Some three decades ago, if you took a walk down the corridors of Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy, you would find a sign, pasted to the door, that read, in clear terms, “If you are offering us a youth player who is less than 1.8m tall, turn around and go home.” For one of the most successful sporting club in the world recognises the importance of tall players.
In most sports, athletes gifted with the gift of height – in almost all cases, its hereditary – are picked above their contenders with similar offerings.
In cricket, too, players get those extra couple of chances, and scouts and selectors keep an eye on players who are taller than others.
Here are the top 5 tallest cricketers currently active:
Mohammad Irfan – 7’1”
Standing 7 feet 1 inch tall, Pakistan left-arm pacer Mohammad Irfan is the tallest ever cricketer to play international cricket. Irfan burst onto the international scene in 2010 and rattled the batters with his pace, swing, and the bounce he could generate with his enormous height.
However, after some success in the initial years of his career, Irfan faded away from the Pakistan team, mostly due to injuries which led to a dip in form and consistency. He took 99 wickets in ODIs and T20Is combined and 10 wickets in 4 Tests.
Blessing Muzarabani – 6’8″
The young Zimbabwean fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has been impressive in his career so far. The 26-year-old has snapped up 88 wickets in 67 white-ball internationals and 19 wickets in 6 Tests.
Measured at 6 feet 8 inches, Muzarabani is the second-tallest active cricketer currently in the world.
Kyle Jamieson – 6’8″
Kyle Jamieson, who also is measured at 6’8”, has made big waves right at the start of his international career. Jamieson has scalped 72 wickets in 16 Tests, and was the Man of the Match in New Zealand’s win over India in the WTC final.
His lanky frame also helped him bag a lucrative million-dollar contract with RCB in the IPL.
Jason Holder – 6’7″
Veteran West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder’s name isn’t a surprise here. For West Indies has a long history of seamers/all-rounders who are around this 6’7” and 6’8” height.
The former West Indies skipper is one of their finest ever and is an in-demand player in T20 leagues. Holder has over 2000 runs and over 140 wickets each in both ODIs and Tests.
Shaheen Shah Afridi – 6’6″
22-year-old Pakistani pace sensation Shaheen Afridi is the newest, bright star in the fast bowling world. The lanky left-armer speedster stands tall at 6 feet 6 inches, and is a deadly new ball bowler, plus has an accurate yorker.
Shaheen has already taken 99 Test wickets, 62 in ODIs, and 58 in T20Is. If he keeps himself fit, Shaheen will go down as one of the greats of the game.
