GGOATRANK
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Cricket · Bowler · United Kingdom

Sydney Barnes

1894–1930 · 189 Test wickets at 16.43, the best average of any bowler with 150-plus wickets.

Retired
Ranking model

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

Pure sporting data
90.3
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 80.0
Test wickets
189
Test bowling average
16.4
Five-wicket hauls
24
Tests played
27
Best innings figures
9

Category profile

Dominance
94
Peak
96
Longevity
82
Honours
84
Statistics
96

Career timeline · Centuries per year

SeasonCenturies per yearShare of career
190119
19026
190324
190417
190534
190622
190720
190815
190949
191012

Data sources

  • ICC
  • ESPNcricinfo
  • Wisden

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

Why Sydney Barnes ranks #25 in Cricket

Sydney Barnes ranks 25th among Cricket athletes on GOAT Rank and 225th of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 90.3 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 94, Peak 96, Longevity 82, Honours 84, Statistics 96. Those categories are normalised against the full Cricket reference universe of 297 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1894–1930 with 10 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1909, which sets the Peak component at 96. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 96 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes test wickets 189, test bowling average 16.43, five-wicket hauls 24, tests played 27.

Immediately ahead sits Katherine Sciver-Brunt on 90.4, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Viv Richards on 90.2. 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.

Sydney Barnes GOAT Score explained

Dominance94/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Barnes stood above the field while competing. Scored 94/100 against the full Cricket cohort.
Peak96/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1909. Scored 96/100.
Longevity82/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 36 years of competition and 10 recorded seasons. Scored 82/100.
Honours84/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
Statistics96/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 96/100.

Sydney Barnes — frequently asked

Is Sydney Barnes the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Sydney Barnes ranks 25th in Cricket with a GOAT Score of 90.3, behind Don Bradman on 96.8.
What is Sydney Barnes's GOAT Score?
90.3 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 94 (25%), Peak 96 (20%), Longevity 82 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 96 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Sydney Barnes rank all time?
225th of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 25th within Cricket.
Sydney Barnes vs Katherine Sciver-Brunt: who ranks higher?
Katherine Sciver-Brunt, on 90.4 against Sydney Barnes's 90.3 — a margin of 0.1 points.
Compare with Bradman