Tallest Cricketer in the World: All-Time List & Heights

Mohammad Irfan of Pakistan, 216 cm (7 ft 1 in), is widely recognized as the tallest cricketer in international cricket.

Cricket has always had a special reverence for height. The moment a truly tall bowler loosens his shoulders at the top of his mark, fielders start creeping closer in expectation. Slip cordons edge a step deeper. Batters glance at the square boundaries, calculating where the cut shot might climb. Height changes angles, length, bounce, and the way a ball arrives at the bat. And yet, height alone never decided a career. For every towering fast bowler who terrorized Test batters with rib-cage bounce, there’s a wily spinner or nimble all-rounder who used reach, rhythm, and subtle hand positions to extract their own unique advantage from a tall frame.

This is a complete, expert guide to the tallest cricketers in the world—ever and right now—broken down by role, country, and league. You’ll find heights in centimeters and feet/inches, a clear answer to who is the tallest cricketer in the world, and the context that separates a simple number from real-world impact on the field.

Quick answer: who is the tallest cricketer in the world

Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan) stands at 216 cm (7 ft 1 in), the tallest cricketer to have played international cricket. He is also the tallest left-arm fast bowler to represent his country at the top level.

Why height matters in cricket

Bounce and length windows: Taller fast bowlers deliver the ball from a higher release point. That steep plane shortens the “good length” window for batters and forces them to play from more upright positions. Joel Garner’s back-of-a-length delivery felt like a half-volley to the slips; Morne Morkel’s natural hard length followed batters up onto the splice.
Seam angle and movement: A higher contact point with the seam upright creates prolonged time on the seam before pitching. Tall bowlers can hit the top of off stump and still climb steeply. That is why someone like Curtly Ambrose could look venomous even at seemingly gentle back-of-a-length.
Reverse swing and late dip: In limited-overs phases, tall bowlers with full lengths and late wrist load—think Shaheen Afridi—make the ball tail, then dip savagely at the toes. Reach helps them hide the ball longer behind the shoulder and still arrive full.
For batters: Long levers can punch gaps and clear straighter boundaries. Tom Moody used reach to drive on the up over extra cover. Alex Hales’ wingspan buys him an extra half-beat to free the arms. The trade-off is that taller batters sometimes need more care against skiddy lengths into the body and the base of off stump.
For spinners: You expect spinners to be mid-height, but Sulieman Benn—201 cm (6 ft 7 in)—proved what a towering spinner can do. Height allows spinners to impart overspin and hit a flatter, steeper trajectory while still getting drop. Bennett’s left-arm finger spin from high release vexed batters who couldn’t simply step down and smother.
For wicketkeepers: Taller keepers are rare at the extreme end, because keeping to spinners requires staying low for long periods. That said, keepers around 183–185 cm (6 ft–6 ft 1 in) manage perfectly well and can dominate high takes standing back to pace. Adam Gilchrist at 185 cm taught a generation how footwork and athleticism outweigh an extra inch or two.

All-time tallest cricketers (heights, roles, details)

Below is a consolidated all-time list anchored in publicly listed heights from ESPNcricinfo, ICC profiles, and team sites. Heights can vary slightly by source and are rounded to the nearest centimeter.

Table: All-time tallest cricketers (internationally capped or major domestic names)

Name (Country)	Height (cm)	Height (ft/in)	Role	Status	Notes
Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan)	216 cm	7 ft 1 in	Left-arm fast	International caps	Tallest on record
Marco Jansen (South Africa)	206 cm	6 ft 9 in	Left-arm fast	International caps	Active
Billy Stanlake (Australia)	204 cm	6 ft 8 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Active domestically
Joel Garner (West Indies)	203 cm	6 ft 8 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Bruce Reid (Australia)	203 cm	6 ft 8 in	Left-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand)	203 cm	6 ft 8 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Active
Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe)	203 cm	6 ft 8 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Active
Peter George (Australia)	203 cm	6 ft 8 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Boyd Rankin (Ireland/England)	203 cm	6 ft 8 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Chris Tremlett (England)	201 cm	6 ft 7 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Curtly Ambrose (West Indies)	201 cm	6 ft 7 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Jason Holder (West Indies)	201 cm	6 ft 7 in	Right-arm fast-medium all-rounder	International caps	Active
Steven Finn (England)	201 cm	6 ft 7 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Sulieman Benn (West Indies)	201 cm	6 ft 7 in	Left-arm orthodox	International caps	Retired
Reece Topley (England)	198 cm	6 ft 6 in	Left-arm fast-medium	International caps	Active
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)	198 cm	6 ft 6 in	Left-arm fast	International caps	Active
Cameron Green (Australia)	198 cm	6 ft 6 in	Right-arm fast-medium all-rounder	International caps	Active
Tom Moody (Australia)	198 cm	6 ft 6 in	Right-hand batter/all-rounder	International caps	Retired
Alex Hales (England)	196 cm	6 ft 5 in	Right-hand batter	International caps	Active in T20 leagues
Morne Morkel (South Africa)	196 cm	6 ft 5 in	Right-arm fast	International caps	Retired
Nuwan Zoysa (Sri Lanka)	196 cm	6 ft 5 in	Left-arm fast-medium	International caps	Retired
Ishant Sharma (India)	193 cm	6 ft 4 in	Right-arm fast-medium	International caps	Active domestically

There are many more tall cricketers in the 190–195 cm bracket—Mitchell Starc, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Andrew Flintoff, Jacob Oram—who exerted a massive influence on matches without cracking the top echelon of sheer height. But in pure centimeters, the list above is the rare air.

Tallest active cricketers right now

The following names are active internationally or in top-level domestic leagues. “Active” reflects ongoing professional involvement, not necessarily current national selection.

Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan) — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in) — Left-arm fast — Active domestically/league appearances
Marco Jansen (South Africa) — 206 cm (6 ft 9 in) — Left-arm fast — International
Billy Stanlake (Australia) — 204 cm (6 ft 8 in) — Right-arm fast — Domestic/T20 leagues
Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand) — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) — Right-arm fast — International
Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwe) — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) — Right-arm fast — International
Jason Holder (West Indies) — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in) — All-rounder — International
Reece Topley (England) — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) — Left-arm fast-medium — International
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan) — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) — Left-arm fast — International
Cameron Green (Australia) — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) — All-rounder — International
Alex Hales (England) — 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) — Batter — T20 leagues
Lungi Ngidi (South Africa) — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) — Right-arm fast-medium — International
Ishant Sharma (India) — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) — Right-arm fast-medium — Domestic/league cricket

Height by role: tallest fast bowlers, spinners, wicketkeepers, batters

Tallest fast bowlers and left-arm quicks

Mohammad Irfan — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in), left-arm fast: His best new-ball overs take the pitch out of the equation; batters feel body-lined by a length ball on off stump. White-ball spells in the Powerplay are his calling card.
Marco Jansen — 206 cm (6 ft 9 in), left-arm fast: Among the most exciting tall quicks of the modern game. His rhythm is supple, his angle venomous. He can swing it late, especially to right-handers from around the wicket, and he gets awkward bounce even full.
Billy Stanlake — 204 cm (6 ft 8 in), right-arm fast: In full rhythm, he can hit high pace with a trampoline length. Injuries interrupted momentum, but the ceiling remains sky high.
Kyle Jamieson — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), right-arm fast: Brings Test-length discipline with natural lift at a channel just outside off stump. White-ball cutters from the same spot are hard to line up.
Blessing Muzarabani — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), right-arm fast: Zimbabwe’s spearhead. New-ball bounce, seam movement off a hard length, and a knack for hitting the knee roll.
Bruce Reid — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), left-arm fast: Towering in-swingers from a left-arm angle, a classic awkward matchup for right-handers during his time.
Joel Garner — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), right-arm fast: The archetype of “back-of-a-length is a bouncer” bowling. Yorker accuracy in one-day cricket made him mythical.
Curtly Ambrose — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in), right-arm fast: The quiet storm. His short-of-a-length barrage on two-stump channels beat defenders and dashers equally.
Jason Holder — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in), right-arm fast-medium: Not express pace, but immaculate length, reverse with a high wrist, and late bounce. Add batting class, and you get a modern great all-rounder.
Reece Topley — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in), left-arm fast-medium: Angle, height, and clever variations. He makes the wide yorker and the wobble seam look natural from a tall frame.
Shaheen Afridi — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in), left-arm fast: Early swing, later yorkers, a left-armer’s natural angle, and the kind of big-stage aura you can feel from deep midwicket.
Morne Morkel — 196 cm (6 ft 5 in), right-arm fast: The poster boy for the hit-the-deck-and-rise method. His Test spells from round the wicket to lefties were a masterclass in repeatable, heavy lengths.

Tallest spinner in international cricket

Sulieman Benn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in), left-arm orthodox: Benn is the tallest frontline spinner to have a substantial international career. The arm path from a high release gave him a flat, skidding stock ball that still dipped. His best days often came on slow surfaces where batters couldn’t simply step down and reach the pitch.

Other tall spinners worth noting:

Steve O’Keefe and Daniel Vettori were not in the extreme-height bracket, but used subtle changes of pace and drift.
Tall spin is rarer, but slow bowlers above 190 cm can be especially dangerous when they bowl overspin with side drift—more top-spin drop, more bounce over the glove, more bat-pad chances.

Tallest wicketkeepers in cricket

Specialist wicketkeepers tend to be mid-height because staying low all day is brutal work. Yet several keepers on the taller side have excelled:

Adam Gilchrist — 185 cm (6 ft 1 in), Australia
Alex Carey — 182 cm (6 ft 0 in), Australia
Jos Buttler — 180 cm (5 ft 11 in), England
Quinton de Kock — 170 cm (5 ft 7 in), South Africa

The tallest specialist wicketkeeper to appear regularly at top level usually falls in the 183–185 cm band. Beyond that, the crouch-to-sprint cycle behind the stumps becomes a daily endurance test. A few occasional keepers (batters who filled in) have been taller, but as a role, wicketkeeping self-selects for sturdy, mobile athletes rather than very tall ones.

Tallest specialist batters

Tom Moody — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in), Australia: Reach down the ground and strong square driving; also turned his athletic frame into slip-catching excellence.
Alex Hales — 196 cm (6 ft 5 in), England: Towering T20 opener who can hit length on the up and drag bouncers in front of square.
Kevin Pietersen — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in), England: Not in the absolute tallest tier, but used height to dominate off-spin with reach and reverse-sweep finesse.
Matthew Hayden — 188 cm (6 ft 2 in), Australia: A muscular, tall presence at the crease, ruthless on anything fractionally short.

Tallest all-rounders

Jason Holder — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): Control with the ball and intelligence with the bat. Slips are alive when he’s at top of his mark; cover and mid-off come alive when he’s driving.
Cameron Green — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Riding the wave of modern pace-bowling all-rounders who can bat long and bowl heavy lengths at will.
Jacob Oram — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Held New Zealand middle orders together and bowled hostile spells despite a back beset with issues.
Andrew Flintoff — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in): The energy of a strike bowler, the timing of a proper batter. Height contributed to his high, skiddy bouncer.

Tallest cricketers by country

Pakistan

Mohammad Irfan — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in): Tallest Pakistani and tallest international cricketer.
Shaheen Afridi — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Pace, swing, yorkers; a left-arm blueprint for modern white-ball bowling.
Mohammad Hasnain — around 188–190 cm: Skiddy pace; not among the absolute tallest but tall enough to generate lift.

India

Abey Kuruvilla — 195–196 cm (6 ft 5 in): One of India’s tallest Test pacers historically.
Ishant Sharma — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in): An encyclopedia of away-seam overs, with bounce on firm surfaces.
Prasidh Krishna — around 190 cm (6 ft 3 in): Hit-the-deck style with a natural heavy length.

Australia

Billy Stanlake — 204 cm (6 ft 8 in): Rare towering quick; capable of thunderbolts when fit.
Bruce Reid — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Left-arm length and late shape; a problem on green tops.
Peter George — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Test debutant with county and domestic pedigree.
Tom Moody — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Tall batter/all-rounder; slip specialist.
Cameron Green — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Flag-bearer for the next generation of tall all-rounders.
Jason Behrendorff — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in): Left-arm control and steep bounce in white-ball cricket.

England/Ireland

Chris Tremlett — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): Ashes lion with a perfect Test length in seam-friendly conditions.
Steven Finn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): Long, rhythmic stride; lift from just short of a driving length.
Reece Topley — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): White-ball specialist with angle and variations.
Boyd Rankin — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Represented Ireland and England; a handful on damp days.
Alex Hales — 196 cm (6 ft 5 in): Box-office T20 opener.

New Zealand

Kyle Jamieson — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Big bounce merchant, especially on home decks with live grass.
Jacob Oram — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Bulwark all-rounder; steep back-of-a-length.
Kruger van Wyk — 145–148 cm (around 4 ft 9 in to 4 ft 10 in), wicketkeeper: A striking contrast; often cited among the shortest Test cricketers.

South Africa

Marco Jansen — 206 cm (6 ft 9 in): Left-arm menace; length-plus-angle nightmare.
Morne Morkel — 196 cm (6 ft 5 in): Relentless bounce from the Test-match length.
Lungi Ngidi — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in): Heavy ball with late, steep lift.

West Indies

Joel Garner — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Yorked legends at will; bounced everyone else.
Curtly Ambrose — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): Monolithic presence; minimal fuss, maximal damage.
Sulieman Benn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): Tallest specialist spinner of consequence in men’s international cricket.
Jason Holder — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): Calm, precise, and influential across formats.

Sri Lanka

Nuwan Zoysa — 196 cm (6 ft 5 in): Lofty left-arm seam; awkward angles.
Dushmantha Chameera — around 185 cm (6 ft 1 in): Not in the extreme-height bracket but tall, fast, and skiddy.

Bangladesh

Ebadot Hossain — around 191 cm (6 ft 3 in): Bouncy spells, menacing on responsive surfaces.
Taskin Ahmed — around 188 cm (6 ft 2 in): Quick, lean action; climbs off a hard length.
Shoriful Islam — around 190 cm (6 ft 3 in): Left-arm height and late movement.

Afghanistan

No men’s international is confirmed above 195 cm at the time of writing; several pacers hover in the 183–190 cm range. The talent pool is rich with slingy skidders and seamers who generate surprising bounce from compact frames.

Tallest cricketers by league and format

Tallest cricketer in IPL

Kyle Jamieson — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Towering presence with seam and bounce.
Jason Holder — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): High-class all-round value, especially in powerplay bowling and death overs.
Cameron Green — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): Long levers and fast hands at the crease; into-the-wicket bowling option.
Ishant Sharma — 193 cm (6 ft 4 in): Old hand with new tricks; cutters and the heavy ball on two-paced decks.

Tallest cricketer in PSL

Mohammad Irfan — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in): The tallest cricketer to appear in PSL, a unique Powerplay operator when rhythm clicks.

Tallest cricketer in BBL

Billy Stanlake — 204 cm (6 ft 8 in): At his best, every short-of-a-length delivery takes the top part of the bat.
Peter George — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): BBL stints and domestic spells underline how awkward that height is in Australian conditions.

Tallest in County Cricket

Boyd Rankin — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Chris Tremlett — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Steven Finn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)

These bowlers terrorized county batters early in the season when pitches have live grass and mornings are cool. That first month of the county calendar is a tall seamer’s paradise.

Tallest by format

Test cricket tends to magnify a tall bowler’s advantages. Hard, consistent lengths over time create spells where runs dry up and wickets tumble in clusters.
ODI cricket rewards yorkers and wide lines; a tall bowler’s arm path extends the “bowling box” outside the tramlines.
T20 cricket compresses the game into micro-moments. Tall seamers who can land into-the-wicket cutters and then spear a yorker from the clouds are gold.

Women’s cricket: tallest women cricketers in the world

Women’s international cricket features fewer extreme outliers, but there are notable tall players who leveraged height excellently:

Jhulan Goswami (India) — 183 cm (6 ft 0 in): A towering fast bowler and one of the game’s greatest. Height accentuated her fuller lengths and steep bounce; batters had to gate their drives carefully.
Kate Cross (England) — around 179–180 cm (5 ft 10 in–5 ft 11 in): High wrist, upright seam, and a heavy ball at the top of the innings.
Lauren Bell (England) — around 178–180 cm (5 ft 10 in–5 ft 11 in): Steep angle, strong inswinger to right-handers.
Darcie Brown (Australia) — around 180 cm (5 ft 11 in): Whippy action that produces pace and lift beyond her years.
Shamilia Connell (West Indies) — around 178–180 cm (5 ft 10 in–5 ft 11 in): Into-the-wicket bounce; a handful on spicey decks.

In women’s cricket, a tall bowler’s advantage is even more pronounced on surfaces that don’t offer much pace. Over-the-top bounce from a fuller length can change the shape of an innings.

Emerging and U19: the next wave of tall quicks

Taller fast bowlers are increasingly visible at age-group level thanks to specialized S&C programs and biomechanical coaching:

South Africa’s pipeline consistently produces tall seamers; Marco Jansen is the flagship example.
Pakistan’s academies prize height plus wrist position, evident in the evolution of left-armers and the conveyor belt of quicks in domestic circuits.
India’s fast-bowling depth is expanding, and while extreme height is rarer, the average is rising. Expect more 190 cm-plus seamers from state systems that now emphasize bowling gym work and long-run conditioning.
England’s pathway has nurtured towering left-armers and right-armers alike—Reece Topley is a white-ball example of how height plus skill equals value.
Bangladesh has several pacers in the 188–191 cm band who are steadily learning to use bounce and hard lengths.

Tallest vs shortest: a game of contrasts

Cricket has room for both the towering and the compact. A short batter facing a tall bowler often prefers to play square—cuts, pulls, and ramps—letting the bounce work for them. Conversely, a tall batter might drop the blade onto yorkers more easily, but can be cramped by skiddy hip-height deliveries.

On the bowling side, shorter seamers create skid and hustle. Taller seamers create hip- and shoulder-high dilemmas. The ball’s entry angle is different, the response footwork is different, and so are the safe scoring options. The shortest cricketers in history, like Tich Freeman and Tich Cornford in the early days or Kruger van Wyk more recently, remind us that balance, timing, and skill can eclipse any vertical disadvantage.

Does height equal speed?

No. Speed is a cocktail of fast-twitch musculature, sequencing, braced front leg, hip-shoulder separation, and a late, fast arm. Height can contribute leverage and a longer acceleration arc, but you still need rhythm, alignment, and strength. Many of the fastest bowlers have been mid-height with supreme mechanics. What height delivers reliably is bounce, a steeper seam plane, and larger margin for error on back-of-a-length bowling.

Country-by-country spotlights and anecdotes

West Indies: the art of heavy length

Curtly Ambrose and Joel Garner defined the Caribbean ideal—no theatrics, no fuss. A 201 cm or 203 cm bowler who repeatedly hits a handkerchief three-quarters of the way down creates a shot map skewed to error. The slips are alive. The gully is waiting. That relentlessness still echoes in the way Jason Holder manages fields and lengths.

Pakistan: left-arm rhythm and towering angles

Pakistan’s romance with left-arm pace finds its skyscraper in Mohammad Irfan. For opposing batters, good length felt too short; the back-of-a-length bumper felt like a snorter. Shaheen Afridi then showed how a tall left-armer can be as deadly at the toes as at the throat, using a wristy full ball early and a knife-edged yorker late.

Australia: tall timber and bounce

Australia consistently produces lanky quicks who love chest-high bounce. Billy Stanlake’s best spells scream potential. Bruce Reid is a purist’s joy: left-arm shape from a giddy height, cables of seam nibble in hand.

England and Ireland: early season, heavy air

County mornings are kind to tall seamers. Chris Tremlett’s post-injury rebirth hinged on a simplified run-up and metronomic lengths that kissed the shoulder of the bat. Boyd Rankin could feel unplayable when a Dukes ball zipped from a 203 cm release.

South Africa: long levers, long spells

Marco Jansen has the most modern tall-seamer toolkit: around-the-wicket menace, wrist-behind-the-seam shape, and a yorker he’s using more each season. Morne Morkel’s blowtorch lengths to left-handers became a textbook.

India: tall quicks in a land of skill

The lore says India doesn’t produce giants, but Abey Kuruvilla and Ishant Sharma are reminders that height is present and potent. Ishant’s long career came from skill refinement: wide-of-the-crease angles, scrambled seam, and a tall man’s nip-backer.

New Zealand: top-of-off from the sky

Kyle Jamieson makes Eden Park and the Basin feel like WACA-lite for batters. The ball rears from a length you’d think safe, and his fuller ball has that “down the slope” wobble all tall New Zealanders seem to find.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh: height on slower wickets

On slower Asian decks, tall seamers must adapt. Nuwan Zoysa’s length game shone on days with a gentle breeze and fresh lacquer. Ebadot Hossain learned to create lift even when the pitch didn’t, using shoulder load and a fuller seam presentation.

League snapshots

IPL: The tall toolkit in short bursts

In a tournament where bats swing from ball one, height gives bowlers a margin for error. Jamieson’s hard length at the hip is a dot-ball machine when the surface grips. Holder’s wide yorker from a tall release wins end-overs. Cameron Green’s bounce-even-on-60-metre-square-boundaries changes hit zones.

PSL: Irfan’s silhouette and Afridi’s aura

PSL has seen the world’s tallest put in memorable spells. Afridi’s left-arm thunder remains one of the great league spectacles—angle across, inswinger in, yorker under—everything looks amplified by height.

BBL: bounce, bounce, bounce

Australian venues are a tall seamer’s stage. Billy Stanlake’s bumper feels like it carries the logo toward your eyes; even his cutters climb at you from a different place on the pitch.

Average height in international cricket

Men’s internationals typically cluster around 180–183 cm (5 ft 11 in to 6 ft 0 in). That band is wide enough to accommodate a variety of actions and batting styles. The outliers at 200 cm+ are rare, eye-catching, and often memorable, but great cricket is played across the spectrum. What matters is how a player converts their physiological gifts into repeatable match-winning skills.

Tallest left-arm fast bowlers

Mohammad Irfan — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in): Unique bounce; an outlier even among outliers.
Marco Jansen — 206 cm (6 ft 9 in): Swing, seam, and angles that torment right-handers.
Bruce Reid — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in): Old-school left-arm shape with steep entry.
Reece Topley — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): White-ball specialist who turns angles into wicket balls.
Shaheen Afridi — 198 cm (6 ft 6 in): The model of the modern left-armer who does everything—new ball, middle overs, slog overs.

Tallest cricketers over 2 metres

Mohammad Irfan — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in)
Marco Jansen — 206 cm (6 ft 9 in)
Billy Stanlake — 204 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Joel Garner — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Bruce Reid — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Kyle Jamieson — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Blessing Muzarabani — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Peter George — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Boyd Rankin — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Chris Tremlett — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Curtly Ambrose — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Jason Holder — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Steven Finn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Sulieman Benn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in)

Tallest Indian cricketer

The honor commonly goes to Abey Kuruvilla at approximately 195–196 cm (6 ft 5 in) among Test-capped pacers, with Ishant Sharma at 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) close behind. India has not yet fielded a specialist bowler above 2 meters at international level.

Tallest spinner in international cricket

Sulieman Benn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): The tallest frontline spinner with significant international impact. A left-arm orthodox bowler, Benn was living proof that height can add punch to spin through drop and bounce rather than raw turn alone.

Tallest wicketkeeper in cricket

Among regular international keepers, the tallest cluster around 183–185 cm (6 ft–6 ft 1 in), with Adam Gilchrist at 185 cm often cited as the exemplar of a “tall keeper” who retained superb mobility. Extreme height is uncommon in this role due to the biomechanical demands of staying low for long sessions.

Shortest cricketer in comparison

Historically, names like Tich Freeman and Tich Cornford were tiny by today’s standards, and Kruger van Wyk, at around 145–148 cm, is often cited among the shortest to play Tests. Mushfiqur Rahim, at around 160 cm (5 ft 3 in), has carved out a prolific modern career, reminding us that skill trumps inches.

How height changes specific match scenarios

New ball in Tests: Tall right-armers to right-handers outside off. That corridor of uncertainty is sharper because the ball arrives from a steeper path; you must commit earlier, and deflections carry further.
Spinners to tail batters: Tall spinners bowl from higher and get more top-spin dip. Tailenders, already wary of length, can find the ball kicking into the gloves or popping off pad bat.
Death overs in T20: A wide yorker from a tall bowler is simply longer. Batters must reach further, changing bat swing plane and reducing power. Mix in the hip-high slower bouncer, and the arc shifts again.
Slip catching: Tall first or second slip fielders—Tom Moody was a classic—present a bigger vertical target for deflections. With heavy seamers bowling, it’s priceless.

How we verify heights

Sources: official team sites, ESPNcricinfo player profiles, ICC bios, and, where necessary, reputable interview factoids. Heights occasionally vary by a couple of centimeters across sources due to rounding, outdated measurements, or footwear effects in media-day photos.
Approach: when in doubt, we prefer the height listed on ESPNcricinfo or the most recent national board roster. For league profiles, franchise media guides are used when publicly available.
Note on updates: active players can list different numbers across competitions. When a discrepancy exists, we cite the most conservative figure.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the tallest cricketer in the world?

Mohammad Irfan of Pakistan, 216 cm (7 ft 1 in), is the tallest cricketer to play international cricket.

Who is the tallest cricketer ever?

Mohammad Irfan is widely acknowledged as the tallest ever at international level.

Who is the tallest current international fast bowler?

Marco Jansen, 206 cm (6 ft 9 in), and Kyle Jamieson, 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), lead the current generation. Jason Holder at 201 cm and Blessing Muzarabani at 203 cm are also in the two-meter club.

Who is the tallest spinner in international cricket?

Sulieman Benn of the West Indies at 201 cm (6 ft 7 in).

Who is the tallest wicketkeeper in international cricket?

Among regular keepers, the tallest typically fall around 183–185 cm, such as Adam Gilchrist at 185 cm.

Who is the tallest Indian cricketer?

Abey Kuruvilla is commonly listed around 195–196 cm (6 ft 5 in), with Ishant Sharma at 193 cm (6 ft 4 in).

Who is the tallest cricketer in IPL?

The tallest to feature have included Kyle Jamieson at 203 cm, Jason Holder at 201 cm, and Cameron Green at 198 cm.

Who is the tallest cricketer in PSL?

Mohammad Irfan at 216 cm (7 ft 1 in).

Who is the tallest cricketer in BBL?

Billy Stanlake at 204 cm (6 ft 8 in) and Peter George at 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) stand among the tallest to play in the league.

Do taller bowlers bowl faster?

Not necessarily. Height helps with leverage and bounce, but top speed depends more on mechanics, strength, and timing.

Does bounce advantage come from height?

Height provides a higher release and a steeper trajectory, which naturally increases bounce from similar lengths. It’s one of the most reliable weapons tall bowlers carry.

What is the average height of international cricketers?

Men’s internationals typically center around 180–183 cm (5 ft 11 in to 6 ft 0 in).

Tallest cricketers photo and video notes

The most striking visual evidence of height’s impact is the steepness of the seam plane from tall quicks. Watch highlights of Joel Garner’s ODI yorkers or Marco Jansen’s around-the-wicket inswinger to right-handers to appreciate how height changes the geometry of batting.

Tactical takeaways for players and coaches

For tall bowlers:

Own the top of off: Hit it until the batter proves they can leave on line and length.
Use width wisely: Wide yorkers from a tall release are more effective and harder to reach.
Add a slower bouncer: With your bounce, a well-disguised slower bumper draws mistimed hooks and top edges.

For batters vs tall bowlers:

Adjust your trigger: Slightly deeper back-and-across triggers buy time against a steep back-of-a-length ball.
Keep the blade vertical: Cross-batted hits against height risk splice and glove; vertical-batted drives and late cuts are safer early.
Pick the arc early: Tall bowlers telegraph late shape; lock into either covering the inswing or playing inside the outswing.

For tall spinners:

Bowl overspin: Your natural drop is an asset; aim above the eyes and drop it under the bat.
Vary seam axis: A touch more side-spin brings drift; mix it with top-spin to keep bat-pad in play.

For wicketkeepers with height:

Work hip mobility daily: Staying low to spinners is your bread and butter.
Use your reach standing back: High takes are your edge; turn them into run-out chances with fast transfers.

Case studies: how giants shape games

Joel Garner’s ODI death overs

Garner’s yorker wasn’t just accurate; it arrived later than batters expected because of the tall release and late snap. The ball tunneled under bats that were still halfway down. Watching him, you realize that height, when paired with repeatable mechanics, erases margins.

Curtly Ambrose’s seam purism

Ambrose built spells by hammering the same channel until minds melted. From 201 cm, the ball continued rising past the splice, not dipping into the middle. Even defensive prods carried to second slip.

Marco Jansen and the modern left-armer’s puzzle

Around the wicket to right-handers, he can swing it in, angle it across, or just bang it into the hip. From 206 cm, those three deliveries look the same until they don’t. Batters are left choosing between getting outside the line (risking pads) or playing the angle (risking outside edge).

Mohammad Irfan’s Powerplay theatre

There are spells where Irfan’s length creates false shots by merely existing. Batters expect the short ball to climb; what arrives is a good-length ball that acts like a glove-seeking magnet. You either commit fully forward or get pinned to the crease. In white-ball cricket’s narrow decision window, that’s priceless.

A concise “Top 10 tallest cricketers” snapshot

Mohammad Irfan — 216 cm (7 ft 1 in), Pakistan
Marco Jansen — 206 cm (6 ft 9 in), South Africa
Billy Stanlake — 204 cm (6 ft 8 in), Australia
Joel Garner — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), West Indies
Bruce Reid — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), Australia
Kyle Jamieson — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), New Zealand
Blessing Muzarabani — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), Zimbabwe
Peter George — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), Australia
Boyd Rankin — 203 cm (6 ft 8 in), Ireland/England
Chris Tremlett — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in), England

Note: Several others at 201 cm tie for tenth in some lists (Ambrose, Holder, Finn, Benn). The order after Irfan is often presented alphabetically among equal heights.

On the edges of the tall conversation

Peter Siddle — 187 cm (6 ft 2 in): Not among the tallest, but keyword-seekers often stumble here. A reminder: height isn’t destiny. Siddle’s success came from relentlessness and a seam that kept talking.
Steven Finn — 201 cm (6 ft 7 in): His long stride once led to “the Finn rule” for knocking bails off in delivery. Tall fast bowling always has a dance with the laws of physics and the Laws of Cricket.

Why lists differ

Rounding: Some sites list in meters, some in feet/inches; conversions vary.
Media-day posture: Measurements can be casual, with shoes on or off.
Changing rosters: League profiles may lag behind national boards.

If precision matters to you in a debate, quote the most conservative figures from ESPNcricinfo or a national board roster and treat anything else as friendly banter fodder.

Closing reflections: height, skill, and the poetry of angles

Ask any batter who walked out to face a true giant: the crease feels smaller. The length that would normally feel safe suddenly climbs into your gloves. The cover drive you love becomes a risk as the ball rides the seam into the splice. And yet, the beauty of cricket is that height is a gift, not a guarantee. Mohammad Irfan, the tallest cricketer in the world at 216 cm, has bowled unforgettable spells. Marco Jansen at 206 cm breathes menace with every step. Kyle Jamieson’s 203 cm frame makes good batters look mortal. But the wicket tally, the economy rate, the gold-dust spells—they all come from marrying those inches to rhythm, seam, and courage.

The tallest cricketers rewire the geometry of the game. They raise the point of release, deepen the back-of-a-length trap, and expand what “good” means for a bowler’s length and a batter’s response. From Garner’s yorker, Ambrose’s hard length, Irfan’s Powerplay bounce, to Jansen’s around-the-wicket puzzle—height becomes an angle, and angles become pressure.

If you love cricket’s craft, the tall player is a living lesson in physics and nerve. And if you’re hunting the ultimate trivia line for your next watch party, you now have it in one sentence: Mohammad Irfan, 216 cm, Pakistan—tallest cricketer in the world.