The Guardian has assembled a panel of 51 judges to select the 100 greatest players in the history of the men's Ashes, with the top 10 to be unveiled on Friday. The list, published over four days, aims to settle debates about legends such as Don Bradman, Sydney Barnes, and Jimmy Anderson.
The judging panel includes former players Ashley Giles, Steven Finn, Simon Katich, and Damien Fleming, alongside Guardian columnist Mark Ramprakash. Also contributing are historian Tom Holland, ex-England selector Geoff Miller, commentator Alison Mitchell, and renowned cricket writers Vic Marks, Matthew Engel, and Gideon Haigh.
Each judge ranked their top 50 players, with points awarded from 50 for first place down to one for 50th. To ensure balance, judges had to include at least 15 players from each country and five from each of five eras: pre-1914, interwar, 1945-1974, 1975-1999, and 2000 onwards. Ties were broken by number of votes, then highest individual ranking.
The results will be published from Tuesday to Friday, with the full voting breakdown and select XIs revealed alongside the top 10. The Guardian emphasises that this is a snapshot based on 51 opinions, acknowledging the infinite possible lists for cricket's greatest rivalry.
