Top 10 Australian batsmen of all time

Modified Nov 29, 2017 14:01 IST

England v Australia: 2nd Investec Ashes Test - Day Two — Steven Smith is much younger in terms of his career but has already cemented his place as a 'great'

7 Michael Clarke

First Test - Australia v England: Day Two — Michael Clarke

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke retired in 2015, and at the end of a glittering career, he cemented his place as one of his country's greatest ever batsmen. His all-around abilities as a batsman saw him become the 4th highest run scorer in both Test matches and one-day internationals for Australia.

On his Test debut against India at Bangalore in 2004, he announced himself on the international stage with a superb century on a turning pitch. Over the next decade or so, he went on to score 27 more.

Clarke was adept against both spin and pace, and it was often difficult for bowlers to find a way through him when he was on song. In addition, he was an attacking batsman by nature and preferred to dominate bowlers at all times. In one-day internationals, he started off brilliantly and was one of the world's leading batsman for a long time before he started playing less limited overs cricket. Even then, he scored 7981 runs in the format and scored 8 centuries and 58 half-centuries.

He led Australia to its 5th World Cup victory in the 2015 World Cup and signed off from limited overs cricket.