Guardian Reveals Top 100 Men's Ashes Cricketers Featuring Shane Warne, Don Bradman, and Ian Botham
The Guardian has published a comprehensive feature ranking the 100 greatest men's Ashes cricketers, coinciding with the Ashes 2025-26 series. The feature was compiled through votes from 51 judges who selected a top 50, which was then expanded to the top 100 using a points system where the No. 1 player received 50 points and subsequent places received decreasing points.
Shane Warne topped the list with 2,503 voting points, surpassing legendary figures such as Don Bradman—who scored 5,028 Ashes runs—and Ian Botham. Among the top players, Warne is celebrated not only for his 195 Ashes wickets but also for his style, humor, and charisma, making him a joy to watch on the field. Ian Botham and Glenn McGrath were the only other players to exceed 2,000 points.
The selection process required judges to choose at least 15 players from each country, Australia and England, and to include at least five players from five eras: pre-World War I, interwar, 1946–1974, 1975–1999, and 2000 onwards. The overall country split of the top 100 was evenly balanced (50:50), with Australia dominating the top tier by having seven of the top 10 and 14 of the top 25. Many top-ranking players come from the 1946–1975 era. Only four players with 21st-century Ashes debuts made the top 25, including Steve Smith, Stuart Broad, Adam Gilchrist, and Andrew Flintoff.
Among the top 100, 58 players are no longer living, and fifteen all-rounders are represented, with nine from England. Notably, there is a lack of wicketkeeper-batters in the top 20, with Gilchrist ranked at No. 21 and England's highest keeper, Alan Knott, at No. 53.
The Guardian also formed Ashes XIs using the top-ranked players across roles, with the Combined XI comprising: Hobbs, Sutcliffe, Bradman, Smith, Waugh, Botham, Gilchrist (wk), Warne, Broad, Lillee, and McGrath.
The judging itself showed diversity in opinions, with no judge placing the final top five in their exact top five, and at least one judge including Douglas Jardine in a high position. Votes focused solely on Ashes performances, although some judges had subjective interpretations.
Readers were invited to share their favorite male Ashes cricketers, submitting votes and memories through a secure and anonymous form managed by the Guardian Community Team. Examples of favorites beyond the top three included Ian Botham, Ricky Ponting, and Andrew Flintoff. The Guardian ensured voter privacy through encrypted data handling and adherence to their privacy policy, with submissions closing on 14 November 2025.
The feature is accompanied by interactive elements including a video review of the top 10 players, detailed methodology explanations, and a comprehensive voting breakdown accessible on the Guardian's website. Six players named in the top 100 are expected to participate in the upcoming winter's Ashes series: Smith, Stokes, Cummins, Root, Lyon, and Starc.
The Ashes rivalry itself began in 1877 and has featured 853 players over time, marking the competition as one of cricket's most storied and fiercely contested fixtures.
