The Greatest Player of Every Decade

The 1900s:

Monty Noble: An imposing figure at the crease

Monty Noble (AUS)

In the 1900s, no player took more Test wickets than Noble's 89, and only three batsmen scored more runs than his 1513.

While the 1980s is generally considered the great era of allrounders, with the likes of Ian Botham, Imran Kahn, Kapil Dev and Richard Hadlee all plying their trade, the 1900s wasn't lacking great allrounders either.

Wilfred Rhodes, Hugh Trumble and Warwick Armstrong were all prolific during this time, but Noble may well have been the most accomplished of them all. This was not only due to his ability with bat and ball but also because of his skill as a fielder and a captain.

At the time Noble played, the captain was largely a political role, where a player's standing in society and ability to give an after-dinner speech was deemed more important than his ability to marshal his players on the field. Yet Noble became known for his strategic innovations, as he would tailor his field to the individual batsmen. This may be commonplace in modern cricket, but for Noble's time, such strategic nuance was rare.

Noble was ahead of his time in other ways too, as he possessed the athleticism that became more and more important as the game progressed. Noble's physicality was supported by a near flawless batting technique and a similarly correct bowling action. He was capable of bowling at a good pace and playing powerful shots, but also had the knowledge to show restraint when necessary.

Throughout the 1900s he averaged 27.70 with the bat, and 25.10 with the ball, bowling more overs in Test cricket than anyone else during this period.