In this week's Top Ten Cricket special we're looking at the greatest Test all-rounders of all time - and once again, these players virtually pick themselves.

The all-rounder is a special breed, and is such a vital part of any side. They are called on to go out and score the runs, and then follow that up by taking the wickets (or vice verse) - there's no rest from responsibility for them during a match.

It is for this reason they are possibly the most important factor when it comes to selecting a side, balance-wise.

We've decided to leave out wicket keepers, and focus on 'true' all-rounders, but don't despair - we'll look at the best keepers in the weeks ahead.

So here are the Top Ten all-rounders of all time:

10. Daniel Vettori (New Zealand): 85 Tests, 2898 runs, 27.60 average; 271 wickets, 33.39 average (and counting)
Vettori has only recently established himself as an all-rounder - for so long he was just a bowler who could bat a bit. Now, he is still a fantastic spin bowler, but also a very useful lower order batsman. His batting style is slightly unusual, but he is very creative and has gone on to score some very useful runs over the past couple of years. He is still very much a bowler who can bat, but as time goes on we think he will emerge as one of the great all-rounders. He's approaching the 3000 runs-300 wickets mark, and that says it all.

9. Chris Cairns (New Zealand): 62 Tests, 3320 runs, 33.53 average; 218 wickets, 29.40 average
One of cricket's biggest hitters of all time. Cairns was an aggressive batter who could go out and score runs very quickly - usually by smashing the ball over the boundary - and he'd then go and rip through a batting lineup with the ball. His career was shortened due to injury, which unfortunately meant we didn't get to see as much of him as we would have liked, but he will go down as one of New Zealand's greatest cricketers - and indeed one of the best all-rounders.

8. Andrew Flintoff (England): 70 Tests, 3494 runs, 32.35 average; 206 wickets, 32.21 average (and counting)
Flintoff has established himself as one of England's best players with both bat and ball, and despite being injured for long periods of his career he has produced some outstanding figures. He is a very aggressive batsman capable of smashing the ball out of the ground, and is equally aggressive with the ball in hand. If he can overcome his injury problems, he could fast become one of the greatest all-rounders of all time. For now, though, we'll keep him at eight.

7. Wasim Akram (Pakistan): 104 Tests, 2898 runs, 22.64 average; 414 wickets, 23.62 average
Like Vettori, Akram was more known for his attacking bowling (he easily made our Top Ten bowlers list), but he could also be very handy batting down the order for Pakistan. While he may not have been as reliable with the bat as Cairns or Flintoff, you always knew he posed a very real threat with the ball at the top of the innings. And, you couldn't write off his batting - he'd often save Pakistan by smashing quick-fire runs late in their innings. Even the best bowlers in the world had to be weary of Akram with the bat in his hand.

6. Shaun Pollock (South Africa): 108 Tests, 3781 runs, 32.31 average; 421 wickets, 23.11 average
We felt a bit guilty that we couldn't fit Pollock on our Top Ten bowling list, but there's no chance of us leaving him off the all-rounder list. He is indeed a fantastic bowler, and was for such a long period of time, and he was also a fine attacking weapon down the order with the bat. You wouldn't think it to look at him, but he could smash the ball a long way. He wasn't just a slogger, either - he could just as easily guide the ball through the field with excellent timing. He was a real handful for any side.

5. Imran Khan (Pakistan): 88 Tests, 3807 runs, 37.69 average; 362 wickets, 22.81 average
One of only six players to ever score an all-rounders triple - 300 wickets and 3000 runs. Khan dominated the game for two decades, and is regarded as one of Pakistan's greatest ever players - he really does symbolise what an all-rounder is all about. He was equally adapt at batting as he was at bowling, too - there wasn't really a weak point to his game. Also one of the greatest captains of all time.

4. Jacques Kallis (South Africa): 123 Tests, 9761 runs, 55.46 average; 240 wickets, 31.22 average (and counting)
Kallis is one of the best batsmen to play the game, and he is also a great bowler who is often overlooked for his bowling abilities. He broke onto the scene as a top order batsman, but over time he became one of South Africa's top order bowlers. His pace may have slowed down over time, as most fast bowlers do, but he can still create a few problems for batsmen with the ball. We don't really have to mention his batting - an average of over 55 speaks for itself.

3. Sir Ian Botham (England): 102 Tests, 5200 runs, 33.54 average; 383 wickets, 28.40 average
The business end of the list. 'Beefy' was one of the most competitive cricketers, and it's no wonder he became one of the greatest all-rounders. Like Cairns he was a big hitter of the ball, and he liked to score runs quickly - making him very hard to bowl to. Bowling wise, he still holds the England record for wickets taken. His career may have been filled with controversy, but we still think he was one of the most entertaining players to play the game.

2. Sir Richard Hadlee (New Zealand); 86 Tests, 3124 runs, 27.16 average; 431 wickets, 22.29 average
Hadlee was to New Zealand what Botham was to England - but without the controversy. Hadlee is easily one of the best bowlers on the list, second only to Akram. He really could swing a game in New Zealand's favour with the ball, ripping through some of the best batsmen of the time. He could also score runs with the bat, and is one of the six players to hold an all-rounder's triple.

1. Sir Garfield Sobers (West Indies): 93 Tests, 8032 runs, 57.78 average; 235 wickets, 34.03 average
Like Kallis, Sobers is probably more regarded for his batting - but there's no denying his ability with the ball. What made him even more dangerous as a bowler was that he could bowl pace or spin, which not many players can claim to be able to do. He may not have the most runs or the most wickets, but what makes him our number one choice is the fact that he could win the game with both the ball and bat. We never got to see him play, but from all accounts they don't come much better that Sobers.

We have to give a special mention to three players who came so close to making the list, but in the end just missed out - Jacob Oram, Lance 'Zulu' Klusener and Chris Gayle. Three fantastic players that could/can be absolutely thrilling to watch!

Photo's from Flickr - kp-snap (Chris Cairns), mugley (Andrew Flintoff)