10 best players of all time from Lancashire

Lancashire County Cricket Club is one of the most renowned club sides in England, playing their home matches at the iconic Old Trafford in Manchester, ever since their inception in 1864.

Seeped in history, Lancashire has been crowned County Championship winners eight times and has contributed a number of renowned players for England.

Several international legends like Wasim Akram and Muttiah Muralitharan have also donned their jersey in the past.

Taking into account their longevity and contributions to Lancashire's success over the years, let's take a look at their Top 10 players.

10. Neil Fairbrother

Fairbrother represented England in three ODI World Cups

Named by his mother after her favourite player - Australia's Neil Harvey - Neil Fairbrother served Lancashire with distinction for over two decades since making his first-class debut in 1982.

With over 20000 first-class runs including 47 centuries, it is a surprise that Fairbrother failed to make the cut at the Test level with an average of below 16

However, he made up for it as an ODI specialist, featuring in three World Cups for England, including the 1992 edition when he finished as the top scorer for his side in the final against Pakistan.

Fairbrother was known for his ability to play with the lower order and his quick running between the wickets which enabled him to score runs briskly without taking undue risks.

Fairbrother reserved his best for Lancashire and registered his highest score of 366 against Surrey in 1990, of which 311 runs came on a single day. He remained one of their mainstays in the middle order for much of his career before retiring from the game in 2002.

9. Jack Iddon

Jack Iddon is arguably Lancashire's greatest ever all-rounder

Jack Iddon was one of Lancashire's greatest all-rounders, scoring over 21000 first-class runs for the Manchester-based county and picking up 551 wickets in his first-class career.

He scored 1000 or more runs in a first-class season on 13 occasions and was a vital member of Lancashire's success in the years leading up to the second World War, which unfortunately brought Iddon's cricket career to an end.

His finest season with the ball came in 1932 when he picked up 80 wickets and he came agonisingly close to picking up all ten wickets in an innings against Yorkshire in 1937, ending with figures of 9/42.

Iddon, who represented England in 5 Tests, was killed in a road accident in Crewe in 1946.

8. Glen Chapple

Chapple shares the record for scoring the fastest ever first-class century

Glen Chapple is one of only 5 players in Lancashire history to score 7000 runs and pick up 700 wickets and was named the county's head coach in 2015 after serving the side for more than two decades as a player.

Though primarily a bowler, Chapple, along with Mark Pettini, shares the record for the fastest ever first-class century, scored off 27 balls against Glamorgan in 1993.

Chapple, who was appointed skipper of the Lancashire side in 2009, led them to the County Championship title in 2011 and was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year in 2012.

He has been an outstanding servant for Lancashire and was named as their Player of the Year in 2002. Despite his prolific domestic record, Chapple's international career was restricted to only one ODI for England.

7. Johnny Tyldesley

Johnny Tyldesley is the second highest run-scorer in Lancashire history

Johnny Tyldesley made his first-class debut in 1895 and was a regular in the side until the First Wolrd War effectively brought his career to an end.

However, he still remains one of Lancashire's most prolific run-scorers in history, sitting only behind his younger brother Ernest in the highest run-scorers chart for the county.

He was a consistent scorer for Lancashire and England in the middle order and scored 1000+ runs in a first-class season for 20 successive times, including the 1897 season when Lancashire won their first official County Championship.

Known for his quick reflexes and flexible strokeplay, Johnny Tyldesley was an excellent fielder as well who played 31 Tests for England and more than 600 first-class games for Lancashire.

6. Cyril Washbrook

Washbrook scored more than 34000 runs in his first-class career

One of Lancashire's most distinguished players in history, Cyril Washbrook was yet another prolific run-scorer who played close to three decades for the Old Trafford-based county.

Known for his staunch appearance and adherence to discipline, Washbrook formed a formidable opening partnership with Len Hutton for England and played 37 Tests for the national side, scoring more than 2500 runs.

His record for Lancashire was far more impressive as he scored more than 34000 first-class runs and served Lancashire as a fine player and was appointed as their first ever professional captain in 1954 - a post he held on to until his retirement in 1959.

He remained closely associated with the county even after quitting the game as a player and became Lancashire's manager in 1964 and also served as the county's President from 1989 to 1990.

5. Johnny Briggs

Briggs was the first player to take 100 Test wickets

Lancashire's greatest ever spinner, Johnny Briggs is their second highest wicket-taker ever having picked up 1696 wickets during his association with the Old Trafford-based outfit which stretched from 1879 to 1900.

Briggs name is etched in history books as the first player ever to take 100 Test wickets and he finished with 118 wickets for England from 33 matches.

It was with Lancashire though that Briggs truly made a name for himself with his wicket-taking skills and ability to ball long spells.

Being short, Briggs based his bowling on varying pace and flight and was virtually unplayable at times and often used to open the bowling as well for his side despite being a spinner.

Briggs also played hockey and rugby during his time and ended up with more than 2000 wickets in his first-class career.

4. James Anderson

Anderson is England's leading wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs

James Anderson is one of England's finest Test player ever with more than 500 Test wickets to his name and has been a fine servant for Lancashire as well. However, his constant presence at the international level has meant that his county side has often been robbed of his services.

Anderson made his first-class debut for Lancashire in 2002 and made an instant impact bagging NBC Denis Compton Award for Lancashire's most promising young County player at the end of the campaign, having picked up 50 wickets from 13 matches.

Known for his ability to swing the ball, Anderson has exploited the helpful English conditions to the best of his ability but also proved to be a threat overseas as well with his exceptional ball control and ability to constantly deliver in the right areas.

Lancashire honoured Anderson, who is England's leading wicket-taker in both Test and ODI cricket, by renaming the Old Trafford Pavilion End in August 2017 as the James Anderson End considering his fine performances at the domestic as well as international level.

3. Clive Llyod

Clive Lloyd was voted by Lancashire fans as their greatest player ever in an online poll

One of the greatest captains in the history of the game, Clive Lloyd, who led West Indies to 2 successive World Cup triumphs in 1975 and 1979, signed up for Lancashire in 1969, three years after making his Test debut.

He proved a strong presence in the middle order and commanded respect from his teammates though he did find his initial days at Lancashire tough.

However, he earned the respect of the club's fans with his long and dedicated service to the county and was named as Lancashire's best ever player in an official online poll conducted for the fans.

Lloyd made 273 first-class appearances for Lancashire scoring 12764 runs at an average of 45 while he proved an even bigger influence in the one-day format both as player and skipper scoring more than 8500 runs from 273 matches.

2. Ernest Tyldesley

Ernest Tyldesley is Lancashire's highest run-scorer in history

The younger brother of Johnny Tyldesley, Ernest is Lancashire's highest run-getter in history and scored more than 100 first-class centuries during his illustrious career.

Though he made his first-class debut as early as 1909, it was only after the Frist Wolrd War that Ernest Tyldesley starting to make a real impact and considering the slow start to his career, it is amazing that he ended up with close to 40000 frist-class runs.

He only made his England debut at the age of 32 and played his final match at 40, retiring with an average of 55, the highest for any player at the time.

Ernest was known for his poise and beautiful strokeplay that made him a joy to watch for all but the opposition bowlers who found it hard to stop the runs flowing from his bat.

1. Brian Statham

Statham is Lancashire's highest wicket-taker with 1816 scalps to his name

Lancashire's leading wicket-taker in history with 1816 scalps to his name, Brian Statham was genuinely fast yet rarely relied on intimidating the batsmen with short-pitched bowling.

Known for his accuracy and ability to bring the ball back into the batsmen, Statham was one of the leading fast bowlers in the world in the 1950s and was a club and national legend in his own right.

Statham's figures of 7/57 against Australia at the MCG during the 1958/59 Ashes series is considered one of the best spells of fast bowling in history and came during an era which was dominated by Statham with his deadly bowling.

He also served as Lancashire captain from 1965 to 1967 and was considered one of the nicest guys on the field who loved to play the game in the right way and earned respect from his teammates and opposition alike and praise from the Lancashire faithful who consider Statham a cult hero.

His spell as captain, although a brief one, was a highly popular one which saw the emergence of a number of young players who laid the foundation for the club's success in the coming years.

He was one among the rare breed of players who was loved by one and all, especially the Lancashire fans, many of whom consider Statham the county's greatest ever cricketer.

Other honourable mentions who served Lancashire with distinction include the likes of Wasim Akram, Muttiah Muralitharan, Andrew Flintoff and Jack Bond among others.