Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad has revealed his top 10 men’s cricketers in the world right now. Stuart Broad discussed the rankings on the For The Love Of Cricket podcast with former England teammate Steven Finn, as they analysed the players across Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
The biggest talking point was the absence of Indian superstar Virat Kohli from Broad’s list. Broad and Finn had a long discussion before deciding their final order. Amid this, Adil Rashid injury update: England spinner ruled out of ODI series vs Sri Lanka.
Marco Jansen and Joe Root make the top 10 of Stuart Broad
The first name on the list was South Africa’s young all-rounder Marco Jansen. Stuart Broad has placed Jansen at No. 10 because of his all-round ability. The Proteas star is currently ranked the sixth bowler and second all-rounder in the Test rankings.
He has taken 89 Test wickets in 21 matches at an average of around 21. But Jansen’s biggest strength is his ability to influence a match with both bat and ball. Broad then picked the England Test captain Joe Root at No. 9, given his batting performances in Test and ODI formats.
The Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was given the No. 8. The 37-year-old remained the No. 1 Test all-rounder. Jadeja has been a match-winner with both bat and ball. Broad mentioned how the all-rounder played an important role in India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. He also lauded Jadeja’s recent performances in the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Stuart Broad didn’t consider Pat Cummins, the Australian pacer, playing only one Ashes Test, missing the T20 World Cup and having a poor IPL campaign, where he took eight wickets at nearly 40. However, Broad hailed Cummins’ leadership and performances.
Steve Smith, Kagiso Rabada and Harry Brook feature in the list
Meanwhile, Steve Smith was selected at No. 7. He averaged 57 in the Ashes and also scored hundreds in the Big Bash League and PSL. He made 157 against Bangladesh and had three T20 hundreds in the previous 12 months. His improved T20 game left Broad impressed.
Stuart Broad has given the number six spot to South Africa’s star fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. He took 56 wickets in the previous World Test Championship cycle at an average below 19 and played a major role in South Africa winning the WTC title. His IPL 2026 campaign was also excellent, taking 29 wickets at around 21 for the finalists Gujarat Titans.
Harry Brook was placed at No. 5. England’s white-ball captain was the top-ranked Test batter at the time and had developed into a player capable of scoring runs quickly and freely across the formats. Amid this,Joe Root joins elite club, becomes first England batter to reach 23,000 international runs.
Shubman Gill, Travis Head and Jasprit Bumrah in top three
India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill was given No. 4 after his impressive England tour, where he scored around 800 runs at an average of 75 and hit four centuries. Australia’s aggressive batter Travis Head was placed at No. 3 by the former England fast bowler.
Head’s ability to perform in big matches was the reason behind the selection. He had produced crucial performances in World Cup and WTC games. His aggressive batting and ability to change matches quickly made him a big threat to the rival teams.
India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah was selected at No. 2. His recent IPL campaign was unusually poor, but his overall record remained outstanding across the formats. He had crossed 200 Test wickets and took 31 wickets in 2025, including 14 against England.
Mitchell Starc crowned No. 1 player by Stuart Broad
He has also taken 121 T20I wickets at an economy rate of around 6.5. Broad hailed Bumrah for his ability to deliver under pressure, saying his accuracy, variations and decision-making make him a bowler capable of changing a match in a single spell.
Well, Australia’s fearsome fast bowler Mitchell Starc was eventually picked at No. 1 position. Broad considered Starc’s numbers, recent impact, and ability to perform in important matches.
Stuart Broad’s Top 10 Players:
- Mitchell Starc
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Travis Head
- Shubman Gill
- Harry Brook
- Kagiso Rabada
- Steve Smith
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Joe Root
- Marco Jansen
Source: cricketaddictor.com
