Where is Waqar Younis and VVS Laxman. These two have the right arm and wrist of the lord. Sachin at number 1 ughh, hate to admit it because of the rivalry but that's the correct position after his recent expolits. Though Waqar took him out in 1989 when they were both young guns, but Sachin put him into retirement WC2003 with that amazing 98. Crickets only a game calm down.

Moinuddin, Karachi,

Where the devil is Daniel Vettori? Sorry, he's just my favourite cricketer... I guess there's no reason for you to like him as well. Not a bad list though. I respect most of your favourites.

Maha, Karachi, Pakistan

Erm........ Ian Botham and or Viv Richards not there. Very poor judgement not to include either of these.

Henry Giles, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire

Where's Richard Hadlee - surely deserves a place before Chris Cairns?

mark Champion, Sydney, NSW

Surprised no place for Ian Botham

Dave, newport,

Thank you Warne, you're a great bowler and really understand the great Tendulkar. Youre both World best

Atika Varachhia, Gloucester,

glenn mcgrath is a great bowler but you cant compare him with wasim akram ,wasim akram was class bowler, i m not agreed with 5th number 2nd some great players are missed,shane warne himself,imran khan,courtney wash,marshal as well,inzmam-ul-haq.ranatunga,and many mores,so shane no doubt tendulker is a good great player but hes not match winner player,mostly he just played for hisself ,i think brian lara should must on top.

atiif, copenhagen, denmark

hey wheres richard hadlee???

joe`, stoke, england

Courteney Walsh 22 places above Allan Donald?!?!

Jacques Kallis below Gooch, Dravid, Mark Waugh, Boon, and Merv Hughes?!?!?!?

And where are Inran Khan and Sangakarra?

This might be the worst list I've ever seen

Rob Fenner, Joburg , South Africa

i agree with warne about the number 1 spot. tendulkar is a class player and deserves the spot. lara is also a superb player, but he is less able to perform at away grounds. tendulkar meanwhile has a similar average both home and away.
also, lara was captain and was able to decide when he wants to declare....hence the 400* innings. tendulkar has not however been as fortunate. however, lara's persevation and mental strength is highly commendable, as it is an incredible feat to achieve 375 and 400* (albeit on a flat ground, against a below-par bowling attack). tendulkar shud be commended on his ability to deal with the pressure of a billion plus indian population, all wanting him to score big runs.
also tendulkar is the better CRICKETER - i.e. he bats incredibly, can bowl reasonably well, is a good fielder, and has a gentlemen like humility. lara is only really a batsman (and an ok fielder), and as displayed during the india-windies test series, that india won, lara is not as humble.

Samir Mehta, London, England

not a full fledged list..

where did lakshman go.. who lead the india win from a follow on by facing sharne bowling well in 2003, which made AUS to losr a test after 16 consecutinve wins.. Nad lakshman played a good rol in last week's test to defeat AUS after 16 consecutigve wins again..i believe sharne warne has a loss of memory..

where is Ganguly.. Inzamam, imran khan

Why the great captain Steve waugh is at 26.. Sharne is jelous of Steve..

RK, Cypress, CA

if peitersen is in the list, i think michael hussey shud also be included.
also laxman and ganguly shud be there.
how is darren lehman better than steve waugh? that is just retarded.
stuart macgill is not better than kapil dev.
jacques kallis - the best modern day allrounder- sholud be higher up,as should pollock
also jayawardene/sangakarra should be there
SACHIN's PLACE IS RIGHT!

Samir Mehta, London, England

Shane is very honest and that only adds to his greatness, who else can confess that he use to have nightmares of Tendulkar charging down the wicket and hit him out of the ground. Speaks volumes about their healthy rivalary and mutual respect, no wonder Tendulkar stands at top of his list.

I think the list is pretty comprehensive and as a matter of fact Shane’s own opinion and assessments of these players’ abilities and short comings. Some one can disagree...

We miss you Shane, we wanted 1,000 wickets from you, and you did not have to retire so soon...Any chance of a come back?

Cheers,
Falgun Dave, USA

Falgun Dave, St. Louis, USA

Where is Laxman? I thought Laxman should have been there in this list!

Steve Bucknor, Jamaica,

rating is not very impressive.sharne has rated them according to their permonces agaist him.he should have seen their overall performance.there r few players who should have been included like ganguly and murli should have been placed in top 3.
over all the rating is poor

Alok Aswal, dehradun, uttaranchal,india

I think This list only includes players against whom Warnie has played against hence no Viv or Botham....seems pretty good to me as Warne has also taken personal traits into consideration. I think Ganguly should have been in the list for his brilliance as a batsman as well as an aggressive captain. Also, a couple of players in my opinion are highly rated (do not wish to name).
Overall quite impressive.

Rachit, Mumbai, India

Well done Warne.Tendulkar deserves to be in the top.I am very happy with your chronology of the players and this help me to know how the players had been in the past.Make a similar list next year,and don't miss Tendulkar as earlier.

Ram Prasad Panday, Kathmandu,

Why am I not surprised to only see 3 positions allocated to South African cricketers. Ozzie's hates giving quality opposition recognition. This is why Shane only rates Muralitharan (the world's most successful bowler) as No. 7. I REALLY hope that an international side who are able to give the Ozzie's a consistent lesson will step forward - please!

Dirk, Vredenburg, South Africa

No Botham?
None of the current England players listed are in his league!

No Viv Richards?
Larger than life and a true legend of the game!

Ed Burns, hong kong, hk sar

Thank you Warne, Tendulkar is undoubtedly the best !!

Ritwik Bhuyan, Guwahati, Assam

the list is spot on Mr. Warne..sachin has been the best performer n the most consistent in the game after bradman and deserves the no. 1 spot..he also influenced the game more than any other player barring bradman ever..u should have also included ur own name..

kaustubh kulkarni, Mumbai, India

I don't agree with Warne there is no name of some of the legendary players like Imran khan, Inzzy, most needed talent in cricket is fielding and there is no name of legendary fielder Jonty Rhodes, most successful Indian captain Saurav Ganguly. I am not happy with top ten players too.There should be Brain Charles Lara in position 1. There is the name of kapil Dev but the Sri Lanka legendary player Arjuna Ranatunga is missing. Being such greatest player Mr. Warne should not make such a list.

sea, kathmandu, nepal

where is imran khan?

nav, berks, UK

I agree with most of Warne's top 50, but not necessarily in same order. waqar younis (22nd) was a lot better then shoaib akhter (49th). Inzi should be in top 25, prob around 20th. warne himself is in top 10 and wasim akram was better than Mcgrath and Ambrose.
My top 12 are:
1. Brian Lara
2. Wasim Akram
3. Sachin Tendulkar
4. Shane Warne
5. Allan Border
6. Glen McGrath
7. Curtley Ambrose
8. Muttiah Murlithrhan
9. Ricky Ponting
10. Rahul Dravid
11. Adam Gilghrast
12. Aravinda Desilva

Hamza, London, UK

Don't take it so seriously. This is his opinion, it is not fact.

blair, auckland, NZ

INFERIOR COMPLEX ALERT! from RR (Rameeez RaZa) and Aditya. Grow up, Inzamam was only good only flat pitches thats why he coudnt cut IN Australia his best was against thrid worst bowling attack;India . Look what he did in that 6 day AUS v World XI and all other times v the best team of his generation nothing, crying like a baby because he couldnt get into the team and when he got there because Tendulkar was injured as he has been 2003 to 2007. Potato man got out for a couple of ducks. Inzi is a flat pitch bully who feats on weak bowling. Sachin has established his reputation since 1991 when he blitzed Aussies on a green top. Obviously if you have a better 11, then your team will win more matches. One man can't bowl bat and keep wicket at the same time, but Tendulkar nearly pulls it off.

Jai, Mumbai, India

What about Dennis Lillee? I thought (allegedly) he was one of your idols?

Didi, London, UK

might be late... but one thing i would definately like to say i love indian people. One advice to Jai.... Please grow up!!! it seems a 12 year old kid is writting his views. There is no doubt that Sachin is one of the greatest player but go have a look at statistics sachin have more than 34 centuries but i think out of 34 india won near 8 matches... where as inzi made 25 and out 25, near 20 was one by Pakistan.. So stop behaving like a kid go have a look at statistics... N if shane warne has not written inzi in his best 50 than its ok as inzi has never performed against warne .. but on a whole he should be there in best 20.

RR, Asia, Asia

This are shane warne's views sajjad. He has bowled against all the ones he has mentioned, and if he feels that sachin is better than lara, then it is probably justified him saying that. You just can twist and tweak his opinions to yours. Besides, your opinion is flawed I would say. Firstly, Sachin is a match winner too. More often than not, his centuries have won matches for India, and who as more than him ?! I am not denying that lara is a match winner, but you need to realise that sachin is as well. Its warne's opinion and yours can stay with you mate.

Suresh, Singapore,

jai, u need to shut-up . you already have like 30 comments.

secondly, if warne says tendulkar is best, he is the best. there is no disputing the opinion of the greatest leg-spinner ever.
tendulkar has class, class that no one i've ever seen has.

aditya babel, Old York, US

Tendulkar is a good batsman but not match winner, Lara is better as compare to Little Master even Dravid is a class[to me he is much better than Little Master in Tests],But Waqar should be in top 10, Lee, Sohaib and other can not compare to Waqar. Anyway its opinion. Here comes mine.

1-Lara
2-Tendulkar-Dravid-Clark
3-Murli-Warne
4-Wasim-Macgrath
5-Walsh-Ambrose
6-Inzamam-Arvinda-Steve Waugh
7-Waqar-Mohammad Yousaf-Kallis
8-Stephen Fleming

its my opinion, some played less matches but all have different and solid techniques

Sajjad, Dubai, UAE

This list is very interesting. I like it a lot. It is Warne's top 50 that he has played with and against. It isnt the 50 most tallented then AB and Tubby would not be in the top ten. It was good reading,

Michael, Adelaide, Australia

Nice reaction Rashid From Pakistan, very typical :- LOL). Green eyed monster alert.

You only get a triple if you play to DRAW. Unless of course your Shewag and battered and plunder the opposition into submission by blasting 309 in next to no time. I think you missed out on Tendulkars great innings 194* and century in India until he got cramp and lost hiss wicket for 135.

Tendulkar has never had the luxury of a World Class bowler to defend his runs i.e someone who the opposition fears. The opposition respects Indian bowlers but plays with no fear. If

Sachin had to bat against his own bowlers I think he would have a Bradmanesque like average.

Apart from Bangladesh and Zimbabwe MOST batsmens have their best batting record against India. Thats not the kind of attack you want defending your runs.

Thats why Tendulkar has to bowl for the team aswell, maybe he should have kept wicket aswell with the convicted match fixer Nayan Mogia keeping wicket for most of Tendulkars career

Jai, Mumbai, India

Rashid from Pakistan,

Its pathetic and unfortunate that you can't lean towards Warne in order to convince the World that a Pakistani player is No1. Because they are not good enough for first prize.

Warne's words carry WEIGHT because he was the GREATEST LEG Spinner of all time. It doesn't matter what Tom, Dick or RASHID thinks? unless you have taken 709 wickets?

I think you should ask Waqar Younis and Abdul Qadir how great Sachin is. Even though Waqar took out Sachin in 1991, he stills thinks hes the greatest. Sachin put WAsim and Waqar into retirement 98 WC 2003. One man demolition job.

Jai, Mumbai, India

I would definitely put Sourabh Ganguly ahead of Rahul Dravid.
I have seen both of them play several times and the 'Dada' as they call him is head and shoulders above Dravid. I also think Ganguly was voted the India's best test captain ever.

Reba G. Hose, London, U.K>

I love it when the Indians and Pakistanis start their rhetoric about cricket. Neither can see past their own backyard even though their teams have been lamentable away from home. Firstly, Don Bradman IS the greatest batsman ever, full stop. If he played as many tests as Tendulkar, he would have scored 70 odd test hundreds. Tendulkar himself says he is not in Bradmans league. Don't get me wrong, Tendulkar is a champion, but, Bradman was a freak. You will never, I repeat never, see a batsman of his ilk again.
Let's not forget, this is Warne's opinion and based on how he found these players. Inzi is obviously not there because frankly, against Australia, he was rubbish.
I am surprised that he put Tendulkar above Lara because Lara used to save his best for Australia. He was the only reason Tests against the West Indies weren't over in 2 days towards the end of his career. In saying that, Tendulkar was pretty handy himself. I have no problem with Warne's list as it is, only his opinion.

Peter, Melbourne, Australia

Jai, Mumbai, India!

It is pathetic that you have to lean towards Warnie in order to convince the world that Tendulkar is the best. He is a great player. But any Triple from him? And if you talk about sustaining pressure, How many tests has he won against Pakistan?
Come on! be brave, accpet the reality

Rashid, Islamabad, Pakistan

Fine list Warnie, the Greatets Spinner of ALL TIME chooses the GREATEST BATSMEN OF HIS GENERATION as his FVOURITE. THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE

Here is my alltime top 5 for the same period as Warney's career.

5 Sane Warne
4 Glenn McGrath
3 Curtly Ambrose
2 Brian Lara
1 Sachin Tendulkar

What a great top 5

Stop the Anti-Tendulkar's comments andjealousy of the Indian Batsman. I hope you can sleep at night. I can knowing that Warne choose him as his favourite and not Potato Inzi or any ball tamperers.

It doesnt matter what anyone here says you armchair fans the WARNIE HAS SPOKEN. What Warne says goes. Warne PUTS SACHIN No.1 HIS opinion is everything thats why soo many people are complaining. Stop crying.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Fine list Warnie, the Greatets Spinner of ALL TIME chooses the GREATEST BATSMEN OF HIS GENERATION as his FaVOURITE.

THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE

Here is my alltime top 10:
10 Ian Healy
9 Mark Taylor
8 Ricky Ponting
7 Muttiah Muralitharan
6 Wasim Akram
5 Glenn McGrath
4 Allan Border
3 Curtly Ambrose
2 Brian Lara
1 Sachin Tendulkar

What a great top 5 especially, actually this is Warnies aswell what a similar list.

There are so many Anti-Tendulkar's members that must be soo jealous of the Indian Batsman. I hope you can sleep at night. I can knowing that Warne choose him as his favourite and not Potato Inzi or any ball tamperers.

It doesnt matter what anyone here says you armchair fans the WARNIE HAS SPOKEN. What Warne says goes.

Warne PUTS SACHIN No.1 HIS opinion is everything thats why so many people are steamming and crying. Get over it if you can. LOL.

Jai, Mumbai, India

dear neil,unfortunately the "excuses"= facts.
i would have thought shane warne,wasim akram,allan donald,don bradman,richie benaud,etc etc. would have a slightly greater knowledge than you as regards cricket.
and they all regard tendulkar as the greatest of the era.
or perhaps they're all sitting around cooking up excuses too?

sheet, delhi, india

Shane warne a brilliant cricketer is entitled to his list of top 50. This is how he viewed cricket. You are awesome warney. I am a big Fan. Ofcourse there are few question marks but again this is shane warne's top ten not world crickets.

Tendulkar is egoist and selfish. Lara on other hand has far less of an ego and selfishness. Little master has shown over and over again.

Moaz Tariq, Lahore, Pakistan

Sheet, stop making excuses.

Neil, Toronto,

Hi great list by Mr Warne, I understand why INZAMAM UL HAQ is not there because he was rubbish against the best bowlers. He makes most his runs on FLAT PANCAKE PITCHES. Whereas Sachin and Brian have done it on all pitches.

Waqar should be in the top 20 for sure, even though he was wayward, he can be devastating.

Where is VVS Laxman who destroyed Warne and Aussies?????

Tendulkar is the best batsman no doubt, he has a rubbish bowling attack to defend his runs, but still does the job on his own and takes some wickets aswell with his clever bowling.

He also destroyed us in 2003 World cup with 98 OUT. I could not belive that great innings under the pressure, batting against 3 Modern GREATS of bowling Shoaib, Wasim and Waqar.

Decent list warne. I am pround Pakistani to see Wasim bhai at number 6.

Tendulkar at No.1 is a sensible and correct decision if all factors are considered, even if he is Indian. Congrats.

Mohammed, Karachi, Pakistan

TO SAM, Washington DC,

Its really surprising to see u comment like that without knowledge or anaylising stats..Tendulkar is way ahead of all these batsman and the closest any other comes is Pointing (but still he a far away from little champion) becaz of his ability to play birliant knocks in big matches.
Brian has his birliant times but usually selfish and egoistic.

Raj, cricket ,

Waugh and Gilchrist make the first 11 Australian cricket team of the century yet Warne has them at 26 and 20. Very curious - it's unfortunate Warne is still unable to get over being dropped in 1999. I had hoped he was a bigger man than that. Obviously not.

Anthony Hall, Sydney, NSW

To say lara played for the team and tendulkar didn't is the OPPOSITE of what the actuality is.
Even right after his last game he asked the crowd "did i entertain?"
what's this , a circus?
lara ,in fact always played for himself.
ridiculous records like the 400 were pure selfishness . not even a thought was given to declaration ,to go for a WIN.
even the ONE and only matchwinning innings of lara ,the 153 was one of great luck and also healy dropped a regulation catch.
tendulkars 136 against pak was a flawless innings,till the last stroke when he could hardly stand due to back spasms.
the last 5 batsman couldnt put together the 17 runs required for victory!
in sachins prime the indian team was poor.
lara was infact in a VERY good team: ambrose,walsh,hooper,chandrapaut,richardson etc .
only during laras last 5/6 years did he have a bad team.
but during these last years pitches were flatter.
these last 5 yrs have also corresponded with sachins decline due to injuries

sheet, delhi, india

How can he say Tendulkar is mentally stronger than Lara. Lara has twice set the record for most runs in an inning. Its true that it came against crappy English bowling. Still, it requires a tremendous discipline and focus to go on and on like that and score that many runs in an innings. Isn't that sort of discipline and focus a sign of mental strength? Tendulkar has never won a test match for India. I'm an Indian, and I dont rate him ahead of Lara or Ponting or Warne... My list of 1o greatest cricketers of last 20 years (around the time Warne appeared in cricket)
1. Brian Lara
2. Shane Warne
3. Ricky Ponting
4. Wasim Akram
5. Muralitharan
6. Sachin Tendulkar
7. Glen McGrath
8. Ambrose
9 Alan Donald
10 Jayasuriya
I'm an Indian, and I dont rate Tendulkar

Sam, Washington DC,

I can't take a list seriously that omits Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards. Where's Sir Viv? Where's Garry Sobers?

Bah.

andrew lees, london,

Stop being jealous all you Lara supporters. Tendulkar is INDIAN and Warnies No.1 not POTATO INZI nor ball tamperers like Wacky and Qasim.

Warnes favourite cricketer on the planet is Indian. Dont be jealous other ASIANS.

What a tribute that the GREATEST LEGISPINNER OF ALL TIME has put TENDULKAR AS HIS GREATEST Player (during his time).

First is everything 6th is Nothing. Especially when there has been some ball tampering to get there!

Jai, Mumbai, India

Lets settle this. Tendulkar was a better batsmen than lara in ODIs but when it came to tests Lara is the best. for right handed bowlers, it is a lot easier to bowl the left handers and make it go across them. His high backlift, c'mon, a full on swing every time and still you couldnt get him out. I like them both and dont mind whose number one.
another thing, Javed Miandad? hello? he did play in his eera...???Waqar lower than druggy shoaib? Allan border was alright and scored many runs but he played 150+ tests, and michael vaughn...ha...ha...ha my backside.
Fat flintoff is alright, and all you people who think wasim is ball tamperer, you're either stuck up english or a biased aussi, i mean c'mon mcgrath, nothing to wasim or waqar!

madoody, chamulk,

oh,lara's good,no doubt.
thing is.......
SACHIN's BETTER!

Dimpl, mumbai, india

india haha all you've ever had is sachin, never had a good bowler in your life, kapil dev was miiince. dont insult larahed destroy any attack and look at the pressure he had, a horrible west indies team to deal with and still double centureis against australia, quadruple against england, and dont call inzi fat, seeeeeewwwwaaaaaag, pooowwwwwaaaarrrrrr lmao

madoody, chamulk,

Lets settle this. Tendulkar was a better batsmen than lara in ODIs but when it came to tests Lara is the best. for right handed bowlers, it is a lot easier to bowl the left handers and make it go across them. His high backlift, c'mon, a full on swing every time and still you couldnt get him out. I like them both and dont mind whose number one.
another thing, Javed Miandad? hello? he did play in his eera...???Waqar lower than druggy shoaib? Allan border was alright and scored many runs but he played 150+ tests, and michael vaughn...ha...ha...ha my backside

madoody, chamulk,

according to me sachin ramesh tendulkar is the greatest cricketer ever to walk on the planet . some may disagree . some will say sir don bradman and siir garry sobers. and they may be right too, but some say lara better than sachin, but......sachin has made cricket more popular than anyother previous player, he has made cricket popular in small villages leave alone cities, for instance i tell a true incident
in the hockey dominated villages of punjab a state in north india , navjot singh sidhu was going to feliciated , ther a old man who knew nothing about cricket asked mr sidhu " DO U PLAY THAT TENDULKAR GAME? this is what sachin means for me , i have been brought up watching sachin play and he is god foreever
how ever one disputes his matchwinning capablties or othe things one think cannot be denied SACHIN IS HEART WINNER AND CROWD PULLER
SALUTE TO THE GREATEST LEG SPINNER EVER SHANE WARNE
LONG LIVE SACHIN

swapnil hasabnis, mumbai , india

Great List in most places. Tendulkar is the Greatest BATSMEN of all time. He's has played with and taken out all the best at one stage or another.

Lara got blasted away by England fast bowlers in Englad got taken out by Brett LEE and Shane Bond and all other fast men.

Sachin is RIGHT HANDED which makes it easy for bowlers to bowl to him.
Lara is LEFT handed which is like an advantage for him and disadvantage for most bowlers. AS IT IS PROVEN TO BE MNORE DIFFICULT TO BOWL TO LEFTIES.

Stop being jealous all you Lara supporters. Tendulkar is INDIAN and Warnies No.1 not POTATO INZI nor ball tamperers like Wacky and Qasim.

Warnes favourite cricket on the planet is Indian. Dont be jealous other ASIANS.

Jai, Mumbai, India

SOMEONE SAID THAT BECAUSE LARA SCORED NOT MUCH RUNS AGAINST S. AFRICA AND PAKISTAN, IT IS PROVED THAT HE WAS NOT A GREAT BATSMAN OF SUPER-FAST OR GENUINELY FAST (AS I UNDERSTAND). LARA SCORED AT AN AVERAGE OF 49 AGAINST S. AFRICA AND AT 53 AGAINST PAKISTAN. ADDING, AVERAGE OF 62 AGAINST ENGLAND. FURTHUR HE SCORED THAT 277 AGAINST AUSTRALIA SPEARHEADING MCDERMOTT-- A FAST BOWLER, OF COURSE; 400 AGAINST ENGLAND IN A SERIES WHERE STEVE HARMISON STARTED TO START A STORM (BUT ONLY FOR 12 MATCHES) WHICH ONCE INDUCED SAURAV GANGULY TO SAY HARMISON THE BEST FAST BOWLER THAT TIME, TAKING 23 WICKETS IN THE 4 MATCH SERIES. HE ALSO SAID THAT MCGRATH WAS A MEDIUM-FAST BOWLER. BUT MCGRATH WAS IN HIS YOUTH AND A GENUINELY FAST BOWLER IN 1999 WHEN LARA SMASHED HIM FOR THREE KNOCKS OF 213, A 84 BALL 100 AND A MATCH- WINNING 153* IN THE 3 MATCH SERIES.

ANURAG, ROORKEE, INDIA

i do appologise for insulting english and aussies, some are stuck up and some are biased but i mis read some comments and who wrote them and it turns out to be indian

madoody, chamulk,

all INDIANS are very happy specially jai, becoz sachin is no. 1, no doubt in it that he is a good player but he is not a match winner . DO u know what is meant by a great PLAYER??????? a great player is that who play at crucial time and win BIG matches , like Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting who win the World cup for their countries. and also remeber that this is Warne's list not the greatest of all time
In this list Wasim Akram is at no. 6 , i think that he should be at no. 2 he was a great bowler and also a good stoke player and He win the world cup for his country and goes in another final at his own( on his all round performance). he deserve to be at no. 2 of all time becoz he win no. of matches for his country,
INZI has got 20000 runs in International cricket and he is not in top 50 what a great joke by Warne,
and where is M. Azharudan, Ganguly and Gibbs.........
waiting to see Murli's list now that who is no. 1 in world ?????????????

naveed , sheffield, uk

Great List in most places. Tendulkar is the Greatest BATSMEN of all time. He's has played with and taken out all the best at one stage or another.

Lara got blasted away by England fast bowlers in Englad got taken out by Brett LEE and Shane Bond and all other fast men.

Sachin is RIGHT HANDED which makes it easy for bowlers to bowl to him.
Lara is LEFT handed which is like an advantage for him and disadvantage for most bowlers. AS IT IS PROVEN TO BE MNORE DIFFICULT TO BOWL TO LEFTIES.

Stop being jealous all you Lara supporters. Tendulkar is INDIAN and Warnies No.1 not POTATO INZI nor ball tamperers like Wacky and Qasim.

Warnes favourite cricket on the planet is Indian. Dont be jealous other ASIANS.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Fine list Shane. I know why you have left Inzamam Potato out of your list. Firstly because he scores runs of flat jack pitches and has never hit runs on a green top whereas Sachin has done that since 1990. Also Inzi potato has not scored against the best bowlers of his era. He is a 100% flat pitch bully. He thrives on rubbish bowlers. Thats why shane has not put him on this list. Don't worry Inzi potato fans Shane will place him No.1 is the best EATERS that Warney has dined with.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Lots of arguments about Lara being better, as he is a world record holder in tests with a string of huge scores. But what about total runs scored-tests and ODI'S? What about the pressure of playing for India as a superstar-Lara would not be able to comprehend this. Look what happened to Kambli-someone as talented as Tendulkar but the pressures of fame were too much. I'm not sure Lara would have coped. No one here has spoken about the bowling-few know that Tendulkar has taken more than 150 wickets in ODI'S-he is amateurish but can turn the ball both ways and all said and done has taken more wickets than any world leading batsman in anyone's list. NOw-Thats a complete cricketer-something Ponting or Lara will never ever be. I know this list is all about cricket but one last brownie point for Tendulkar-thats something even Warne recognised-with his humility and behaviour and character he is also probably the greatest man on that list. Thats settled then-Sachin rules.

Satish, Cardiff, UK

Lots of arguments about Lara being better, as he is a world record holder in tests with a string of huge scores. But what about total runs scored-tests and ODI'S? What about the pressure of playing for India as a superstar-Lara would not be able to comprehend this. Look what happened to Kambli-someone as talented as Tendulkar but the pressures of fame were too much. I'm not sure Lara would have coped. No one here has spoken about the bowling-few know that Tendulkar has taken more than 150 wickets in ODI'S-he is amateurish but can turn the ball both ways and all said and done has taken more wickets than any world leading batsman in anyone's list. NOw-Thats a complete cricketer-something Ponting or Lara will never ever be. I know this list is all about cricket but one last brownie point for Tendulkar-thats something even Warne recognised-with his humility and behaviour and character he is also probably the greatest man on that list. Thats settled then-Sachin rules.

Satish, Cardiff, UK

i think Warney's compiled a decent list.
Flintoff at sixteen though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!he can't even manouevre a pedalo!!! and his current form is nothing short of shambolic.
Obviously Shane's picked those he's played with or against.
Top 3 of all-time, 1. Viv Richards, 2. D Bradman, 3. The man himself - the look on Gatts face when Warney clean bowled him was one of the greatest moments of all time for a scottish cricket fan.

john Wilson, ayrshire, scotland

What about Imran Khan, Azharuddin, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Abdul Qadir (he was better than Tim May atleast).

Referring to Jai, I guess he doesnt know Inzi won Pakistan a test at Karachi in which Warne was playing and was at peak of his career (the match in which he accused Salim Malik of bribing them although the crucial stumping was missed by Healy).

Where is Salim Malik, scored double century against them, Ijaz Ahmed

Analyse Sachin and Inzi. Inzi played for the team but Sachin played for the records!!

Adnan Khan, Islamabad, Pakistan

Not a Bad list at all. Bcoz Sachin's achievements are actually under estimated by biased comments. He carried a whole team and the expectations of a CRICKET LOVING nation. A man who don't know what is batting is all about also will expect him to fire!!!! Furthermore, Sach's on-field behaviour is exemplary amid whole lot of senseless decisions and comments against him. That's why he's ahead of em'all. But Steve Waugh, Gilly, and some others deserved higher recognition and Harmison can't be in this list at all. If Kapil is in there, where is King Richards.....Kapil may have won India a world cup, but at the moment he is trying his best to destroy the Indian team by comparing Senior players like Dravid and Sachin...Lucky we didn't get him as a Coach....Kapil is a good cricketer but not a good person...he is a curse for Indian cricket and he himself retired immediately after breaking Hadlee's record...he prolonged his career for personal records...he shouldn't be in this list

Keith Kumar, Toronto, Canada

Referring to Scott's comments coming from Brisbane - Australia, i think he forgot the Karachi Test Match which Inzi won singlehandedly for Pakistan. If the number of 100s are a testimony of having a better record against a team than scoring matchwinning scores, then u have to feel for Shane. Also his heroics in 1992 WC.

I did'nt see the names of Saurav, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Majid Khan, Abdul Qadir, Arjuna Ranatunga, Sunil Gavaskar, Azharuddin, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Viv, Richardson, Micheal Holding, ...........and the list goes on!

Record shows that Kevin Pieterson and Harmison's performances in Ashes were just flash in the pan.....how on earth can they be better than Waqar and Kapil. Saqlain does'nt even figure in the list.

In the end, I think Lara is better than Tendulkar. Keeping everything else constant, I think he was a better matchwinner than Sachin.

Adnan Khan, Islamabad, Pakistan

Do you think Ganguly is not in top 50 list...who was one of the greatest batsman,bowler and captain.
What about Broadman,Sunil Gavaskar, Javed Miandad,Chaminda VAAS,Jhonty roads,Dhoni,Atapattu,Kaluvitarna,Inzamam-ul-Haq,Krishnamachari Sreekanth . I guess these players are better than some of the players who are already in the list.

sagar, andhra pradesh, india

Warne actullay is spending his free time by writing this kind of list.He actually dont know how the crickerts are Great.He has no taste at all.

Muhammad Arshad Bhoarvi, Kundian,

That is a great judgement by Shane, particularly with regard to the top 10.

Surya Prasad Nadiminti, Hyderabad, India

Warne has erred by putting Gilchrist at 20. He would be in everyone's best side of the last 40 years - as for Taylor ahead of Steve Waugh - heaven forbid, no wonder Warne never made captain!!! If Waugh received a wonderful team from Taylor, how come that team had a far better record under Waugh. Get over Waugh dropping you in Windies Shane!!

brett jobson, sydney, australia

Great List in most places. Tendulkar is the Greatest BATSMEN of all time. He's has played with and taken out all the best at one stage or another.

Lara got blasted away by England fast bowlers in Englad got taken out by Brett LEE and Shane Bond and all other fast men.

Sachin is RIGHT HANDED which makes it easy for bowlers to bowl to him.
Lara is LEFT handed which is like an advantage for him and disadvantage for most bowlers. AS IT IS PROVEN TO BE MNORE DIFFICULT TO BOWL TO LEFTIES.

Stop being jealous all you Lara supporters. Tendulkar is INDIAN and Warnies No.1 not POTATO INZI nor ball tamperers like Wacky and Qasim.

Warnes favourite cricket on the planet is Indian. Dont be jealous other ASIANS.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Mark Waugh above his brother? Certainly Mark was a joy to watch, much more so than his brother, and he was certainly the finest slips fielder I’ve ever seen - and I have memories going back to Ian Chappell! If Aesthetics were all that mattered than Trumper was a far greater batsmen than Bradman, but the reality is that the sheer volume of numbers is what ultimately dictates the outcome of matches, and on that score Steve was clearly the better of the Waugh twins, particularly when it counted.

The likes of Flintoff and Pietersen have not yet done enough to stake their claims to greatness, though they’ll undoubtedly get their eventually. Harmison though? The guy can barely stay fit enough long enough to really produce for England, and even then he saves the efforts for English ovals. His performances away have been fairly pedestrian.

tim, sydney,

who da hell says warne's better than sachin, i guess this chap has watched any of the warne-sachin clash. and then warne's statement that he gets nightmares about sachin and coudnt figure out a way to tackle him. of course he is way ahead of everybody but definitely not sachin. be a sportsman buddy and dont just critisise just because he is an indian. that;s why your nation is getting doomed day by day of jelousy.

Kamal, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Potato inzamam was just not good enough for Warne he is nothing against Aussies, he is only good on flat pitchs against rubbish bowlers.

Your are the man Warne. The king of spin.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Many of the comments are about Lara and Tendulkar comparison and which one of these two players should be at the top of the list. What if I say neither of these two deserve the top spot and if it were my list neither of them would feature even in top 5. In other words this exclusive comparison between Lara and Tendulkar is quite misleading because it presupposes a conclusion that if, say, Tendulkar doesn't get the first place, he'll get the second place by default. Now let me compare both of them together with one player in terms of effectiveness, especially in the shorter version of the game. Your guess is right! The name of this great player is Michael Bevan. Now how many times you saw him fail his side? and how many times you saw Tendulkar and Lara failing to live up to the expectation of their teams and fans? The objective analysis will show that he won more matches for his side than both Lara and Tendulkar combined for their respective side. I have nothing more to say.

Gulzar Ahmed Baryar, London, United Kingdom

Dont be jealous of Sachin The Great because of His Nationality and Religion. Warne choose him over your favourite star so there. What Warnie says, Goes. Top list made by Warne regardles of what ARMCHAIR FANS may think.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Lara played the Aussies on bouncy tracks , in Australia and relatively quick tracks in the Caribbean. He was good enough against them always. Sachin played Warne on low to moderate bouncy wickets in India (not known for leg spinners being successful unless they are Indian) and he did only "well" in Australia. Lara for the last 10 years of his career played in a shoddy team - a skeleton of the great teams of the 80s and early 90s. Sachin had good enough support around him. The only reason why Warne has Sachin ahead of Lara is because Sachin gave Warne a hiding in India on tracks with no pace nor bounce.
Besides when "his team needed him most" was the criteria Lara is way above Sachin. And overall in the list he has at least 10 players , a good 7-8 of them Aussies who do not deserve to get in there.

Final Verdict : A typically biased verdict by typical Aussie cricketer in the post-Border era.

Roshan Fernando, Negombo, Sri Lanka

at least this guy is good enough to hahe played with these great players . long live warney!!!!

P.S i dissagree with satchin ahead of the great brian charles lara.

danny edwards, preston, england

For all those justifying shane for great waqar at 45.
In the peak time Australasia cup(sharjah)waqar demolished class acts like border, jones and boon. We hardly see their stumps uprooted but he did that easily.As 4 his avg record against aus have valid solid reasons.1:his rib injury in late 96s made him to ball less and medium.2: politics in the team and rivalry with akram made him to ball in the middle of the innigs and in short spells.3:consistent in & out in the team reduce ur performance.Above all The list is against 50 greatest of all time not 50 greats vs aus.If this is the criteria then no 1 can forgett mr VVs Laxman.Or if this is the criteria then wat abt waqar's great record against mighty westindiands(lara,simons,hynes,richrdson,chanderetc),southafricans.Although fielding+bowling+batting made them best like Mcgrath can't take 3 wickets in last over but they do get a run out and super catch.Therfore less match winners in Aus but total team effort.Not match winners like waqar

Ali, Lahore, Punjab

Waugh 26 Taylor 9 what a joke. Waugh not a matchwinner ?- 1987 and 1999 World Cups - every series against South Africa - 1989 ashes - West Indies 94/95 - Old Trafford 1997 - 98/99 ashes - all Waugh matchwinners, most for Tubby Taylor. In two or three series, Waugh topped the bowling and batting averages.
As for inheriting a top team from Taylor in 1999, by the end of 1999, the team had lost Taylor, Healy, Lehmann and Miller. In Taylor and Healy according to Warne, Waugh lost two of the best 10 in Warne's era. It is history that Waugh took the new-look team to new heights. What about Ponting inheriting a great team from Waugh - does that diminish Ponting's achievements? Clearly Warne has let his judgement be clouded by his personal likes, a good reason for never being test captain. Waugh should be much higher than Tubby.

Warne's poor judgement is again seriously questioned by his ridiculous ranking of Gilchrist.

brett jobson, sydney, australia

Courtney Walsh is NOT better than Waqar and Donald. Taylor is Not better than Hayden. Ian Healey is not better than A Gilchrist (the greatest WK batsman off all time by a distance).I suspect he has no compettion for that position in anyone's greatest 11 (apart from Warne that is).

Richie Richardson, London,

That's right. This is a list of the best 50 players Warne has played with or against, not the best all time. Of course there will be an over-representation of Aussies because they've dominated cricket during Warne's career. And players like Inzamam and Kallis hardly threatened Australia so why should he rate them? Still you've gotta question the high inclusions of Merv Hughes, Boof Lehmann as well as some Australian domestic cricketers and international also-rans.

Des, Melbourne, Australia

Warne 50 list is only related, where warne played against them. this is not all time great list nor all time great player list. once again this is only Warne favourite list and whom he played against each other. Hope this will clarify.
thanks

imtiaz javed, Framingham, ma, USA

Lara is not a match winner. How many matches outside the Caribbean did he help win? There are only two matches you can say he played a big part in winning - in Barbados and Jamaica against Australia. As for Tendulkar, maybe he should have helped India win more matches but he did play match winning innings in WI, England, Pakistan and India. Also people forget that bowlers mostly win matches and India's have generally been poor - that's why Tendulkar's 241 in Sydney and 113 in Wellington, eg, didn't count towards victories. Lara played with Walsh and Ambrose for most of his career as well as Bishop. During the 90s when Tendulkar was at his peak India only had Kumble.
As for pressure and being a team man - there's little doubt Tendulkar scores better on both counts. When India got the WC final in 03 largely because of Tendulkar he still got slated for failing in the final even though India's bowlers lost them the game. That's pressure. Where was the criticism of Lara for WI's poor show?

sudip, london,

Offcourse Tendulkar has most number of centuries most number of runs scored in the history of Cricket but he aint a match winner. 1992 1996 1999 2003 2007 and is gonna play in the next worldcup. But he hasnt won anything for his country like for example Steve Waugh. I rate Steve Waugh much high than Tendulkar. He won 2 worldcups for his country and many series.

Gulam Ali Mohsin Khan, Abu Dhabi,

Let's put some perspective on the Waugh/Lehmann ranking. It's the deciding Ashes Test, Australia is 4/40 chasing 300 - who do you want to see walking through the gate - Steve Waugh or Darren Lehman?. Give me a break Shane - did your mum do this part of the list?

Peter, Sydney,

As much as I am a fan of Shane Warne, I must say he is a very spiteful man. Just witness his hate for Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, John Buchanan. While those three seem to respect Shane and do not make their disagreements public, Shane constantly criticises them in the media. Very sad Shane, very sad!! Sometimes I felt Shane wanted England to win in the last two Ashes series, as hlong as he did OK himself.

I feel any division in the Aussie ranks in the last few years was entirley sue to Shane.

Richie Richardson, london,

Who'z Shane Warne? :-)

Srini, Hyderabad, India

This list seems to have created a lot of controversy. If Warne thinks Tendulkar is better than Lara then that's OK with me. Having bowled a considerable number of overs at both players, I guess he's in a pretty good position to judge - certainly better than anybody here questioning his decision..! However, what can't be questioned is that they are both truly GREAT players. Interestingly, don't know if this was deliberate, but Warnes top 11 would make an exceptional and balanced test side. It's got four number 11's but with the batting above, I doubt it would be a problem. Can't think of an obviously better 11..?
Taylor
Tendulkar
Ponting
Lara
Border
Akram
Healey
Ambrose
Muralitharan
Walsh
McGrath

Graeme, Leeds, UK

Well done Shane ! Really apprecited your list of top 50 players(especially sachin as no 1). There are some great names in that list and perhaps everyone is gifted in their own way . To put a list down would not have been an easy task. But I think u have done a wonderful job.

Andy, Birmingham, UK

How can Tim May be a better bowler than Allan Donald and Waqar Younis??????

Teddy Hilton, Sydney,

Pakistanis sure do to take pride from their cricketing greats.

Deepan, London, U.K

Good job shane.. I agree with most of the top 50.. Gillespe & Vass are probably the most underrated bowlers and sad they miss this list too.. Gibbs and Damien martyn are few of my fav batsmen.... Would have loved to see Gilchrist in top 10..

Happy to seee Sachin's name at the top where he deserves to be.. and appreciate shane's understanding of the pressure sachin has to take every time he is on crease.. a huge % of indians switch their tv's off the moment sachin gets out.. Lara is a great batsmen but Scahin is the top (if Viv Richards is not considered)!

Srikanth, pittsburgh, PA

TENDULKAR IS NO.1

Show your Support.

Nice list although VVS Laxman is missing, stop being jealous with Warne putting Tendulkar (INDIAN BATSMAN) at No.1. Just watch all the encounters, especially 'Operation Desert Storm' Sharjah.

Nobody gives nightmares to Warnies like sachin does. Which he himself admits.

As for Sir Viv Richards who never played against Warne well he said that Tendulkar is 99% Perfect batsman. Warnes opinion carrys a lot a weight but it is not the offical list it's the Legends opinion; to all those getting a bit restless.

Sachin is the King with the Bat..
Warne is the King with the Ball.

Sachin put Akram, Waqar and Shoaib into RETIREMENT.

Jai, Mumbai, India

Its funny to read that people are saying that Lara does not plays for records and Indians/Pakis do.

HELLO !!!!! Does his score of 400 came in winning matches or came in 400 balls?? After scoring those runs even once the match showed like producing results ?? Talk about playing for records ...

Secondly, people are asking about Harmison, He has at least changed the way Eng played and helped them win series. It was no surprise that Eng lost first home series after 2001 in his absence. He has performed even in Australia which Waqar could not. So there.

Thirdly, its Warne's list. Everybody can have their own views and Warne has his own. He has played cricket for 16 long years and knows his job. people may differ and have their own list but i am sure Not many will choose same 50.

KC, Faridabad, India

Against TOP CLASS SPIN;
Warne,Murali,Saqlain etc:
SACHIN : A
LARA : A+

Against TOP CLASS SUPER FAST BOWLING;
Akram,Donald,Akhtar etc:
SACHIN : A+
LARA : C

TOTAL SCORE :
SACHIN : A
LARA : B

OF COURSE SACHIN'S BETTER!

Lara against super fast bowling is a joke! you can' t even call him a great, let alone compare him to Sachin!

1) all the pakistanis in favour of lara over sachin.
2) sachin is indian.
coincidence?

Dimpl, mumbai, india

This list has a very big question mark to it. There are some very strange choices. I definately expected S Waugh and Gilchrist in the top 10. Allan Donald and Waqar Younis should be much higher also (definately in the top 15, if not higher). For example, Mark Taylor makes it in the top 10 and Allan Donald doesn't. Surely, A Donald is one f the great fast bowlers over the last 3 decades. Where is Dean Jones (did Jones play while Warne was playing?). D Jones played one of the most remarkable test innings at Madras and averaged 46. Of course, he was also one of the greatest ODI players of all time.

No, I did not expect Viv Richards (and a few other names a few people mentioned)to make the list because Warne never played against him or the others. This list is Warne's choices based on the guys he has played with or played against i.e players that played during his own playing career.

A smythe, london,

No Geoff Boycott ?

Stu , Bristol,

To me the most interesting omission is Jason Gillespie.

Nick, Singapore,

Grow up Dav Wolves...... people have a say here, thats why comments are invited. Anyone can critcize/praise/comment on the list. Nobody is questioning the greatness of Shane Warne, only that his picks can be improved.

Shahid, New York, USA

Also, one must consider the fact that Warne is looking at both Test and one day performances....
which probably explains Steve Waugh's lowish rankings....

my nitpicks -
Gilchrist rated a tad too low :)

Shrikanth K, Bangalore, India

The list is very impressive.Thia puts shane on the top of my list of cricketers.Good job Shane!!!

Martin, London,

TENDULKAR IS NO.1

STOP BEING JEALOUS OF the INDIAN BATSMAN.

Nice list although VVS Laxman is missing, stop being jealous with Warne putting Tendulkar (INDIAN BATSMAN) at No.1. Just watch all the encounters, especially 'Operation Desert Storm' Sharjah.

Nobody gives nightmares to Warnies like sachin does. Which he himself admits.

As for Sir Viv Richards who never played against Warne well he said that Tendulkar is 99% Perfect batsman. Warnes opinion carrys a lot a weight but it is not the offical list it's the Legends opinion; to all those getting a bit restless.

Sachin is the King with the Bat..
Warne is the King with the Ball.

Sachin put Akram, Waqar and Shoaib into RETIREMENT.

Jai, Mumbai, India

How about this Mr. Warne .. A country which was really minnows in world Cricket then came and trashed the Aussies and became the world champs which no one even dreamt of but for Sir Richard Halee...Sri Lanka.. who do you think the mastermind and the leader behind that was .....Arjuna Ranataunga ...now come on Warne would not lisit him high with the past encounters he have had with the captain cool now would he. Arjuna you were the man who changed one day cricket. who was the only mind that beat the full strength Aussie unit when it really mattered. Arjuna Ranatunga the captain cool.

Chanuka, Riyadh, KSA

Though Warne ranks Murali at 7, I think he doesn't give enough credit to Murali. Does murali’s generosity makes him a better cricketer or is Warne trying to imply that he just had to say those things because he has nothing much to say about Murali the cricketer.. Typical eh ..

P.S - I'm not criticizing him for the rankings .. He has the right to choose his top 50 as he likes.. But if someone is in your top ten you better say more to say then his generosity and smile ..

Udara Ranasinghe, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Bowwwwwwwwling Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaane!! Great List . especially you are bang on target about sachin. people in the indian media always neglect the 'huge pressure factor' that sachin faces everytime he bats. Tell me who else faces this kind of pressure? not brian lara (he never really cared about his cricket board or the media) , not kevin peterson, i cant imagine anyone else. People should stop complaining about his match winning abilities for he has never played in a match winning team.

Keyan, Chennai, India

What about Imran Khan?

Abdul Hadi Khan, Frisco, Texas - USA

sachin=pure classical music
lara= reggae

norman, calicut, india

Raghunandan is right.
Lara is all very good tonking hapless spinners.
But against quality fast bowling, real fast bowling.
(not the medium pace of mcgrath)
He's a joke.
Sachin is miles and miles ahead.
and a far superior batsman.

peter, bombay, india

Interesting choices Warnee..well he has every right to rate anyone as he believes .. Rightly he didnt play against Imran but i guess he did play against Botham ... on pure cricketing grounds. Ian wd be in anyone's Top-50 (at least !!) any day ... Warne himself mentioned, prior to compilation, taking into account performances under every conditions.So wt abt Harmison n Reid on dead sub-cont pitches ?? n the man with best record there is ranked 45th !!! Ironically , fastest to reach 200 wkts is said to be benefited frm some body's presence at other end... Strange !! Well donn know how much Waqar benefited frm Akram's presence but surely Akram did a huge amount !! Come on Warnee ..... at least donn disgrace the original 'Toe-Crusher' by saying that !! Then again ita your list but give some cricketing reasons.

Salman Shah, Lahore, Pakistan

I feel Warne is being honest with his thoughts.

Steve Waugh at 26th position looks to be because Steve is the one who dropped Warne for MacGill in West Indies. It would rankle Warne for the rest of his life. VVS should have come in somewhere. His only achievement is his performance against Australia.

Finally, Warne was smart to keep the debate on when he placed Sachin above Lara. Sachin is a better one day batsman than Lara is a better Test batsman. The stats would prove that. Who is greater depends on whether ODI or TEST is a greater challenge. Sachin was an entertainer, but Lara has been and will always be.

Difficult to accept that huge expectation is a pressure on Sachin's part. It should have been moral support for Sachin and no economic worry. It was Lara who was under more pressure - going through from a winning team to a losing one, keeping WI afloat, fighting the internal politics but never flinching & always entertaining. He still does not earn what he deserves.

vpgrahi, Santiago, Chile

How can Richard Hadlee not be included?

Mike Fitzgibbons, New Plymouth, New Zealand

I am ok with top ten which warne has chosen but surprised to see steve waugh at 26th place.He truly deserves to be in the top ten.Sachin deserves the top mantle followed by lara but why is ambrose at 3 surprise really.I think Mcgrath or Akram should have been there

Gopal, Mumbai, India

To be great you need to be consistantly excellant over a number of years .... what on earth is Harmison doing in your list mate .... 2005 ashes still rankling ... come on ! .... he wouldn't even have been a reserve in some of the WI teams from the 80s !

andy, Lardieres, France

Murali should have been at least No 3. Warnie, you do not have much to say apart from his Tsunami work etc. Of course he is your great rival who needs a match or two to go past you. I don't think there has been any one player who has won more matches for his team than Murali. You Aussies, from Prime Minister to the ordinary man on the street like to mention his "action" whenever you comment on him.

Ajith Alwis, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Many of you must remember that Australia has dominated cricket over the past 15 Years and have been barely beaten in a series over those years. There are players in Australia like Siddons, Lehman, Berry etc that would have played many test matches for any any other country in the world. Let's not forget Matthew Hayden could not get a game for Australia for many years.

Those complaining about 5 aussies in the top ten- maybe that is why they win all the time!

Also, players like Inzy and Waquor performed poorly against Australia- If you fail to perform against the best you are not that good!

Wes, Melbourne, Victoria

For those querying the respective positions of Tendulkar, Lara and Inzi perhaps their averages against Australia in Australia (surely the toughest test for any batsman over the last decade) goes some way as an explanation

Inzi averages 30.87; Lara 41.97, Tendulkar 54.15. While averages aren't the whole story, they surely give a good indication of who's performed best in the most hostile circumstances. Inzi is just not in the same class as the other two.
As for the Lara/ Tendulkar debate, Lara struggled more against fast bowling eg unlike Tendulkar he never scored a ton in tests against S. Africa when Donald and Pollock bowled in tendem, nor against Pakistan when Waqar and Wasim played. Finally, the issue of match winning innings .Lara played one, maybe two in his career so he's hardly a match winner. Tendulkar played key roles in Port of Spain, Headingly, Trent Bridge and Rawlpindi in recent away victories for India. If India had another bowler his 241 in Sydney would have been too

sudip, london,

Imran Khan, Inzimam , javed Miandad,Gavaskar Viv Richards are not on the list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? Amazing!!
Waqar Younis and Steve Waugh d ve been up there in top 10, wasim a bit higher

Rizwan, Lahore, Pakistan

I'm not pretty sure how he came out with the list. Ofcourse, there's some politics involved and its natural. If you see the list check it out how people are jealous about Sachin being no 1 and Lara no. 2. though the positions are debatable.
Top 10 is ok but its not perfect. Yes, Shane Warne is a great bowler but chunk of his greatness is due to the all dominating Australian Team. Imagine if Shane Warne was playin for Pakistan or India would he be the one of the greats? i doubt that. Any comments????

M Khalid, Houston/TX, US

Not sure what criteria were being used, but a lack of Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards , Dennis Lille, Tommo or Ian Botham, seems a tad strange.

Donald, Hayling Island, England

I'm sure the reason Warne has gon for Sachin is largely due to his record in India, Warne never managed to dominate there as he did around the rest of the world. So I can understand why he's gone for SRT.

However, in the modern decade, the top 4 players for me would simply have to read - in 4th would be tendulkar, 3rd would be Murali, 2nd Brian Charles Lara but out in front - and by some distance I might add, is the man himself - Shane Keith Warne.

Take a bow Warner, you were the man!

Luke, brentwood, UK

By 50 greated cricketer, Warne means players he played against. Probably he didn't make it so clear before publishing the list. That's why people like Imran khan,ian botham, sobers,richard hadlee,viv richards are not in the list. Either he didn't play at all or didn't play enough against them and that's why he didn't rate them. There is little bit bias towards Australians but then that's expected (also Australia is the domainating team for last decade or so). For the top 8 he is spot on though and doesn't show any bias. He did take into count the pressure Tendulkar has to endure. I am a bit surpised not to see VVS Laxman in the list though.

Satyajit, Hyderabad, India

The top ten of Warne's list is impeccable. Sachin Tendulkar is without a shadow of doubt the number one... next to Brian Lara. I love watching Sachin and his immaculate shots. It all seemed natural.Sachin Tendulkar has been acknowledged by Don Bradman as his reincarnation.

Sasuke64, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Remember a guy called Kaluwitharana a tiny fellow who smashed you around in your own country as much as any one in the list has done.

Chandana, Rajastan , india

It's an interesting list and one has to understand that it's an opinion of a person who would easily be among top 5 of the same list if it was prepared by any other unbiased observer of the game. But since it's more of an opinion than a judgment so I think we can add some comment to it. First, the criteria for ranking used by Shane Warne - i.e. part statistics and part other attributes such as flamboyance, strategic thinking, ability to lead the team to victories and uniqueness of skills etc. - can lead to a decent comparison between the cricketers BUT it cannot produce universally acceptable results. And most importantly, it took him a long illustrious career full of success, exciting experiences and keen observations to come up with this list SO he deserves not to be discredited by fans with emotional attachment to the cricketers he didn't mention in the list or mentioned but rated lower than their expectations.

Razi, London, UK

Sorry to say Warne...Staying Controversial is your game and you're a champion of it. No Inzamam ul Haq, No Salim Malik????? 20 aussies in Top50????

I know you can't answer these questions. Why???? Because you yourself doesn't know why you were placed in the TOP 5 players of 20th Century.

Umar Khan, Islmabad, Pakistan

hadlee,botham,imran khan, why arent these in there, and many more greats? I can't argue with the top 5, he got that right. THough i belive he put these people here, as they were the people he faced or played with

rory, exeter,

Where would warne rate himself? i guess he's better than sachin.

Farooq Ahmed Aziz, Lahore, Pakistan

Well its HIS list so its bound to be different but to err is human.Regardless of his maestro on the field, he has indeed made some questionable choices.Most alarming are the exclusion of Inzamam and secondly, the ranking of Waqar. Now anyone who say Waqar in early 1990's know he was the King.I mean they toe crushers,the bouncers,reverse swing in&out it was just mindboggling, Even the hammerings he received later in his career, he finished as the one of the most successful bowler of all time.His strike is still one of the best. As for Inzamam, he has scored more match winning knocks than anyone since 2003.Apart from that, in terms of centuries in winning causes by a captain, he is only behind the Don and Ponting which doesn't explain why he was excluded, specially the very criteria Warne used to rate Waugh at 26 was his lack of match winning streak(I strongly disagree though)Nevertheless like Warne's entire career,this list certainly has zip aswell controversy, something wild amid class

Omar Ahmed, Karachi, Pakistan

U have to agree that Lara is a grat player but consider both the forms of the game and let me know as to what is it that u will make out, Lara's ODI record is pretty ordinary bu8t still you consider him to be a better player than Sachin and that is absolutely wrong because he has been ruling both forms of the game for more than 18years with a great average and let me highlight that both the forms of the game have to be considered and he truly deserves the spot he has been given. Sachin is truly the best!

Akhil, Hyderabad, India

Surprised to see Laxman missing in top 50. Laxman has been thorn in Australia's flesh, much more than what Tendulkar has been. Not to forget Laxman's feat in Eden Gardens and in India's tour of Australia.

Where is Inzy in Warney's list?

RaviShankar, Chennai, India

Lots of surprises in the total and it is skewed on personal choices the big surprises who miss out Jason Gillespie, VVS Laxman and Inzaman-ul-Haq. McGrath and the Oz were so good during Warnes peak because it coincided with Gillespie was also a force to reckon with,always overshadowed by Warne and McGrath he has his share of Admirers throughout the cricketing world. Expected Laxman to be there considering his epic 281 was against the mighty aussies in their Pomp.Inzy for all his overhyped laziness is the only person i have seen who has had so much time to play the fastest of bowlers. And Last but not Least Lara is way ahead of Sachin in all parameters.

Kaushik, Chennai, India

Sachin in not just the greatest of Warne's era.
He is the greatest.
Period.
Lara can't hold a candle to Sachin.
It's all very well tonking hapless spinners around.
Put Lara up against genuine pace..Akram,Donald,Akhtar..
then you see the difference between Lara and Sachin.
Sachin is in a league of his own.

norman, calicut, india

What about Imran Khan, the legend and the master in the art of cricket. Surpisingly I see Saeed Anwar there but not Javeed Miandad who helped Pakistan to win the World Cup and any other time Pakistan needed his batting he was there specially who can forget the Six in Sharjah. I completely understand that these are completely Mr. Warnes' own views but I think he should keep these kind of views up to himsels because I dont believe that you can make top 50 players' list without including Sharne Warne and I dont see his name in this list.
Good Job Mr. Warne but you need to redo the list.

Imtiaz Bukhari, East Hartford, Connecticut, USA

After re reading his comments about sachin, would love to go to india to see him play

Adam, Sydney, Australia

my best from 80s.
Sir Richards
King Khan
Murali
lara
sunil
headle
marshal
botham
Akram
rahul
AB
ambrose
warne
K.dev
tendulkar
javed
gooch
mgrath
kalis
pointing
....................

simon, FP punjab, india

Atherton made it to the list..but where is Gavaskar? No Hadlee, No Botham..and you find Tim May and Merv Hughes..
There is no Viv Richards..Something is seriously wrong in this list..

Biju, Singapore, Singapore

Ah, but I would put Warne ahead of them all!

Gautam Rao, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

for over a decade sachin tendulkar single handedly kept india from being a mediocre team to being a competitive one...the game wasnt over till you got tendulkar. that and that alone justifies him sitting at the top spot.

rustom, mumbai, india

great selections !! could not agree more! Inzamam missing because of his inability to win test series of his own bat. his greatest innings was against Bangladesh. Tendulkar and Lara could define the way A TEST SERIES would turn out against the best team Australia , Border- Gavaskar trophy 1998, Tendulkar 2 100's and the Frank worell Trophy 1999, Lara 2 100's . I dont remember Inzamam ever changing a test series with his own bat . probably Laxman could have been included.and Inzamam never had presence or aura.

Sidharth, Chennai, India

Hello Mr,Arun,
I do not beleave Sachin can overtake Lara. If u see sachin's record, all are accumalated things, most runs in career, most matches, most number of 100s, etc. But on a single day he cannot do anything special. but Lara can. that's why Sachin's match winning capability is always debatable. If sachin overtake Lara in a test innigs that will be a 10 days test match.

sinoj, bangalore,

i agree with shane warne, sachin is no 1 , the reason i say that bcoz lara may be more talented than sachin in skill wise , and ability to score big runs buttttt sachin has scored runs for india in both forms of the game. he has been a man of tournament in 2003 world cup . again a tops scorer in 1996 world cup, and still his test record is stunnung, the questions of matchwining doesnt arise as he averages 85 when india wins test or draws test, sachin is life for us , i dont know y should i go to grounds to watch matches as sachin is now the last of the golden of generation of greats like lara warne mcgrath . sachin is life

swapnil hasabnis, mumbai , india

Warne’s list just highlights the lack of professionalism. He was a genius at what he did, no doubt, but he cannot even draft a list of players both logically and impartially. His personal grudge against Steve is so obvious! And as a Captain, Warne would not have achieved half of what Steve has. Shane was an intelligent bowling genius, nothing else and nothing else at all.

Jeevan, Sri Lanka,

Fair enough, it is your opinion and based on who you played with or against, also you have to be a mate. No doubt there is a little spite and a bit of humur to ensure everyone continues to talk about the list. But, Taylor, Healy,Flintoff,Lee all too high. Harmison,May,Berry at all ? Younis, Ponting too low. On Waugh, I can see what Shane is trying to say, he thought his brother was better, so it was easier to put him lower than expected. Good call on Siddons, there are a lot of good judges that could not understand why he never played tests, did something happen behind the scenes with one of the Waugh's ?? But Gilchrist , even for people that don't like cricket they flock to the TV to watch pure entertainment, knowing that in an hours time they can return to normal life and have enjoyed "Something Special"... at 20....maybe Warne thinks Gilly is his biggest challenge.

David Bright, Eagle Vale, Australia

It is only Warne's own personal list. One does not have to agree with his list. But at least he is decent enough not to include his own name even though he had every right to do so. Last month when an all time greatest Indian team was announced by a group of Indian cricketers in which Prasanna and Gavaskar were selectors, they were shameless enough to include their own names in that list of all time greatest Indian cricketers' 11 team. That shows how petty and shameless Prasanna and Gavasker are.

Jayanth, Houston, USA

The most astonishing thing about this list is how many of the people commenting on it, never bothered to read the article.

It's not SUPPOSED to be who Warne thinks are the fifty best players of all time; it's the fifty best who he has shared a cricket pitch with. Since he never played against Botham, Richards, Sobers, Bradman and so on, their lack of inclusion has nothing whatsoever to do with how good they are. They don't qualify for consideration.

Bernadette Archer, Sheffield, England

No Sangakara, inzamam, thorpe, bevan, azharudin? Forgive me, but there is somone who has never played a test. Hhhmmm?

Lehman better than waugh? Darren bloody LEHMAN?! Harmison better than Waqar? Actually, Harmison in the top 50? Gilchrist changed the game. McGrath better than Akram? Andy flower was alot better than 36. He has a 50+ ave playing for zimbabwae, says it al. Murali has done as much for the game as sachin and lara.

Give me a break

Ahmer, London,

Where is Sir Ian Botham in this list? Surely one of the best cricketers of all time!

Nick Menges, Beckenham,

Who is Shane Warne to post this top-50 list? He is an over-rated cricketer. He is looking for extra publicity. Please ignore this list.

Shamal Jayakody, Orlando, USA

How can Tendulkar be above Lara? All indian players are individuals interested in stats and a high average. Match for match Lara has won more and he knows how to bat with the tail. Warne is wrong to say Tendulkar bats with pressure. Lara has been a one man team for the majority of his career. Tendulkar hadshad Dravid, Ganguly and all sorts to support him.

There is know doubt Tendulkar is a great batsman and a great man. But Lara was a 'great cricketer' and that makes him better.

AJ, Newham, London

my best 20 from 80......
Sir Richards
King Khan
Murali
lara
sunil
headle
marshal
botham
Akram
rahul
AB
ambrose
warne
K.dev
lil master tendulkar
javed
gooch
mgrath
kalis
pointing
.................is there something wrong?

simon, FP punjab, india

Richard Hadlee?

Stan, Birmingham,

Lara played his natural game always becos there was not so much pressure on him from his contrymen. But Sachin could not do th