Table of Contents
Height can be an advantage in many sports and that can certainly be the case in cricket. Here are some of the tallest players of all time.
Who is the Tallest Cricketer of All Time?
The tallest cricketer of all time is the Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan. The left armer measures in at 216 centimetres which converts to just under seven feet and one inch.
Irfan played in 86 international matches across three formats between 2010 and 2019.
Top 14 Tallest Cricketers of All-Time
Mohammad Irfan – 216cm
Mohammad Irfan remains the tallest player to have featured in first class cricket across the history of the game. He was a left arm bowler with some serious pace at times, and that extra height helped him to gain bounce from even the most docile of wickets.
Back in Pakistan there was some confusion over his height on occasions and various reports listed him at anywhere between six foot eight and seven foot one, but the taller of those two measurements has since been independently verified.
Will Jefferson – 208 cm
If you’ll pardon the pun, Will Jefferson never quite reached the lofty heights of international cricket. He was, at times, a prolific run scorer for Essex and Nottinghamshire and some media reports suggested that he was on the verge of England recognition.
At six foot ten inches tall, there was a theory among bowlers that Jefferson was susceptible to the full yorker and there was some substance to this. However, he made some useful contributions with 17 first class centuries and a call up to the England A squad. Sadly, Will Jefferson had to retire from cricket in 2012 due to a chronic hip complaint.
Boyd Rankin – 204cm
Boyd Rankin was an interesting cricketer for a number of reasons. Of course, there was his extreme height which helped him gain excessive bounce as a pace bowler. In addition, he is one of a handful of players to have featured in international cricket for two different countries.
Born in Derry, Rankin first played ODIs for Ireland from 2007. He was also eligible for England and was subsequently selected for the Ashes tour of 2013/14. He enjoyed great success at county level, but England didn’t persevere with him and Boyd Rankin eventually returned to Ireland before playing his last game in 2020.
Joel Garner – 203cm
He wasn’t given the nickname Big Bird for nothing. West Indian fast bowler Joel Garner delivered the ball from such a great height that he was outside of the dimensions of many sightscreens of his time.
Garner could obviously generate bounce, but I, and many others will mostly remember him for his toe crushing fast yorkers. He enjoyed an exceptional career, claiming 405 wickets in tests and ODI formats.
Peter George – 203cm
Peter George is one of six cricketers who come in at a height of 203 centimetres. He’s an Australian medium fast bowler who played in just one test match, against India in 2010.
George may not have used his height to generate great pace, but he’s enjoyed an excellent domestic career, taking a host of wickets for New South Wales and Queensland.
Bruce Reid – 203cm
Bruce Reid’s great height was attached to a very thin frame and that made him injury prone at times. The left arm paceman spent a lot of time in the physio’s room, but he was highly effective when he was fit and firing.
Reid claimed 186 international wickets and it could have been more, if those fitness issues hadn’t played a part in his career.
Kyle Jamieson – 203cm
New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson is an active cricketer at the time of writing, so you can tune in and see how his height benefits his bowling. Like most tall bowlers, the Kiwi can generate great pace and bounce from any wicket and those are his chief weapons.
Jamieson takes wickets and he can also score useful runs down the order. It’s a solid all-round package that has seen him attract great interest among franchise teams around the world.
Blessing Muzarabani – 203cm
The giant Blessing Muzarabani was a part of the Zimbabwe cricket team that made such a positive impression on the 2022 T20 World Cup. A right arm fast medium bowler, he’s played in over 60 internationals for his country and is closing in on 100 wickets.
Muzarabani is 26 and Zimbabwe’s resurgence, coupled with his obvious talent, could yet earn him some lucrative franchise deals.
Cameron Cuffy – 203cm
Also coming in at 203 cms is Cameron Cuffy. While he is rarely mentioned as one of the West Indies’ great fast bowlers, he did produce some impressive moments with ball in hand.
Cuffy played 56 international games across two formats and claimed 84 wickets with a best of 4/24.
Chris Tremlett – 201cm
England’s Chris Tremlett is another fast bowler who suffered from injuries more than most. He made his ODI debut in 2005 and a test debut two years later, but could have played more than his 27 international matches.
Since retiring from the game, Tremlett has become a bodybuilder and his height is now accompanied by a giant physique.
Steven Finn – 201cm
Steven Finn played at the same time as Chris Tremlett and was part of a battery of tall fast bowlers that featured in the 2013/14 Ashes series. Stuart Broad and Boyd Rankin were also part of that group.
Finn had fewer concerns with injury, but form deserted him on occasions. Despite that, he enjoyed a productive international career, claiming 227 wickets with best figures of 6/79.
Curtly Ambrose – 201cm
Some of the players on this list enjoyed mixed success, but Curtly Ambrose was one of the greatest and most consistent fast bowlers of all time. Curtly played in 98 test matches and is the West Indies, second highest wicket taker in this format with 405 victims.
He was hostile too and that bounce could be lethal on any pitch. On the hard, bouncy wickets of his native Caribbean, many batters found him to be unplayable.
Sulieman Benn – 201cm
As a spin bowler, the West Indies’ Sulieman Benn is something of an anomaly as far as this list is concerned. He still used his height to great effect, but he did it at a lower speed than others on here.
Benn’s height of 201 cm did help him to generate steep bounce and that was a useful weapon as a spinner. He played in 73 international matches and took 126 wickets with a best of 6/81.
Jason Holder – 201cm
The West Indies’ Jason Holder has a double century in test cricket, but he’s primarily known for his bowling. He has good pace and, while there are quicker bowlers around, his height allows him to earn that extra bounce.
Holder has skippered the West Indies, and he continues to be effective in both international and domestic franchise cricket.
Conclusion
I thought it was interesting that the vast majority of players in this list are fast bowlers. Clearly, if you’re a cricketer and you are tall, you could look to use that height to gain extra pace and bounce.
There are some exceptions and there have been some very tall batters that didn’t quite make it onto the list. There are some exceptional players here, but how much did that extra height help their game?
