GGOATRANK
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Cricket · Fast bowler · Barbados

Malcolm Marshall

1977–1996 · 376 Test wickets at 20.94 — statistically the finest fast bowler in history.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
85.6
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 79.6
Test wickets
376
Test matches
81
Test bowling average
20.9
Five-wicket hauls
22
ODI wickets
157

Category profile

Dominance
92
Peak
94
Longevity
82
Honours
86
Statistics
94

Career timeline · Centuries per year

SeasonCenturies per yearShare of career
19783
19795
198012
198121
198233
198350
198458
198542
198635
198741
198830
198924
199015
19917

Data sources

  • ESPNcricinfo
  • ICC
  • Cricket Archive

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Malcolm Marshall ranks #18 in Cricket

Malcolm Marshall ranks 18th among Cricket athletes on GOAT Rank and 196th of 1063 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 89.5 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 92, Peak 94, Longevity 82, Honours 86, Statistics 94. Those categories are normalised against the full Cricket reference universe of 294 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1977–1996 with 14 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1984, which sets the Peak component at 94. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes test wickets 376, test matches 81, test bowling average 20.94, five-wicket hauls 22.

Immediately ahead sits Imran Khan on 87.9, a gap of -1.6 points. Directly behind is Rahul Dravid on 87.1. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Malcolm Marshall GOAT Score explained

Dominance92/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Marshall stood above the field while competing. Scored 92/100 against the full Cricket cohort.
Peak94/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1984. Scored 94/100.
Longevity82/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 19 years of competition and 14 recorded seasons. Scored 82/100.
Honours86/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 86/100.
Statistics94/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 94/100.

Malcolm Marshall — frequently asked

Is Malcolm Marshall the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Malcolm Marshall ranks 18th in Cricket with a GOAT Score of 89.5, behind Sachin Tendulkar on 94.4.
What is Malcolm Marshall's GOAT Score?
89.5 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 92 (25%), Peak 94 (20%), Longevity 82 (20%), Honours 86 (20%), Statistics 94 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Malcolm Marshall rank all time?
196th of 1063 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 18th within Cricket.
Malcolm Marshall vs Imran Khan: who ranks higher?
Malcolm Marshall, on 89.5 against Imran Khan's 87.9 — a margin of 1.6 points.
Compare with Tendulkar