5 batsmen whose average never fell below 40 across a 100+ Test career

A batting average of 50 in any format of cricket is considered as a sign of greatness in the sport. Batsmen who end up with a Test match average in excess of 50 go down as legends of the game.

However, since a long career one goes through many ups and downs, the true champions lift themselves from their lows and deliver to bring out their best. Although, the batsmen who do not let their poor run affect their form for long are the one's who exemplify consistency.

This record- for batsmen who never averaged less than 40 throughout a career that spanned over a hundred Test matches- is a testimony to such consistent players who are all therefore, greats of the game.

Mohammad Azharuddin (99 Tests) and Adam Gilchrist (96 Tests) just marginally fail to make the cut to this elite list as each one of them played just under a hundred Test matches.

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#5 Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly may not be remembered as much for his batting in the longest format as he was for his leadership skills, but the Prince of Kolkata, by virtue of featuring on this list, makes a strong statement of his batting caliber.

Part of a batting order that constituted the like of the master Sachin Tendulkar, the rock Rahul Dravid and the crafty VVS Laxman, Ganguly's batting did not always stand out. However, his abilities with the willow were never questionable, and his 7212 runs across 188 innings in 113 matches are testimony to this ability.

The 'Lord of the off-side', Ganguly announced his arrival in grand style, with a debut century against England at Lord's. The southpaw who ended with a batting average of 42.18 reached his lowest average of 40.42 twice in his career, once after his 13th Test and the next time after his 52nd.

The slump, however, could not deter the stylish left hander as he came back strongly each time. Like the great Donald Bradman, Ganguly too ended his career with a duck in his final innings.

#4 David Gower

David Gower: Elegant & Enigmatic

Yet another successful Test captain, classical English batsman David Gower ended up amassing 8231 runs in a 117 match career that included 18 centuries. His strokes displayed a gentle liquidity to go along with the grace of a left-handed batsman, as he hardly ever looked complicated on a cricket field.

He was the epitome of consistency among the English batsman throughout his career, leaving everyone watching transfixed with his gentle strokeplay.

Scoring a sublime 58 on debut against Pakistan in 1978, Gower went on to become the pillar of the English batting order in the 1980s, his average falling to its lowest of 40.53 at the end of his 32nd Test. It never again came close to that figure again, as he ended up with an average of 44.25.

#3 Alastair Cook

Alastair Cook: England's highest ever run scorer

So much has already been spoken and written about Alastair Cook in the past month that highlights how great a cricketer he was and what his contributions to English cricket meant.

Across a staggering career that spanned 161 Tests, the left-handed opening batsman battled through ups and downs and always came out on top when it mattered for his team. With 12,472 runs to his name after the century in his last innings against India, Cook ensured that he owned the record for the most runs by an Englishman by a clear margin.

After having begun well with a century on debut, Cook's lowest batting average of 40.88 came post his 37th match. In the 124 matches he featured in after that, not once did that figure come back any close as he ended with an average of 45.35.

#2 Sunil Gavaskar

The Little Master: Sunil Gavaskar

Unlike the three already mentioned left-handed players on this list, the right-handed Sunil Gavaskar did not just ensure that he always averaged in excess of 40, but also that it did not lurk anywhere close to 40.

The lowest it ever went was as high as 47.70, which happened in the 31st match of his career. His bumper debut series against West Indies that yielded 774 runs not just made the world take notice of him, but also gave his average a huge impetus, thus putting him in good stead for a flourishing career.

With 10,122 runs at an average of 51.12 and 34 centuries, Gavaskar ended as his career with records that became a target for the generation to follow.

#1 Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad never averaged below 51.75

As stated earlier, a batting average of 50 is considered as a stamp of greatness for a player. This statement is enough to evaluate the greatness of a player so great that the lowest he averaged through a 124 match career was in excess of 50.

Pakistan's Javed Miandad, who scored 8832 runs at 52.57 with 23 centuries, holds the pole position on this list as his Test batting average never went below an astounding 51.75.

A debut century and a double hundred in the third match might have helped his cause, but to sustain such form and such numbers across more than a hundred matches takes some getting- so much that only one player has managed till date.