Being a successful athlete requires pure talent. To represent your country at the highest level of sports requires years of dedication and an extraordinary level of perseverance. There have been some remarkable figures in sports history who are multi-talented and have participated in several different sports. Read on to learn more about cricket & football.
One such exceptional talent who represented India in both cricket and tennis was Cotar Ramaswami, who participated in two international matches in 1936. A few cricket players, outside of India, also played football and set records for the combined number of career goals in these two great sports. Let’s talk about five notable football players who were also cricket players.
Players who played cricket & football:
6. CB Fry:
Charles Burgess Fry was without a doubt the most adaptable athlete the world has ever seen. He was not limited to his success in football and cricket; he was also a standout athlete in rugby union and athletics. After being a cricket player, Fry’s greatest claim to fame is that he once held the world record for the long jump.
That was where Fry stopped. Following his retirement, he got involved in politics when his friend Ranjitsinhji hired him to help him at the newly established League of Nations following World War I. Later, he returned to the UK and joined the Liberal Party, but he was unsuccessful in all three of his major election runs. In addition, there is a legend that he was repeatedly offered the Albanian throne, which he declined.
Fry was a dual international who participated in just one football international and 26 cricket Test matches. After participating in every match leading up to the FA Cup final in 1902 with Southampton, he had his best performance in the beautiful game. In the end, a replay at London’s Crystal Palace saw the Saints lose to Sheffield United in the championship game.
5. Arnie Sidebottom:
In the 1970s and 1980s, Arnie Sidebottom was well-known in England’s domestic scene. In 228 first-class cricket matches, he amassed 4’508 runs and 596 wickets while playing for Yorkshire for eighteen years, from 1973 to 1991. He was given the opportunity to represent England in a Test match against Australia in Nottingham in July 1985. He was never given the chance to play international cricket for his country again after that match.
Arnie played football for Manchester United (MU) prior to joining Yorkshire to play cricket. He played defender for MU from 1972 to 1975 before moving on to Huddersfield Town. In 1979, he made his final football appearance for Halifax Town. In the Times’ 2007 “50 Worst Footballers” poll, he came in at number fifty.
4. Ellyse Perry:
Since making her debut for the Australia Women’s International Cricket Team in 2008, Ellyse Perry has won numerous matches. She has made a name for herself as one of the most successful cricketers in women’s international cricket after a stellar 15-year career.
When Perry played for the Australian women’s football team in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, she wrote history. The loss to Sweden in the quarterfinals marked the end of her team’s journey. But, Perry’s fans will never forget the game because they witnessed her teammate score a goal.
International cricket players representing their country in football was not an uncommon sight in the past. With the demanding schedule involved, it is now nearly impossible to balance two international sporting careers.
Perry, who currently plays for Syndey FC in the W-League, the top professional football league for women in Australia, has represented her nation in four Test matches. She hasn’t indicated that she plans to give up either sport anytime soon.
The 23-year-old has already won two World T20 championships and the ICC Women’s World Cup. In 2011, while playing in the FIFA Women’s World Cup, she scored an incredible goal against Sweden.
It is therefore, to put it mildly, remarkable to witness a modern-day athlete such as Ellyse Perry accomplish it. She began playing football and cricket internationally at the age of sixteen, and she has almost flawlessly balanced both of her careers since then.
3. Denis Compton:
From 1937 until 1957, the late Denis Compton was a vital member of England’s Test team. He played 78 Test matches for England over the course of his illustrious 20-year cricket career, amassing 5807 runs in 131 innings with 17 hundred and 28 fifties. Compton was a talented football player who played for Arsenal, a prestigious team, in addition to being an excellent cricketer.
He played for Arsenal when they won the FA Cup in 1950 and the Football League in 1947–48. If the Second World War hadn’t had a detrimental effect on Compton’s football career, he would have amassed more accomplishments.
Among the all-time greats in English cricket is Denis Compton. In Test cricket, he is one of the few English batsmen with an average above fifty. The former Middlesex captain, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, is one of only 25 batsmen to have scored more than a century centuries in first-class cricket.
Compton had a respectably successful football career at Arsenal, one of the biggest clubs in England, in addition to being a star player for his nation in cricket. He was a winger for the North London team and won the FA Cup in 1950 in addition to winning the league title in 1948. He never participated in an official international football match; this is attributed to the fact that there were no official matches played during World War II.
In 1946, Compton demonstrated his football prowess by running out Vijay Merchant in a cricket match by kicking the ball onto the stumps from mid-on.
2. Sir Vivian Richards:
When he was bowling, Sir Vivian Richards was renowned for making bowlers afraid. The West Indies cricket team experienced success in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to him and his outstanding batting prowess. Having scored over 15,000 runs in all formats for his country, he announced his retirement from international cricket in 1991.
In 1974, the legendary player from the West Indies made his debut abroad. He was also a member of the Antigua team that competed in the 1974 FIFA World Cup qualifying in the same year. In that competition, his team finished the season bottom of the table. Richards was never used by Antigua’s football team after this fiasco.
Since he quit football early to focus on his career as an international cricket player, not much is known about Sir Viv’s football career. However, it is a known fact that he is the only sportsman in history to have represented his country in both World Cup football and cricket (albeit only in the qualifying stages).
The now 62-year-old played football for Antigua and Barbuda in the 1974 World Cup qualifiers in addition to being a member of two World Cup-winning cricket teams (1975 and 1979). With a goal differential of -19, Antigua placed last in their group following defeats of 0–6 against Suriname and 1–11 against Trinidad and Tobago.
Although Richards’ football career may have failed, there aren’t many in history who can match him in cricket. With averages in Test and ODI cricket of 50.23 and 47, respectively, his aggressiveness in the middle of the bat transformed the game of batting.
1. Sir Ian Botham:
In the 1980s, Sir Ian Botham was among the English cricket team’s most devoted employees. With 16 years of international experience under his belt, the skilful all-rounder contributed to the English team’s many victories. It was in 1992 that he ended his distinguished career. The Englishman amassed 5200 runs in 102 Test matches. In 168 innings, he took 383 wickets with the ball.
In 116 One-Day International (ODI) games, he amassed 2113 runs and claimed 145 wickets. He retired as one of England’s greats with these stats. He also participated in 11 contracted games for Scunthorpe United between 1979 and 1985. Moreover, he also made a few appearances for Yeovil Town during those six years.
Many people believe that Sir Ian Botham is the best English cricket player of all time. Also, he became an iconic figure for a generation of English cricket fans in the 1980s when he guided the England team to numerous notable victories, including one at Headingley in 1981, with his fearless style of play.
He played football professionally for a short time, but his cricket career is a story for the ages. He joined Scunthorpe United, a lower league team, in March 1980 and played a total of 11 games for the Irons.
So, this was all about players who played cricket & football. Also read, Top 10 most expensive football transfers in history!
