Top 10 Shortest Cricketers in the World

Sunil Gavaskar faced the fastest bowling attacks in the sport’s history West Indies at their most terrifying standing barely taller than the stumps he defended. Height might help a fast bowler generate bounce, but at the crease, it’s never been a prerequisite for greatness.

Shortest Cricketers in the World

1) Kruger van Wyk — 150 cm

New Zealand

The shortest cricketer to play international cricket, van Wyk made his mark as a wicketkeeper-batsman for New Zealand between 2012 and 2013. His compact frame belied genuine agility behind the stumps, and he built a reputation for anchoring the lower order with the bat despite a brief international career.

2) Tich Cornford — 152 cm

England

Cornford’s nickname made no secret of his stature. Playing for England through the 1920s and 30s, he built a reputation on sharp reflexes and reliable glovework, remaining one of the shortest players ever to represent the country at international level.

3) Tich Freeman — 157 cm

England

England’s other “Tich” on this list, Freeman was a leg-spinner whose small frame did nothing to limit his effectiveness — he remains one of the leading wicket-takers in first-class cricket history, with more than 3,000 wickets to his name across a career centered on the 1920s and 30s.

4) Mushfiqur Rahim — 160 cm (tied)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s former captain and one of the most decorated batters the country has produced, Mushfiqur became the first Bangladeshi player to score a Test double century, a landmark achievement in the country’s cricketing history. His compact stature never limited his ability to compete against the sport’s best fast bowling attacks over a long international career.

4) Parthiv Patel — 160 cm (tied)

India

India’s youngest-ever Test wicketkeeper at the time of his debut, Patel built a long international career on agility behind the stumps and an aggressive batting style, representing India from the early 2000s through the late 2010s across a career that also included a lengthy stint as a franchise captain in the IPL.

4) David Boon — 160 cm (tied)

Australia

Boon’s stocky, compact build belied genuine power and one of the gutsiest techniques of his generation. A key contributor to several Ashes series wins through the 1980s and 90s, he remains one of the most beloved figures in Australian cricket history, his stature only adding to his reputation as a battler.

4) Gundappa Vishwanath — 160 cm (tied)

India

“Vishy” was renowned for timing rather than power, an elegant stroke-maker who built his reputation against the toughest fast-bowling attacks of the 1970s. His technique and composure at the crease made him one of India’s most admired batters of his generation, height notwithstanding.

8) Mominul Haque — 161 cm

Bangladesh

A Test specialist who has become a genuine pillar of Bangladesh’s middle order, Mominul captained the Test side from 2019 to 2022, including the team’s historic win in New Zealand in 2022, before stepping down and settling into a role as one of the squad’s most consistent senior batters — he remains Bangladesh’s third-highest Test run-scorer and the only Bangladeshi batter to score more than five centuries at a single venue.

9) Sunil Gavaskar — 163 cm (tied)

India

The “Little Master” stood barely taller than some of the stumps he defended, yet became the first batter in history to reach 10,000 Test runs, facing the most fearsome fast-bowling attacks of his era, including the West Indies pace quartet at their peak, without flinching. His technique against fast bowling remains a benchmark studied by Indian batters to this day.

9) Prithvi Shaw — 163 cm (tied)

India

Once regarded as one of Indian cricket’s brightest young talents after a blistering start to his Test career in 2018, Shaw’s trajectory has taken a difficult turn in recent years — he hasn’t featured for India since 2021, went unsold in the 2025 IPL auction, and has been working to rebuild his fitness and form through domestic cricket with Maharashtra, a reminder that early promise in the sport doesn’t always translate into a sustained international career.

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