Top 10 "heavyweight" cricketers of all time

5. David Boon

Nicknamed Keg on Legs, David Boon was one of Australia’s best openers ever. This Tasmanian Devil was a prolific batsman and one of the players who never hid his love for meat pies and VB cans and gladly flaunted his bulging belly! The belly though had nothing to do when he stood at short leg. David Boon was one of the finest close in fielders and perhaps his extra kilos in the mid section cushioned the shock whenever he dived to pouch a beauty.

4. Arjuna Ranatunga

One of the best captains of the world ever. He led a small island nation to the top of the world and reinvented the theories of conservation of energy. An elegant left-hander, Ranatunga would hardly jog for the singles but would walk them. The shrewd captain always supported his players as he even got into a tiff with the Aussies. Standing permanently at short mid-wicket, this man was easily one of the best leaders cricket has ever seen.

3. Merve Hughes

David Boon’s partner in crime, Merv Hughes lived up to his surname. He was huge, in fact colossal. Though he didn’t take many wickets for Australia, he certainly intimidated a few. Known for his on field antics and classic sledges, Merve Hughes was one of the most entertaining cricketers ever.

2. Inzamam-ul-Haq

Perhaps one of the best of the 90s generation, Inzamam-ul-Haq was was right up there along with the Laras and Tendulkars. If one thought his batting was fun, his dismissals were funnier. Apart from his record run out dismissals, Inzi often found a new way to get out – whether obstructing the field or falling on his stumps. A very soft spoken man, Inzi also entertained us with his spoken English. Though he had a huge unit, he was one of the classiest with the bat and one of the safest in the slips.

1. Dwanye Leverock

The top spot goes unanimously to the man from Bermuda, Dwayne Leverock. Also known as ‘Sluggo’, Leverock lives above a curry house in Bermuda and is a policeman who drives a prison van. At the 2007 Cricket World Cup he was the largest player to grace the pitch, weighing in at 280 pounds but his claim to fame was the diving catch that he took off India’s Robin Uthappa, that stunned most people around the cricketing world.

Bonus Video:

Special Mention: William Gilbert Grace

W.G. Grace was one of the bulkiest players during his era. W.G.’s, as he was fondly called, an idea of a healthy lunch was a large Irish whiskey with Angostura bitters. One of his admirers, Arthur Conan Doyle described him as a person with a huge frame, bushy beard, and somewhat lumbering carriage.

With the Father of Cricket leading the way, the above-mentioned cricketers would be proud to be bracketed with him.