The Guardian's Top 100 Greatest Men's Ashes Cricketers: Rankings, Votes, and Fan Favorites
The Guardian published an interactive ranking of the 100 greatest men's Ashes cricketers of all time, first released on November 11, 2025, in connection with the 2025-26 Ashes series. The Ashes rivalry, which began in 1877, has seen 853 players take part in England vs Australia Test matches. The feature includes a top 100 list, a video reviewing the top 10, and a section showing how judges voted, alongside a detailed methodology explaining how rankings were determined.
The rankings were compiled from votes submitted by 51 judges, each providing a top 50 list. Points were assigned based on ranking position, with 50 points for first place, 49 for second, and so forth. Selection criteria limited entries to performances in Ashes cricket, with rules requiring at least 15 players from each country and representation across five distinct eras: pre-WWI, interwar, postwar 1946–1975, 1975–1999, and 2000 onwards.
Shane Warne topped the list with 2,503 voting points, 121 ahead of Donald Bradman, while Ian Botham and Glenn McGrath also scored above 2,000 points. Australia dominates the higher ranks, holding seven of the top ten and 14 of the top 25 spots, reflecting a 50:50 split between the two countries overall. The majority of the top entries hail from the 1946–1975 era. Only four modern-era players—Steve Smith, Stuart Broad, Adam Gilchrist, and Andrew Flintoff—feature in the top 25. Additionally, 58 of the 100 listed players are deceased.
The list includes 15 all-rounders, nine of whom are English. There are no keeper-batters in the top 20; Adam Gilchrist is the only wicket-keeper in the top 50 (No. 21), with England's highest-ranked keeper, Alan Knott, at No. 53. Six players on the list are current or expected to participate in the winter Ashes series: Smith, Stokes, Pat Cummins, Joe Root, Nathan Lyon, and Mitchell Starc.
Shane Warne's record includes the most Ashes wickets with 195, while Don Bradman holds the record for most Ashes runs at 5,028. Beyond statistics, Warne is praised for his style, humor, and charisma, making him a fan favorite. Ian Botham, Ricky Ponting, and Andrew Flintoff are also commonly cited favorites.
The Guardian invited readers to vote for their favorite Ashes cricketer, contributing to a community top 100 list. Readers were encouraged to share memories and reasons for their choices through a detailed feedback form, with assurances that responses could be submitted anonymously, were encrypted, and would be used solely for this feature.
The publication also provided Ashes combined XIs, as well as separate England and Australia XIs, with a full breakdown accessible through linked tables. Notably, no judge listed the exact top five players in the same order as the final ranking, although one judge placed the top five correctly save for Douglas Jardine's move into third place.
