he scored 7859 runs in 218 ODI Matches. He hit 11 ODI Centuries and he had an average of 47.05. Kallis was lethal with the ball as well. He took 192 wickets with the ball in ODI Cricket in the 2000s.

4) Sachin Tendulkar – India

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the few players who will be in the greatest of all time list for 2 different decades. He played the entire 2000s and the entire 1990s. In the 2000s, Sachin Tendulkar played 89 Test Matches. He scored 7129 runs at an average of 53.20 with 21 hundreds in Test Cricket. In ODI Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar played 211 Matches and he made 8823 runs with 21 hundreds. He hit a total of 42 hundreds in international cricket in the 2000s. He also made close to 16000 international runs.

5) Makhaya Ntini – South Africa

Makhaya Ntini was the fast bowler who was at his best in the 2000s for South Africa. He was the spearhead and all the batters were afraid of him. He played 97 Test Matches in the decade and he took 380 Wickets. He took 264 wickets in ODI Cricket in the 2000s in the 172 ODIs he played in. Makhaya Ntini took a total of 544 international wickets in the decade. South Africa won a lot of Matches thanks to his bowling. He was the second highest wicket taker in Test Cricket and the 4th highest wicket taker in ODI Cricket in the 2000s.

6) Brett Lee – Australia

Brett Lee had come into his own in the 2000s. This was his decade and he had become the lead fast bowler for Australia after Glenn McGrath. He was the fastest bowler in the world. He played in 75 Test Matches for Australia in the decade. He took 303 Wickets at an average of 31.27. Brett Lee played 186 ODIs for Australia in the decade. He took 324 Wickets at an average of 23.01. Brett Lee took 627 international Wickets in the 2000s.

7) Mahela Jayawardene – Sri Lanka

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are one of the greatest batting pairs in the 2000s. At number 7 is Mahela Jayawardene because he was a little better than his partner. He played 95 Test Matches in the 2000s. He scored 8187 runs at an average of 55.31. He had a highest score of 374 runs. He hit 25 hundreds in Test Cricket in the decade. In ODI Cricket, Mahela played 275 Matches for Sri Lanka. He made 7676 runs with 9 hundreds. He hit 34 international hundreds and a total of more than 15500 runs in the 2000s.

8) Kumar Sangakkara – Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara is also one of the very few players who will be in the Greatest list in two different decades. He played 88 Test Matches in the 2000s. He scored 7549 runs in Test Cricket at an average of 55.10. He hit 21 hundreds in Test Cricket. He was prolific in ODI Cricket as well. He played 262 ODIs and he made 7878 runs. He hit 10 Hundreds in ODIs in the decade. Kumar Sangakkara hit 31 international hundreds and he made over 15300 international runs.

9) Glenn McGrath – Australia

Glenn McGrath is one of the greatest multi format fast bowlers of all time. He was so good that he would make this team in the 1990s and the 2000s. He played 66 Test Matches in the 2000s. He took 297 Wickets in Test Cricket at an average of 20.53. He took 14 Five Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket. In ODI Cricket, Glenn McGrath played in 149 Matches and he took 234 Wickets for Australia. He was a very important part in Australia winning the 2 ODI World Cups. Glenn McGrath took 531 international Wickets in the decade. The greatest batter of all time Sachin Tendulkar had a hard time playing against Glenn McGrath.

10) Rahul Dravid – India

At number 10 is Rahul Dravid from India. He along with Sachin Tendulkar are the only 2 players from India in this list. He played 103 Test Matches in the 2000s. Rahul Dravid made 8558 runs in Test Cricket at an average of 54.85. He hit 22 hundreds in Test Cricket. He was equally great in ODI Cricket. Rahul Dravid played 231 ODIs and he scored 7295 runs. Rahul Dravid made a total of over 15800 runs In international cricket in the decade. He was the most dependable batter as he could bat for hours in Test Cricket.