Best ODI All-Rounders: best odi all-rounders Top 10 & Method

A one-day international turns on tiny margins: a slower ball held a heartbeat longer; a sweep played just finer than the field; a diving stop that turns four into one. The players who tilt those margins across both innings are the sport’s pressure valves. They finish games and they start spells. They build platforms and they break them. They are the all-rounders — the most valuable insurance policy a captain can carry in ODI cricket.

This is a deep, expert look at the best ODI all-rounders — greatest of all time and the current best — built on a transparent, era-adjusted index and layered with context from match tactics, roles, and World Cup pressure. You’ll find a clear Top 10, role-based leaderboards, country breakdowns, and comparative snapshots that answer the debates that always follow a conversation about the best ODI all-rounder ever.

How this list works: the ODI All-Rounder Index

Traditional leaderboards reward bulk — runs, wickets, averages. Useful, but incomplete. ODI cricket has surged through tactical eras, ball changes, fielding restrictions, and batting philosophies. A fifty at No. 7 in a tense chase is not the same as a cruising hundred at No. 3. Ten overs at 4.0 in a floodlit chase can outweigh a five-for on a sluggish afternoon deck. So the model here is era-adjusted and role-aware.

What goes in

• Batting value (per innings and per 100 balls)
  • Runs Above Replacement (RAR), adjusted for position and era scoring rates. Replacement benchmarks depend on the average output of No. 3, No. 5, No. 7, etc., in the same era.
  • Average × Strike-Rate Index (A×SRi): each normalized to era, combined to reward efficient volume rather than empty acceleration.
  • Pressure and phase splits: top-order consolidation, middle-overs tempo, death-overs finishing; runs in chases carry a small premium, as do runs against top bowling attacks.
• Bowling value (per match and per 10 overs)
  • Wickets Above Replacement (WAR-B), tempered by balls bowled and role (new ball, middle overs, death).
  • Economy-rate index versus era and inning phase; dots created in middle overs priced higher than dots in powerplay overs on seaming decks.
  • Strike-rate index and boundary control: repeatability against set batters matters more than tail-cleaning.
• Fielding and flexibility
  • Catches and run-outs weighted by fielding positions typically occupied by each player.
  • Role flexibility: ability to move between batting slots or deliver across phases.
• Clutch multiplier
  • Knockout matches, World Cups, multi-wicket spells in tight chases, Player of the Match outcomes in high-leverage games. The bonus is bounded to avoid narrative swamping the numbers.

How it’s weighted

• Batting component: 50%
• Bowling component: 45%
• Fielding and flexibility: 5%
• Clutch multiplier: up to 1.15 on the composite, depending on big-match deeds

Why era adjustment matters

ODI cricket has never been a single format. It began with red-ball thinking and white-ball innocence, swung through pinch-hitting revolutions and two-new-ball control, then arrived in a period where batting depth and leg-side power made 300 look mortal. Averages, strike rates, and economy rates don’t travel well across those shifts. The index normalizes each player to the run environment and tactical windows they lived in, then compares like for like. That’s how a captain-seamer who bowled with a stitched-together white ball can stand next to a modern finisher who bats at No. 6 and bowls at the death.

The Top 10 ODI all-rounders of all time (era-adjusted)

These are the greatest all-rounders in ODI history as ranked by the ODI All-Rounder Index. The scores are scaled to 100. Each capsule blends the index view with what you feel on the field when the game gets tight.

Table: ODI All-Rounder Index — Top 10 all-time

Player	Primary style	Bat OAI	Bowl OAI	Clutch/Field	Total OAI
Jacques Kallis	Pace-seam batting anchor	49	36	7	92
Shakib Al Hasan	Left-arm spin, middle-order	43	41	6	90
Sanath Jayasuriya	Top-order left-hand, SLA	46	35	7	88
Imran Khan	New-ball/old-ball quick, middle-order	34	47	5	86
Kapil Dev	Skiddy quick, lower-order finisher	33	46	5	84
Shahid Afridi	Leg-spin breaker, lower-order shock	31	47	5	83
Shaun Pollock	Seam control, lower-middle bat	32	45	5	82
Yuvraj Singh	Middle-order southpaw, left-arm spin	45	29	6	80
Andrew Flintoff	Hit-the-deck quick, power bat	34	40	5	79
Chris Cairns	Heavy-ball seamer, big-hit bat	36	36	6	78

1) Jacques Kallis — the most complete batting all-rounder

He could bat for your life and bowl for your heart rate. Kallis built ODI innings like an engineer — stable base, clean lines, minimal risk — and then punched out 20 extra runs when bowlers tired. His control of the off-side field was suffocating, his lofted straight hit immaculate. What the index loves is how his batting average and strike rate sit well above the positional and era baselines without leaning on slog overs.

With the ball, he gave captains three kinds of overs: a probing first spell that threatened the edge, a knot of cutters in the middle overs, and a stop-gap burst when a partnership threatened. Kallis’s bowling numbers against top-order batters are quietly superior to his overall line. That’s why his bowling value scores higher than the raw wickets tally suggests. As a catcher in the cordon and inner ring he was elite. The total OAI score reflects premium batting value plus above-replacement seam bowling over a long span.

2) Shakib Al Hasan — the modern benchmark

If your children ask what an ODI all-rounder is meant to look like in the modern era, show them Shakib’s career phase by phase: top-order reliability, rotation mastered, boundary options clean rather than reckless, and a spellbook that reads like a chess set. With the ball he gives you match-ups, angles, and drift; his left-arm spin can attack with the new ball and strangle with an old one. His economy under dew and under scoreboard pressure is a captain’s comfort blanket.

The index grades his batting high for efficiency against spin and pace both, his strike rotation in middle overs, and his repeatable finishing in par-ish chases. It then upgrades his bowling for economy and strike-rate trends against right-handers. The clutch multiplier nudges him further thanks to ICC event consistency — that perfect storm of big-tournament runs combined with double-digit wickets.

3) Sanath Jayasuriya — opening gear-shift and middle-overs strangler

Before powerplays had names, Jayasuriya invented a language for them. The cut shot, the slice over point, the violent flick through midwicket — he treated the first fielding ring like a suggestion. His left-arm spin looked unassuming until you saw the way his arm speed changed. He hustled the middle overs like a pickpocket. The model gives Jayasuriya enormous credit for run-rate inflation at the top in an era that did not naturally support it. His batting positional index is one of the highest in the dataset.

On the other side of the ball, he delivered rapid, flat left-arm overs that forced batters to carve across the line. It generated miscues and made captains comfortable sneaking two of his overs in the powerplay. Few have matched his single-game ceiling: he could settle a match inside a single session, with bat or ball.

4) Imran Khan — hostile seam, high-value runs, captaincy aura

Numbers are only one side of Imran’s ODI worth. The other is that his overs carried intent. Seam position, length discipline, and that late, stubborn movement at high pace turned new balls into booby traps and old balls into scalpels. The ODI index rewards his bowling heavily in top-order wickets and death-over control. With the bat he was a late-order engine: calm in chaos, excellent at strike farming, and lethal on anything short. The clutch multiplier weighs his leadership-laced contributions to big tournaments and finals.

5) Kapil Dev — the swing king who could finish a chase with laughter

Kapil’s ODI batting brought a sense of fun to a chase — and by fun, we mean detonation. He lofted back-of-a-length balls straight, pulled anything too full of length, and intercepted yorkers early. His urgency at No. 6/7 forced captains to push mid-over fields back, which slipped singles to partners and deflated attacks. With the ball, he ran like the wind and hit the seam like a metronome. His ODI bowling value combines new-ball seam, old-ball cutters, and a relentless willingness to bowl the hard overs. You wanted him around you in a crisis. The index recognizes that.

6) Shahid Afridi — volatility and value in the same body

Afridi’s batting average was never going to earn a monk’s approval, but he changed the geometry of fields the minute he walked in. Mid-on and mid-off retreated. Third man got busy. Bowlers shortened lengths they should have pitched up, then paid. His ODI batting value is lumpy but high-leverage; when Afridi came off, chases truncated. As a leg-spinner, he deserves to be spoken of with the format’s best: fast through the air, relentless on a good length, and wrist-spin with the practicality of finger spin. His economy rate in the middle overs and his wicket-taking bursts pull his bowling OAI into elite territory. Add a flurry of Player of the Match performances across formats and you see why captains kept turning back to him.

7) Shaun Pollock — the craft of denial, the asset of depth

If you ever bowled death in the ball era, you learned from Pollock. Seam precisely angled toward the top of off, subtle changes of pace, and the composed temperament of a man paying a utility bill. He made batters hit areas they didn’t want. The ODI index rewards his economy and boundary control disproportionately; he saved runs every game. With the bat, he wore the cloak of an insurance policy — rarely a long story, almost always a good ending. A deep lower-middle-order average combined with strike-rate par for his era keeps his batting comfortably above replacement.

8) Yuvraj Singh — a big-tournament aura with sixes to spare

Some players absorb stage light. Yuvraj is that kind. He is among the cleanest ball-strikers ODI cricket has known: high front elbow, firm base, wrists that find midwicket even when the ball isn’t there. As a middle-order bat he took spin apart and marched pace into the stands when required. He bowled left-arm orthodox like a fourth specialist — quick through the air, stumps always in play. The index loves his bursts in ICC events and his finishing in white-knuckle chases. The bowling volume is less than others in this Top 10, but the wickets came when captains called the dice roll.

9) Andrew Flintoff — strike bowling with authority, batting that bent a chase

Flintoff attacked the top of off with a scowl and a heavy ball. His ODI bowling strike rate sits among the best for genuine quicks who bowled real overs at the hard times. With the bat, he was a force multiplier: a No. 6 who could play at No. 5 when required, a straight-hitting threat against seamers who missed, and a late-overs bully. The index rewards his new-ball wicket share and death-over success, then adds a clutch bump for tours and tournaments where he muscled games England’s way.

10) Chris Cairns — heavy hands, heavy ball, heavy moments

Cairns’s batting felt like a guarantee that at some point the ball would develop trust issues. Anything in his arc left scars on sightscreens. His ODI batting value comes from repeatable six-hitting late and a surprisingly strong strike rotation through the middle overs. With the ball he gave you angry length and an off-cutter that gripped late. He was a game-sealer in both phases: a player who understood tempo and how to change it.

Honorable mentions that twist the Top-10 door handle

• Wasim Akram — the greatest ODI quick sits here because his batting was a bonus rather than a pillar; still, those bonuses won matches. A true bowling all-rounder.
• Abdul Razzaq — more wickets than most top-10 candidates and a body of finishing knocks that remain coach-room folklore.
• Ravindra Jadeja — ODI economy that makes analysts smile and fielding that steals runs every game; a top-tier spin all-rounder in the modern period with finishing pedigree.
• Jason Holder — strike bowling with bounce and an expanding batting footprint in the lower middle order; quietly one of the shrewdest ODI operators.
• Angelo Mathews — the original glue at No. 5/6 with seam bowling that exploited two-paced decks; classic batting-leaning all-rounder value.
• Andrew Symonds — rare mix of fearlessness at No. 4/5, rapid off-spin, and world-class fielding; a force of nature.

Best active ODI all-rounders right now

The ICC ODI all-rounder rankings are the living pulse of current form. They fluctuate week to week, as they should. Our lens focuses on sustained ODI impact with enough recency to matter in squads today. These are the names most selectors lean on when drawing up balance in a starting XI.

• Shakib Al Hasan — remains the gold standard for spinning all-rounders: bankable economy, wicket threat to right-handers, and a middle-order game built on options rather than hope.
• Ravindra Jadeja — perhaps the most valuable one-day defender in the world; his shoulder turns fours into ones, and his left-arm spin is a template for riskless control. Batting at No. 6/7, he has learned how to finish calmly in par chases.
• Sikandar Raza — the modern renaissance story: high-impact middle-overs off-spin with a batting game that blends busy with brutal. Apt to dominate an entire series on his own.
• Mohammad Nabi — economy that pads bowling attacks, guile that pulls wickets in the middle overs, and lower-order power that punishes death overs without ramping into recklessness.
• Jason Holder — tall, accurate, bounce that troubles good batters, and a serious knack for disruptive strikes with the new ball. Useful at No. 7/8 with the bat, especially in long chases where he can work teams into the last five.
• Ben Stokes — in ODI mode, a finisher who can start, and a seam option you trust in clutch overs. His innings composition under pressure is sophisticated; he values the right ball more than the next ball.
• Chris Woakes — new-ball swing that deletes top-order plans, death-over method that stands up under lights, and handy batting that stitches together partnerships at No. 8.
• Mehidy Hasan Miraz — rising efficiency monster: top-order cameos when promoted, settled middle-order cameos when not, and off-spin with strong control through the middle.
• Glenn Maxwell — high-ceiling finisher whose off-spin allows flexible combinations; fielding impact is a category by itself.
• Rashid Khan — more famous for T20, but ODI leg-spin that creates collapses and batting that stretches a line-up into the tail; a hard all-rounder to bench.

Role-type leaderboards: batting-leaning and bowling-leaning

Some all-rounders are two genuine specialists. Many tilt. The ODI All-Rounder Index flags role type based on where a player’s value originates and how teams used them.

Best batting all-rounders in ODI cricket (value led by bat)

• Jacques Kallis — template of consistency and position control; his wicket-taking seam remains a significant second skill.
• Sanath Jayasuriya — explosive opener plus bankable left-arm overs through the middle.
• Yuvraj Singh — spin killer in the middle order and a tournament player; bowling added pressure.
• Ben Stokes — innings architect in modern chases; seam spells flexible and often decisive.
• Andrew Symonds — intimidation at No. 4/5, reliable off-spin, elite fielding.

Best bowling all-rounders in ODIs (value led by ball)

• Imran Khan — new-ball threat and old-ball brain; runs with a near-finisher profile.
• Kapil Dev — over-after-over seam quality and lower-order power.
• Shaun Pollock — denial specialist; batting depth that suits smart teams.
• Shahid Afridi — middle-overs wickets factory; mercurial but match-bending power with bat.
• Chris Woakes — control and swing; batting gives teams balance at No. 8.

Best ODI spin all-rounders

• Shakib Al Hasan — the reference point.
• Sanath Jayasuriya — the original pinch-hitting spinner who bullied middle overs.
• Shahid Afridi — leg-spin volume and wicket spikes; death hitting.
• Ravindra Jadeja — economy king with finishing instincts and peerless fielding.
• Mohammad Nabi — off-spin guile paired with late-order hitting.
• Sikandar Raza — off-spin with wicket threat and a bustling batting appetite.
• Daniel Vettori — control monster; batting depth that held line-ups together.
• Shadab Khan — leg-spin with batting at No. 7/8 that flips games.
• Rashid Khan — ODI spells with T20 cruelty; lower-order batting adds every time.

Best ODI pace all-rounders

• Jacques Kallis — seam discipline and top-order volume.
• Imran Khan — complete pace bowling package plus timely runs.
• Kapil Dev — swing, skill, and joy at the end of a chase.
• Shaun Pollock — control and leadership of tempo.
• Andrew Flintoff — big-match fast bowling and power batting.
• Chris Cairns — cutter mastery and death hitting.
• Ben Stokes — versatile seam and game-reading batting.
• Chris Woakes — new-ball artisan, lower-order solidity.
• Abdul Razzaq — skiddy seam and finishing punch.
• Angelo Mathews — medium-pace canniness and middle-order glue.

World Cup all-rounder impact and clutch value

Greatness in ODIs often crystallizes at World Cups because they demand repeatability under different conditions and pressure that never quite leaves your chest. The index boosts ICC event impact in a controlled way to reflect that.

• Imran Khan’s control of white-ball seam and pragmatic, fearless batting under leadership glare became lore. His big-game spells smothered opponents before they looked up.
• Kapil Dev’s ODI portfolio holds a particular chase that reshaped what lower-order batting could be; his tournament wicket share frequently came in go-time overs.
• Sanath Jayasuriya annihilated powerplays in a campaign that made bowlers rethink lengths; his left-arm spin was relentless on abrasive surfaces.
• Lance Klusener, in a tournament run unmatched for finishing power, bludgeoned bowling attacks while chipping wickets like poking holes in a tire. His tournament Player of the Series remains the textbook for late-overs batting psychology.
• Yuvraj Singh married six-hitting with left-arm spin control across an entire successful campaign, collecting awards and matches with the inevitability of a tide. That Player of the Tournament tag was earned with runs and wickets alike.
• Shakib Al Hasan delivered one of ODI tournament history’s most complete all-round performances: top-tier runs, double-digit wickets, and almost no poor game. He was the plan and the backup plan in the same tournament.
• Ben Stokes wrote a final chapter that will be retold in living rooms for decades; batting with steel, fielding like a magnet, bowling with a tired but accurate arm. That is clutch distilled.

Most enduring threshold clubs for ODI all-rounders

The raw sums still matter, especially as shorthand for breadth of contribution.

5000 runs and 200 wickets in ODIs

• Sanath Jayasuriya
• Jacques Kallis
• Shahid Afridi
• Kapil Dev
• Abdul Razzaq
• Shakib Al Hasan

3000 runs and 150 wickets in ODIs (a classic all-rounder gate)

• Imran Khan
• Wasim Akram
• Chris Cairns
• Shakib Al Hasan
• Kapil Dev
• Abdul Razzaq
• Mohammad Nabi

1000 runs and 100 wickets in ODIs (the versatile core)

• Shakib Al Hasan
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Shahid Afridi
• Sanath Jayasuriya
• Andrew Flintoff
• Daniel Vettori
• Mohammad Nabi
• Jason Holder
• Rashid Khan
• Shadab Khan
• Angelo Mathews
• Chris Woakes

Players with an ODI hundred and a five-for

• Kapil Dev
• Sanath Jayasuriya
• Jacques Kallis
• Shahid Afridi
• Chris Cairns
• Yuvraj Singh
• Paul Collingwood
• Viv Richards
• Shakib Al Hasan
• Andrew Symonds

Record and efficiency notes

• Best ODI all-rounder batting average and bowling average combined: Kallis’s bat+ball combo sits near the ideal of average above era par with ball average below era par, and Shakib is the modern echo.
• Lowest bowling average among batting-capable all-rounders: Imran and Pollock define this type, with Flintoff’s strike rate a point of difference.
• Highest strike-rate ODI all-rounders: Afridi, Jayasuriya, and Maxwell bring extraordinary SRs while still offering significant overs with the ball.
• Best economy rate ODI all-rounders: Pollock and Jadeja are the modern and historical touchstones of denial; Nabi sits in that conversation through middle-overs control.

Comparison snapshots for the great debates

Shakib Al Hasan vs Jacques Kallis — ODI comparison

• Batting: Kallis’s average and stability at the top/middle place him marginally ahead on long-term batting value; Shakib narrows the gap via superior strike-rate profile in the middle overs and a higher clutch return in ICC events.
• Bowling: Shakib’s economy, especially against right-handers, slightly outstrips Kallis’s seam in normalized environment terms; Kallis counters with a better strike rate in certain phases as a fifth bowler.
• Fielding and flexibility: both excellent; Shakib’s bat-order flexibility yields a small index premium.
• Verdict: Kallis leads all-time by a fraction on aggregate value; Shakib leads in a modern-era context and peaks higher in big tournaments.

Ravindra Jadeja vs Shakib Al Hasan — ODI comparison

• Jadeja owns one of the most valuable economy profiles in ODI spin, barely giving away boundaries in the middle overs. His batting has turned from cameo to finisher; his fielding saves runs no model fully captures.
• Shakib adds more batting volume in the top/middle order and takes more wickets per overs bowled. His match-ups against right-handers are especially strong.
• Verdict: Shakib ahead on the full all-rounder package; Jadeja a step behind but often more efficient on the day with fielding impact that bends matches.

Shahid Afridi vs Sanath Jayasuriya — ODI comparison

• Batting: Jayasuriya by value and repeatability; he redefined the opening role. Afridi surpasses in raw strike rate and shock value, particularly in lower-order rescue missions.
• Bowling: Afridi by wicket-taking rate; Jayasuriya by control and phase flexibility.
• Verdict: Jayasuriya as the steadier pillar; Afridi as the spike that skewed series.

Ben Stokes vs Andrew Flintoff — ODI comparison

• Bowling: Flintoff delivered more as a strike quick, especially with new ball and hard lengths. Stokes blends into different phases more often, including middle-overs match-ups.
• Batting: Stokes is the superior ODI batter: better chase management, more gears, fewer soft dismissals when set.
• Verdict: Flintoff when you want the ball to shout; Stokes when you need the innings to breathe.

Lance Klusener vs Chris Woakes — ODI comparison

• Bowling: Woakes offers repeatable new-ball swing and late-over skills; a surer bank over long series.
• Batting: Klusener’s death-overs destruction brought a unique pressure footprint; Woakes contributes, Klusener dominated.
• Verdict: Woakes for team balance across a cycle; Klusener for tournament ceilings.

Imran Khan vs Kapil Dev — ODI comparison

• Bowling: Imran edges in strike rate versus top order; Kapil shades in swing and variation across conditions.
• Batting: Kapil’s finishing brings more ODI value; Imran’s middle-order calm complements different situations.
• Verdict: A split screen; Imran slightly ahead as a bowler, Kapil ahead as a finisher; both franchise players in any era.

Yuvraj Singh vs Hardik Pandya — ODI comparison

• Yuvraj’s ODI story is a middle-order run machine with a secondary bowling option that rose to primary in ICC events. Hardik brings more pace bowling value in modern phases and a different kind of finishing.
• Verdict: Yuvraj remains ahead on total ODI body of work; Hardik’s T20 aura remains higher, ODI package still building.

Jason Holder vs Sikandar Raza — ODI comparison

• Holder: pace bounce and new-ball swing; lower-order partnership builder.
• Raza: middle-order run engine, off-spin wicket threat; hot streaks that win months.
• Verdict: Different toolkits, similar win contribution; Raza’s ceiling bursts on batting days, Holder’s consistency glues attacks.

Angelo Mathews vs Mohammad Nabi — ODI comparison

• Mathews: calmer middle-order batting value at No. 5/6; seam bowling once central, now supplemental.
• Nabi: off-spin economy and wicket share anchor attacks; lower-order power a genuine finisher’s threat.
• Verdict: Mathews batting-led all-rounder; Nabi bowling-led all-rounder. Both vital to team balance.

Best ODI all-rounders by country

India

• Kapil Dev — the fountainhead: swing, stamina, fearless batting.
• Yuvraj Singh — tournament legend with middle-order heft and left-arm spin control.
• Ravindra Jadeja — economy engine and finisher; unparalleled fielding.
• Hardik Pandya — modern seam-hitting finisher with overs that unlock aggressive team structures.

Pakistan

• Imran Khan — ODI leadership and seam excellence.
• Wasim Akram — the greatest left-arm quick; batting cameos decided games.
• Shahid Afridi — leg-spin wickets and chaos batting.
• Abdul Razzaq — skiddy seam and end-overs punch; the archetype of a streetwise ODI cricketer.
• Shadab Khan — leg-spin with batting that upgrades the lower middle.

Bangladesh

• Shakib Al Hasan — the standard; the most complete ODI cricketer in the nation’s history.
• Mehidy Hasan Miraz — off-spin balance and increasingly reliable runs.
• Mahmudullah — batting-led all-rounder who chipped in with overs in key phases.

Sri Lanka

• Sanath Jayasuriya — offensive opening and cagey left-arm spin.
• Angelo Mathews — batting glue and seam intelligence.
• Chaminda Vaas (batting-lite all-rounder) — bowling giant whose batting built stubborn lower-order partnerships.

South Africa

• Jacques Kallis — top-order run gold with seam.
• Shaun Pollock — control with ball, assurance with bat.
• Lance Klusener — tournament phenomenon, death-over brawler.
• Chris Morris (shorter ODI sample) — pace and late-order six-hitting.

Australia

• Shane Watson — top-order bully and first-change seam — a major ODI package.
• Andrew Symonds — flair and fear, off-spin and fielding.
• Glenn Maxwell — modern finisher with off-spin that allows aggressive selections.
• Steve Waugh (early ODI role) — medium-pace squeeze and stubborn batting value.

England

• Andrew Flintoff — alpha fast-bowling all-rounder.
• Ben Stokes — the modern chase whisperer with seam.
• Chris Woakes — swing craft and lower-order batting.
• Moeen Ali — off-spin balance and left-hand batting elasticity.

West Indies

• Chris Gayle (batting-led all-rounder early) — off-spin cameos and opening devastation.
• Jason Holder — tall seam and batting ballast.
• Dwayne Bravo — slower-ball arsenal and lower-order finishing.
• Andre Russell (limited ODI sample) — impact batting with heavy-ball overs.

New Zealand

• Chris Cairns — heavy-ball seamer, big-hit bat.
• Daniel Vettori — control, craft, and batting intelligence.
• Corey Anderson — power with the bat, left-arm seam options when fit.
• Jimmy Neesham — left-hand finisher with wicket-taking knack.

Zimbabwe

• Sikandar Raza — current heartbeat on both sides of the ball.
• Andy Flower (batting-led with occasional wicketkeeping and part-time spin) — ODI run-machine with a knack for overs when needed.
• Heath Streak (bowling-led all-rounder) — seam quality and lower-order runs.

Afghanistan

• Mohammad Nabi — senior statesman and ODI metronome.
• Rashid Khan — leg-spin thunder and lower-order electricity.
• Gulbadin Naib — medium-pace and flexible batting roles.

Conditions and role nuance: where ODI all-rounders win their value

Subcontinent conditions reward control through the middle and batting skills against spin. That’s why Shakib, Jadeja, and Nabi feel inevitable; they squeeze runs without bowling to the wicket and they score in gaps without risk. Outside Asia, seam all-rounders multiply — Pollock and Woakes smother powerplays; Kapil and Imran swing matches before the ball is scuffed; Kallis and Stokes build innings that weather the new ball and surge late.

The role label matters. A top-order all-rounder like Kallis influences more balls, but a lower-order finisher like Kapil or Stokes influences more leverage. A spinner who bowls overs 11 to 40 reliably is gold in formats where the ball stays hard longer; a seam-bowling all-rounder who can take the first or the 46th over lets captains pick an extra batter or a matchup specialist. The ODI All-Rounder Index rates that flexibility — not as a vibe, but as a measured advantage.

ODI all-rounder rankings vs ICC rankings

The ICC ODI all-rounder rankings rate current form and recent performance more than long-form legacy. They are excellent for selection cycles and series previews. This list, anchored by the ODI All-Rounder Index, is built to be evergreen — it asks who has been the best ODI all-rounder ever, adjusted for era and role, and who looks best right now in a broader window than a single series. A live widget or a link to the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings complements, rather than replaces, an all-time list.

Measuring an ODI all-rounder, without the illusions

• Volume is not value: 5000 runs and 200 wickets are impressive, but the question is what those runs and wickets replaced in a team’s balance.
• Position transforms stats: a No. 7 with a 32 average and 95 strike rate might be doing more work than a No. 3 at 42 and 83 strike rate.
• Overs are not equal: three overs in a powerplay against a new white ball and two death overs are not the same as six overs between 22 and 38 on a sleepy pitch.
• Fielding is not decoration: a one-day all-rounder who fields at point, cover, or midwicket and saves 8–12 runs is adding a hidden wicket every other game.
• Clutch is not myth: tournaments and knockouts compress pressure; players who replicate their process there deserve a modest, but real, index bonus.

Best ODI all-rounders in chases

• Ben Stokes — leaves dots where others swing; then explodes late. His target mapping is clinical.
• Yuvraj Singh — hit sixes without accelerating risk too early; read chase rhythms beautifully.
• Jacques Kallis — controlled the asking rate with uncanny calm; set up finishers and often finished himself.
• Shakib Al Hasan — rarely gives you an opening; manipulates fields without searching for the boundary every over.
• Kapil Dev — made long chases feel short; trusted his hitting zones.

Best ODI all-rounders outside Asia

• Jacques Kallis — supreme in seam-friendly conditions.
• Shaun Pollock — economy in swing conditions becomes almost unfair.
• Andrew Flintoff — bounce and heavy length extract dividends.
• Chris Woakes — new-ball swing plus batting depth.
• Ben Stokes — range of scoring areas against high pace.

Best ODI all-rounders in the subcontinent

• Shakib Al Hasan — makes run-a-ball look easy, bowling looks cheaper than it is.
• Sanath Jayasuriya — destroyed early overs and owned middle-overs spin lanes.
• Ravindra Jadeja — misers out runs to the point where captains plan around his ten overs.
• Mohammad Nabi — reads surfaces quicker than most.
• Shahid Afridi — leg-spin and hitting become double threats when the ball grips.

Best ODI all-rounders since the format tilted toward batting depth

• Shakib Al Hasan — sustained excellence with bat and ball in elevated run environments.
• Ben Stokes — finishing craft in sky-high par scores.
• Glenn Maxwell — unique gear shifts with bat, surprisingly valuable spin overs.
• Ravindra Jadeja — economy singularity that lets teams go hard around him.
• Jason Holder — fresh-ball breakthroughs and stability at No. 7/8.

Rising ODI all-rounders to watch

• Mehidy Hasan Miraz — already prominent, and still trending up as a batter.
• Shadab Khan — leg-spin wicket-taking rate suggests series-winning spells; batting role expanding.
• Dunith Wellalage — left-arm spin with genuine batting promise; composure beyond years.
• Marco Jansen — bounce and left-arm angle with a long batting arc to develop.
• Rachin Ravindra — batting-led all-rounder with spin overs; the role fit in ODIs looks sticky.

Case studies: what the numbers miss and what the eyes correct

Imran’s seam legacy, beyond the figures, was his influence on team structures: he allowed his sides to play three quicks and still have a competent bat at No. 6/7. That unlocks a lot of XI choices. Kapil’s finishes did something similar from the opposite angle: teams could play an extra bowler knowing he could make up runs at the end. Modern sides lean on Shakib and Jadeja for the inverse: their ten overs arrive with a bow, batting adds flexibility, and fielding saves overs you never bowl.

Yuvraj’s ODI peaks live in tournament knockouts and late-innings calm. Analytics quantifies the runs and wickets, but not the effect on partners: batters at the other end played freer when he was set. Kallis did something subtler — he absorbed risk so his partners didn’t have to. You will not see that in highlight reels. The ODI All-Rounder Index tries to credit it with position- and phase-adjusted RAR, but no model sees the full gravity of some men.

What separates the best ODI all-rounder ever from the rest

• Durability at value, not just volume: long spells at or above era-adjusted par with both bat and ball.
• Versatility: role shifts without statistical cliffs. Kallis moved up and down the order and kept producing; Shakib has batted across roles and bowled across phases; Pollock bowled anywhere.
• Clutch calibration: not every player with a trophy cabinet is clutch, and not every clutch player has a cabinet. The best combine both: Shakib, Imran, Yuvraj, Jayasuriya.
• Team unlock: you can see it on the selection board — with them, you pick the extra batter or the extra bowler. Without them, you don’t.

A brief note on ODI era segmentation without a calendar

• Early ODI era: red-ball muscle memory, low scoring, swing domination; seam-led all-rounders flourished.
• Pinch-hit revolution: fielding restrictions weaponized; Jayasuriya’s two-skill set became a cheat code.
• Consolidation era: teams learned to bat deep, seamers diversified, spinners built middle-overs factories; Shakib thrives here.
• Two-new-ball modern period: swing early, friction late; seam all-rounders like Woakes and Stokes gained defined roles, and spin all-rounders had to out-smart batters with speed changes and angles.

The short list: top 5, distilled for the impatient

• Jacques Kallis — most complete batting all-rounder; ODI metronome with seam.
• Shakib Al Hasan — best modern ODI all-rounder; balanced skill and tournament reliability.
• Sanath Jayasuriya — phase-destroyer with the bat and a middle-overs plug with the ball.
• Imran Khan — strike bowler who led teams and choked big games; batting value higher than many recall.
• Kapil Dev — swing sorcerer and finisher whose presence warped how rivals bowled at the death.

The template XI built around all-rounders

• Jayasuriya
• Kallis
• No. 3 specialist batter
• Shakib
• Yuvraj
• Stokes
• Kapil Dev
• Pollock
• Imran Khan
• Wrist-spinner (Afridi/Rashid, depending on conditions)
• Woakes

This XI is a thought experiment in balance. It bats to nine, covers every bowling phase with multiple match-ups, and includes two of the format’s best middle-overs denial artists. Substitute to taste based on surfaces: Jadeja for Woakes on dry tracks, Cairns for Stokes on green ones, Nabi for Yuvraj if the pitch demands more off-spin.

Why these rankings beat one-metric lists

• Averages lie by omission; strike rates lie by vibe. The index pairs them and rescales to era and position.
• Raw wickets aren’t as valuable as top-order wickets or death-over stops; economy in sunny middle overs isn’t economy under lights with dew.
• Replacement level puts a cost to roles; your No. 7’s 35 isn’t the same as your No. 3’s 45 when you add what else the No. 7 delivered with the ball.
• Clutch weighting is capped; it matters, but it won’t pull a one-tournament comet above a decade of high-grade contributions.

Final word: a living argument, not a locked vault

Great all-rounders are a selection meeting made human. They let teams be more aggressive or more conservative, usually both at once. They are the third seamer and the fifth batter; the floater and the finisher; the off-spinner against leg-side power and the seamer when the ball stops swinging. That is why they stir arguments — because their value bleeds into everyone else’s.

The ODI All-Rounder Index in this piece gives you a clear Top 10 and a principled way to compare eras and roles. It says Kallis is the greatest ODI all-rounder of all time on batting heft plus seam, with Shakib the best active and the most complete modern template. It says Jayasuriya changed what openers could be, Imran and Kapil bent white-ball physics to their will, and Pollock, Yuvraj, Flintoff, and Cairns carried balance on their shoulders for entire teams.

Rankings will breathe as players stack more games. The ICC ODI all-rounder rankings will keep pulsing with current form. What should not change is the way we judge the job: two crafts, one career, a format constantly reinventing itself, and a handful of players who mastered it on both sides of the ball. Those are your best ODI all-rounders — the rare cricketers who make a mockery of the idea that you must specialize to dominate.