Guardian Ranks the 100 Greatest Men's Ashes Cricketers with Shane Warne Topping the List
The Guardian has published an extensive interactive ranking of the 100 greatest men's Ashes cricketers, drawing from Australia v England Test matches dating back to the rivalry's beginning in 1877, in which over 853 players have appeared. The project, first released on 11 November 2025 and updated on 14 November 2025 for the Ashes 2025-26 series coverage, features detailed methodology, judges' votes, and allows fans to check how each judge voted.
Shane Warne leads the Guardian's panel ranking, highlighted as the favourite men's Ashes cricketer by a community panel of 51 judges. Warne took 195 Ashes wickets, topping the list with 2,503 voting points, 121 points ahead of Don Bradman, who scored 5,028 Ashes runs, making him the leading run-scorer. Bradman was the No.1 pick for 33 judges, while Warne received 14 No.1 votes. Ian Botham, who ranks third, and Glenn McGrath also exceeded 2,000 points.
The rankings emphasize Warne's appeal beyond statistics, citing his style, humour, and charisma. Other notable players in the top-five include Ricky Ponting, Andrew Flintoff, and Ian Botham, recognized respectively for centuries, sportsmanship, and six-hitting and bowling prowess. Readers were invited to vote for their favourite Ashes cricketers and share memories through a Guardian submission form.
The voting system involved each judge submitting a top-50 list, with points allocated from 50 for the top-ranked down to 1 for the 50th. No single top-five order was replicated, reflecting diverse opinions. The Top 100 are evenly split by country, with Australia dominating the upper ranks—seven of the top ten and fourteen of the top twenty-five players are Australians. The era from 1946 to 1975 produced the most-ranked players, while only four of the top twenty-five come from the 21st century. Notably, 58 of the top 100 players are deceased.
Fifteen all-rounders are among the top 100, nine representing England. Keeper-batters are rare, with Australia's Adam Gilchrist ranked 21st and England's Alan Knott the highest-ranked keeper at 53. Six players named for the upcoming winter Ashes—Smith, Stokes, Cummins, Root, Lyon, and Starc—are included, though only Steve Smith is a current player in the Combined XI, with Stuart Broad included despite being retired.
The Guardian also provides Ashes XIs (Combined XI, England XI, Australia XI) compiled from the highest-ranked players across defined roles. The interactive coverage is tagged with The Ashes, England cricket team, Australia cricket team, and Ashes 2025-26, underpinned by the tagline 'Every ball of the Ashes, no spin.'
