Cricket is a sport that requires a blend of skills, strategy, and physical ability to create the best player and builds character of a cricketer. While fitness is an important physical aspect of performance, height has also played a unique role in the way a cricketer performs, particularly among bowlers. A bowler’s height can give them extra bounce, a little extra reach, and a somewhat intimidating presence!
In this article, we will explore the history of cricket and look at the tallest cricketers in the world. We will look at height, role, and their overall contribution to the sport as well.
Let’s get started.
As of now, Mohammad Irfan from Pakistan holds the record for being the tallest cricketer in the world. He stands tall at 7 feet and 1 inch (216 cm). He made headlines for not only being the tallest cricketer in the world but also for his sharp bounce he could generate with that height.
His height always made opponents uneasy, especially on pitches with extra bounce. He was one of the key reasons for Pakistan’s dominant bowling performances.
If you are looking for who is the tallest cricketer in the world, check out the table below. This table consists of the names, age, height, and the home country of the tallest cricket players on this planet.
Have a look.
| Name | Age | Height (Feet) | Height (CM) | Country |
| Mohammad Irfan | 43 | 7’1″ | 216 | Pakistan |
| Marco Jansen | 25 | 6’10” | 206 | South Africa |
| Boyd Rankin | 41 | 6’8.5″ | 204 | England/Ireland |
| Billy Stanlake | 30 | 6’8″ | 203 | Australia |
| Joel Garner | 72 | 6’8″ | 203 | West Indies |
| Bruce Reid | 62 | 6’8″ | 203 | Australia |
| Kyle Jamieson | 30 | 6’8″ | 203 | New Zealand |
| Blessing Muzarabani | 30 | 6’8″ | 203 | Zimbabwe |
| Cameron Cuffy | 55 | 6’8″ | 203 | West Indies |
| Peter George | 38 | 6’8″ | 203 | Australia |
These cricketers are not only tall, but they also tower over the field with their cricketing accomplishments. Now that we’ve seen the height of all these amazing cricketers, let’s learn more about them.
The tallest cricketer in the world is Mohammad Irfan from Pakistan. He used his height to generate extra bounce on all kinds of surfaces. This made him a formidable opponent to face for most batsmen. In his career, he has given his team some extraordinary spells that troubled many batsmen, including Virat Kohli (the king of cricket).
In ODIs, he has taken 83 wickets with an economy rate of 4.87. In T20Is, he has taken 16 wickets with an economy rate of 6.90.
The second-tallest cricketer in the world is Marco Jansen, who stands at an impressive height of 6 feet and 10 inches. He is the tallest cricket player among the current crop of bowlers who are active in international cricket.
The combination of height and high speed makes him a difficult bowler to contend with, particularly in the Test format. His height enables Jansen to generate steep bounce and troubling angles, which batsmen struggle to deal with. He is still young and has become one of the key assets of the South African cricket team.
The Ireland-born bowler Boyd Rankin sits in the third spot on the list of the tallest cricketers in the history of cricket. At 6 feet 8.5 inches, he was poised to be one of the best bowlers for Ireland. However, he had an interesting career where he represented both England and Ireland in International cricket. Sometimes, his sharp bounce dominated the batsmen due to his height. He has taken over 100 wickets in ODI cricket.
The 6 feet and 8 inches tall Australian, Billy Stanlake, made his debut in 2017 against Pakistan. He gained the attention of selectors and fans for the sheer pace and bounce he used to generate. Despite having limited first-class experience, he secured an early call-up to the national team.
He has played in both ODI and T20I cricket formats, but it was not a long career. Still, he is the tallest cricketer who’s represented Australia.
At 6 ‘8”, Joel Garner comes from an era when the West Indies used to dominate the world with its fast bowlers. Known as “Big Bird,” Garner used to dominate batters with his towering presence. He had the ability to bowl with pinpoint accuracy, and that made him one of the best bowlers for the West Indies. He was instrumental in the development of fast bowling with his lethal Yorkers and bouncers.
Garner has taken 146 ODI wickets at an economy rate of 3.09 and 259 Test wickets at an economy rate of 2.47.
At 203 cm, Bruce Reid stood tall for the Australian team in the 80s and 90s. His height and skills made him one of the most intimidating bowlers in Australia. Reid’s contributions were important to the moral and eventual rise of Australia as one of the great current cricketing forces during his playing years. He took 113 Test wickets at an economy rate of 2.63 and 63 ODI wickets at an economy rate of 4.28.
Kyle Jamieson is an emerging bowler from New Zealand who is 6 feet 8 inches tall. He is known as a lanky fellow and his all-around performances in all formats of the game. He is considered one of the great future prospects for New Zealand. He has taken 80 Test wickets at an economy rate of 2.66 and 17 ODI wickets at an economy rate of 5.17. He has been doing well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well.
The tallest cricket player from Zimbabwe is Blessing Muzarabani. He is 6 feet and 8 inches tall. At this time, Blessing is a key figure in the Zimbabwe bowling line-up. His height enables him to bounce the ball and trouble batsmen. His raw pace and control on the ball allowed him to become a successful bowler in all formats of the game.
At 6 feet 8 inches tall, Cameron Cuffy made his debut in 1994 against India. He is another towering figure to come from the land of the West Indies. He was known for extracting extra bounce while maintaining a good line as well. He didn’t have an extraordinary career as he was overshadowed by other great West Indian bowlers. However, he made significant contributions to the team when it came to controlling the flow of runs and applying pressure on the batsmen.
Peter George was a tall Australian bowler at 6 feet 8 inches. During his domestic career, he made some noise with his performances. However, he could only play one international match, where he took only 2 wickets at an economy of 2.75. He showed some promise but could never maintain it for the long term. However, his height made him one of the talking points when he played his maiden test match.
The tallest Indian cricketer is Pankaj Singh at 6 feet 6 inches. He played a couple of Test matches for India in 2014 and took 2 wickets in two matches. He showed some promise during his under-19 days. After that, he was fast-tracked to the India A team. He made his first-class debut in 2003. In 2018, he became the first seam bowler to take 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy.
At 6’6”, Abey Kuruvilla became the tallest fast bowler to play for India in 1997. He made his debut in 1997 against the West Indies and took 4 wickets. He played 10 Test matches and all of them in 1997. He took 25 wickets in those 10 Test matches.
At 6 feet 4 inches, Ishant Sharma is the tallest cricketer in the Indian team. He made his international debut in 2007 against Bangladesh. He hasn’t looked back ever since. He has leveraged his height perfectly and taken 311 Test wickets at an economy of 3.15. He has also taken 115 ODI wickets and 8 T20I wickets.
The tallest woman cricketer in the world is Mahika Gaur, who stands at 6 feet and 4 inches. She is an English cricketer who plays for the England Women’s cricket team. She is a unique women’s cricketer who has played for the national sides of two countries. She made her debut in 2019 for the UAE Women’s. In 2023, she played for England Women as well.
Height can be a powerful asset for international cricketers. The tallest cricketers in the world have used their physical stature to their advantage in instilling fear in the opposition batters. From Mohammad Irfan to Joel Garner, these cricketers have left a lasting impression on the cricket field.
Height does not guarantee success, but it helps a player become better. These giants will always hold a special place in this game called cricket.
Do chime in with your thoughts regarding the tall cricketers.
