The "Six Giants of the Wisden Century" are six cricketers who were judged by Sir Neville Cardus in 1963 to have been the most notable players of the previous 100 years. Cardus made his selection at the request of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for its 100th annual edition published that year.

Selection

In alphabetical order, the six players selected were:

Alternatives

Cardus was aware that any such selection would be controversial, for he wrote: "I can already hear in my imagination a thousand protesting voices (including my own)". He then named over a dozen other players that he had considered for the honour: Given that Cardus was making the choice, the omission of Rhodes is the biggest surprise. In another place, Cardus has written that he would "bend any rule to ensure that Wilfred is in my team". Cardus explained that he had looked for more than brilliant batting and artful bowling. He wanted players who, in addition to scoring runs and taking wickets, "have given to the technique and style of cricket a new twist, a new direction". In other words, he wanted not just great players but creative players (Cardus used the italics himself).

Rationale

His stated reasons for each of the six choices included the following comments: