In cricket, most players are right-handed. But sometimes, a left-handed batsman comes along who is very special. Left-handers look very graceful and stylish when they bat. They can be very hard to bowl to.
Over many years, there have been some amazing left-handed players. This list is about the ten best left-handed batsmen in the history of cricket. We have ranked them based on their runs, how they changed the game, and how special they were to watch.
Let’s look at the top 10 left-handed legends.
10. Alastair Cook (England)
Sir Alastair Cook was a perfect example of a great Test batsman. His main job was to open the batting, which is very hard. He was very focused and never gave up.
He is famous because he scored more Test runs than any other left-handed batsman in history. For more than 10 years, he faced the best bowlers in the world and scored lots of runs.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Test Average | Hundreds |
| 2006-2018 | 161 Tests | 12,472 | 45.35 | 33 |
9. Sourav Ganguly (India)
Sourav Ganguly was known as the “God of the Off-Side” because his shots on that side of the field were beautiful. He was a very graceful but also an aggressive batsman. But Ganguly was more than just a great batsman.
He was also a great captain who made the Indian team strong and taught them how to win in other countries. He and Sachin Tendulkar were one of the best opening pairs in ODI cricket.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Hundreds | Wins as Captain |
| 1992-2008 | 424 | 18,575 | 38 | 76 |
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8. Matthew Hayden (Australia)
Matthew Hayden was a very strong and powerful batsman. He looked scary to the bowlers. He used his height and strength to hit the ball very hard. For some time, he held the record for the highest score in a Test match with 380 runs. He was a key player in Australia’s best-ever team and won many matches for them.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Hundreds | Top Score |
| 1994-2009 | 273 | 15,066 | 40 | 380 |
7. Adam Gilchrist (Australia)
Adam Gilchrist, also called “Gilly,” completely changed the job of a wicket-keeper. Before him, keepers were just for catching the ball. But Gilchrist was an amazing batsman who could hit the ball very hard.
He would come in to bat near the end and score runs so fast that he would win the game for his team very quickly. His fast hundred in the 2007 World Cup final showed how great he was in big matches.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Hundreds | Catches/Stumpings |
| 1996-2008 | 396 | 15,461 | 33 | 905 |
6. Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka)
Sanath Jayasuriya changed ODI cricket forever. In the 1996 World Cup, he showed everyone a new way to bat in the first few overs.
He attacked the bowlers from the very first ball and scored runs very quickly. Now, every team tries to do this. He was not just a great batsman but also a very good bowler who took over 400 wickets. He was a true all-round superstar.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Wickets | Hundreds |
| 1989-2011 | 586 | 21,032 | 440 | 42 |
5. Graeme Smith (South Africa)
Graeme Smith was a true leader. He became the captain of South Africa when he was only 22 years old. As a batsman, he was not the most stylish, but he was very strong and brave. He was one of the best opening batsmen ever.
He was a master at scoring runs in the last innings of a match to help his team win. He was a tough and respected player all over the world.
| Lived | Matches | Test Runs | Test Hundreds | Captain in Tests |
| 2002-2014 | 117 | 9,265 | 27 | 109 |
4. Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
Kumar Sangakkara was a very classy and graceful batsman who scored runs all the time. For 15 years, he was the main player for the Sri Lankan team. His stats are amazing. He has scored the second-most runs in all of cricket history.
His cover drive was beautiful to watch. He could score runs in any country against any team, which makes him one of the best ever.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Hundreds | Test Average |
| 2000-2015 | 594 | 28,016 | 63 | 57.40 |
3. Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies)
Sir Garry Sobers is called the greatest all-rounder in cricket history. This means he was great at everything batting, bowling, and fielding. But even if we only look at his batting, he was still one of the best.
He was a very graceful and powerful batsman. When he scored his first hundred in a Test match, he went on to score a massive 365 runs, which was a world record.
| Lived | Matches | Test Runs | Test Wickets | Test Average |
| 1954-1974 | 93 | 8,032 | 235 | 57.78 |
2. Brian Lara (West Indies)
Brian Lara was a pure genius. Many people say he was the most exciting batsman to watch. He had a very high backlift and could hit the ball anywhere he wanted.
Lara loved to score very big and break records. He is the only player in history to score 400 runs in a single Test match. When Brian Lara was batting, it was like watching magic.
| Lived | Matches | Runs | Hundreds | Top Test Score |
| 1990-2007 | 430 | 22,358 | 53 | 400* |
1. The Best Left-Hander: It’s a Tie!
It is too hard to pick just one player as the number one. Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara were both amazing in different ways.
- Brian Lara was a genius who could do things no other player could.
- Kumar Sangakkara was a master of scoring runs all the time and his stats are better.
So, they both share the number one spot as the greatest left-handed batsmen of all time.
Q1: Which left-handed batsman has scored the most runs?
A: Kumar Sangakkara from Sri Lanka has scored the most runs in all of international cricket for a left-hander. He scored 28,016 runs.
Q2: Is it better to be a left-handed batsman?
A: It can be a small advantage. Bowlers are used to bowling to right-handers, so a left-hander can upset their plans. Also, when a left-hander and right-hander bat together, it makes it hard for the fielders to be in the right place.
Q3: Why isn’t a great player like Allan Border on the list?
A: Allan Border from Australia was a fantastic and tough left-handed batsman and captain. It is very hard to pick only 10 players, and the ones on this list had slightly bigger records or impact on the game. But Allan Border is also a true legend.
Q4: Who is the best left-handed batsman playing today?
A: As of July 2025, players like Rishabh Pant from India, who is very exciting to watch, is one of the best left-handers playing cricket now.
