Who is the Tallest Cricketer

Though physical attributes are not the deciding factor of how good a cricketer can be, factors such as skill, execution, mindset, technique etc. make or break a good cricketer. Though there could be some advantages for players with a taller height, some of the shortest players have made their names as one of the best batters to have ever played the game such as Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Vishwanath, Sachin Tendulkar etc.

The players with a taller height are mostly fast bowlers who can get more natural bounce as one of the factors due to their height. Let’s look at some of the tallest cricketers in the world.

Mohammad Irfan

Born on June 6, 1982, in Gaggu Mandi in the Punjab province of Pakistan, Irfan stands tall at 7 ft 1 in and is the world’s tallest cricketer. Bowling left-arm pace, he made his international debut against England in an ODI. Graduating to T20Is in 2012 and then the purest format in 2013, Irfan has taken 109 international wickets in 86 outings for Pakistan across formats. Having last played international cricket back in 2019, Irfan is still toiling hard in domestic T20 cricket and leagues around the world.

Marco Jansen

The South African allrounder also bowls left-arm pace and was born on May 1, 2000, in Potchefstroom. He made his List A debut and First-Class debut for North West in 2018 and played for the South African Under-19 team the next year. Rising through the ranks, Jansen became the first Proteas cricketer born in the 2000s to play for the team. He made his Test debut against India in the Boxing Day Test in 2021, his ODI debut on the same tour in January and lastly T20I debut against the same opposition in Rajkot. He was the 2nd highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the 2023 World Cup.

Boyd Rankin

Standing tall at 6 ft 8.5 in, medium fast bowler Boyd Rankin was born in Derry, Ireland on July 5, 1984. Nicknamed ‘Boydo’, he made his international debut for Ireland against Bermuda in a one-day international. After representing Ireland until 2012, Rankin switched his allegiance to the England cricket team, played a few ODIs and made his Test debut in 2014. In 2016, he was back playing for Ireland and played the last Test of his career against his former side England back in 2019. He announced his retirement from all forms in 2021.

Kyle Jamieson

Another tall fast bowler, Jamieson was born on December 30, 1994, in Auckland, making his ODI and Test debut for New Zealand in February 2020 against India and T20I debut in November 2020 versus West Indies. 6 ft 8 inch tall, Jamieson is the tallest cricketer to represent New Zealand. In 2019, playing for Canterbury in the Super Smash T20 league, he became the first Kiwi bowler to take 6 wickets in an innings. He is one of the key men in New Zealand’s all-format setup and has an incredible record in Test cricket.

Joel Garner

One of the most fearsome fast bowlers the world has seen to date, Joel Garner stands tall at 6ft8in and played cricket when the West Indian team dominated the world. Nicknamed as ‘big bird’, Garner made his international debut in 1977 and in the span of 10 years picked up 405 wickets in 156 international games. In the 1979 World Cup final, he executed brilliant yorkers and picked up a fifer out of which 4 dismissals were out bowled. He played his last ODI against New Zealand in 1987.

Blessing Muzarabani

Born on October 2, 1996, in Harare, the Zimbabwean fast bowler is 6ft 8 in tall. Starting cricket as a 7-year-old kid, Muzarabani progressed to play first-class cricket in 2017, impressed the selectors and management in his first season itself and was selected in the national lineup to tour South Africa in 2017. ODI and T20I debuts followed in early 2018. The same year, he quit international cricket and signed a Kolpak deal to play country cricket but returned to the fold in 2020. Roped in as a replacement player in Pakistan Super League 2021, Muzarabani picked up 10 wickets in 6 games for eventual champions Multan Sultans.

Peter George

Standing tall at 6ft 8 in, Peter George played only 1 Test for Australia which was his only appearance for his country in any format. In that game against India, the right-arm fast bowler had Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test wicket after the master scored 214 at Bangalore. Born on October 16, 1986, in Woodville, South Australia; George represented both South Australia and Queensland in domestic cricket. He now officiates as an umpire after calling time on his playing career.

Bruce Reid

The left-arm-fast bowler who stands 6ft 7 in tall was born on March 14, 1963, in Perth. With his ability to move the ball both ways at a good pace, Reid was harmed by injuries throughout his career as he ended up playing just 27 Tests and 61 ODIs for his country. He was part of the 1987 World Cup-winning Australian squad picking 6 wickets in 8 innings. During the Boxing Day Ashes Test in 1990, he made a mess of the English batting order in the 2nd innings with figures of 7-51 after taking 6 wickets in the first innings. He last played an international game in 1992, at the age of 29.

Curtly Ambrose

Another fearful, tall and deadly West Indian fast bowler standing tall above 6 ft 7 in. Sir Ambrose was born on 21 September, 1963 in Antigua. Thanks to his height and well-built figure, he would extract good bounce from the surface bowling at a quick pace and is hailed as one of the greatest to ever play the game taking 405 wickets in 98 Tests and 225 ODI scalps in 176 appearances. He averages 20.99 with the ball in the longest format and picked up 22 five-wicket hauls in the format earning him the Player of the Match award on 14 occasions. After his retirement in 2000, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in September 2011.

Steven Finn

Another fast bowler in the list of tallest cricketers! Steven Finn, 6ft 7 in long made his first-class career as a 16-year-old in 2005 being born on April 4, 1989, in Watford. Rising through the ranks, he represented the England Under-19s team and made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2010. He had to wait a bit longer to make his white-ball debut but had a successful though short red-ball international career where he picked up 125 wickets for England in 36 outings. Featuring in 69 ODIs and 21 T20Is, Finn collected 102 and 27 wickets respectively. Owing to an injury, Finn announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2023.

Who is the Tallest Indian Cricketer

Fast bowlers Abey Kuruvilla and Pankaj Singh both measure 6ft 6 in and are the tallest Indian cricketers. Here is the list of the tallest cricketer in India.