25 Best Test Batters in Cricket History (As Per ICC Ratings)
Denis Compton
The 25th spot on this list comprising the highest-ever ranked Test batters (according to ICC) is occupied by former England international Denis Compton. Compton achieved a career-best rating of 917 points, and is one of the few sportspeople to have played both cricket and football, professionally.
Kane Williamson
New Zealand cricket star and former captain Kane Williamson occupies the 24th spot on this list having achieved a career-best Test rating of 919 points. Williamson is still playing for the Kiwis, and might be seen in action against Australia or England next.
Mike Hussey
Ex-Australian cricketer Michael Hussey is another player who finds his name on this list, having achieved a career-best rating of 921 points. Hussey was a late bloomer in international cricket, but quickly established himself as a dependable batter during the 2000s and even won three major ICC titles with Australia.
Neil Harvey
Ex-Australian cricket icon and former vice-captain of the national team Robert Neil Harvey played for his country from 1948 to 1963, during which he scored over 6,000 runs in 79 Test matches. Harvey achieved a career-best rating of 921 points, level with Mike Hussey.
Doug Walters
Former Australian cricketer Kevin Doug Walters was a part of the Aussie national team that finished as runners-up at the inaugural edition of the Cricket World Cup in 1975. Walters achieved a career-best Test rating of 922 points, while featuring in 74 Test matches throughout the time.
Dudley Nourse
Arthur Dudley Nourse was the captain of the South African national cricket team from 1948 to 1954, and played 34 Test matches during the time. The former Proteas cricketing legend achieved a career-best rating of 922 points in red-ball cricket.
Graeme Pollock
One of South Africa's greatest batsmen of all time, Graeme Pollock saw his cricketing career end at the age of just 26, after the Proteas were banned during the apartheid era. He had a Test batting average of 6097, which is the third-best of all time, and achieved a career-best rating of 927 points.
Everton Weekes
Former West Indies cricketing legend and one of the toughest hitters in the longest format of the game, Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes holds the record for the most consecutive Test centuries (five). Part of the 'Three Ws' of West Indies cricket, Weekes achieved a career-best ICC rating of 927 points.
Joe Root
Englishman Joe Root is a modern-day red-ball icon, who most recently shattered records books by becoming the second highest run-getter in Test cricket history, only behind India's Sachin Tendulkar. Ranked no.1 in the world right now, Root has achieved a career-best rating of 932 points.
Mohammad Yousuf
Former Pakistani captain and one of the finest batter that the country has ever produced, Mohammad Yousuf had a record year in 2006, when he scored over 1,700 runs in Test cricket in a year at an average of 100. Yousuf achieved a career-best rating of 933 points, which is in fact the highest among Pakistani batters.
Matthew Hayden
Ex-Australian cricketing icon Matthew Hayden was a part of the Kangaroos' Golden Era, which lasted from 2000 to 2008. A stellar opening batsman of his time, Hayden achieved a career-best ICC rating of 935 points, and also holds the record for the highest individual score by an Australian in a Test innings.
AB de Villiers
One of the most innovative yet destructive batters of all time, former South African skipper and white-ball specialist AB de Villiers is one of the five Wisden cricketers from the 200 to 2010 decade. De Villiers achieved a career-best rating of 935 points, level with former national teammate Jacques Kallis.
Jacques Kallis
Level on points with AB de Villiers, legendary South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis also achieved a career-best rating of 935 points, similar to that of the batter. Furthermore, Kallis is the only cricketer to score more than 10,000 runs and take over 250 wickets in both Tests and ODIs.
Marnus Labuschagne
A member of Australia's 2023 World Test Championship-winning team, Marnus Labuschagne has struggled with form over the past few years, having even failed to score a Test century since July 2023. The 31-year-old however, remains one of Australia top-ranked red-ball batters, and peaked with 937 rating points at a time.
Virat Kohli
Indian cricketing icon Virat Kohli achieved a career-best rating of 937 points, which is in fact the highest ever by a batter from India. Kohli also stands tall as the third-highest run-getter in international cricket history, behind Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara.
Kumar Sangakkara
Former Sri Lankan skipper and the all-time second highest run-getter in international cricket history, Kumar Sangakkara is a true legend of the game. During his peak years, the Lions' icon achieved a career-best Test rating of 938 points, level with four other players.
Clyde Walcott
Ex-West Indies cricketer and another member of the iconic trio of the 'Three Ws', Sir Clyde Walcott played for the Caribbean side from 1948 to 1960. he featured in a total of 44 Test matches throughout his career, and achieved an ICC rating of 938 points.
Garry Sobers
Sir Garfield Sobers is another West Indies cricketing icon who occupies a place among the top ten batters. Sobers played for the West Indies national team from 1954 to 1974, and is still considered one of the greatest all-rounder of all time, having achieved a career-best rating of 938 points.
Viv Richards
Continuing with the list of West Indian cricketing legends, Sir Vivian Richards is the highest-ranked player from the country to occupy a spot on this list.Widely considered the greatest batter of all time, Richards achieved a career-best ICC Test batting rating of 938 points, and was a part of West Indies' 1975 and 1979 WC-winning squads.
Peter May
Described by Wisden as a 'schoolboy prodigy', Peter May is one of the greatest English batters to have emerged onto the global stage. The Englishman who played from 1951 to 1961, achieved a career-best rating of 941 points.
Jack Hobbs
A right-handed batter and an occasional bowler, Sir John Hobbs is on the greatest Test batters of all time, and is also the leading run-getter in first-class cricket with 61,760 runs and 199 centuries. Hobbs played for England from 1908 to 1930, during which he achieved a career-best rating of 942 points.
Ricky Ponting
The most acclaimed and successful cricket captain of all time with 220 victories in 324 matches, Australian great Ricky Ponting occupies the fourth spot on this list. The all-time third highest run-getter in Test cricket history, Ponting achieved a career-best rating of 942 points.
Len Hutton
Former English cricketer and another among the all-time batting greats, Sir Leonard Hutton played 79 Test matches for the Three Lions from 1937 to 1955. Hutton achieved a career-best rating of 945 points, which is the highest-ever by an English batter.
Steve Smith
Names ICC Test Cricketer of the Decade from 2011 to 2020, Australian star Steve Smith is still going strong at the age of 36. The former Australian captain reached an ICC Test rating of 947 points, which is only the second-highest figure of all-time.
Don Bradman
Arguably the greatest Test cricketer of all time, Australia's Sir Donald Bradman had a stunning red-ball batting average of 99.94, which is considered by many as the highest cricketing achievement. Bradman also achieved a career-best rating of 961 points, which is the highest ICC Test batting rating of all time, as he occupies the no.1 spot on this list.
