ESPNCricinfo in its World Cup
special edition of the Cricket Monthly is going to adjudge the Greatest ODI Cricketer of all times. The 50-member strong jury in charge of undertaking this
colossus task includes legendary cricketers, eminent commentators, journalists and
authors. There is also a poll to gauge public opinion on the subject. It won’t
be surprising if the two results don’t come out to be the same. The
shortlisting of 5 cricketers (Wasim Akram, MS Dhoni, Adam Gilchrist, Viv
Richards and Sachin Tendulkar) to choose from in itself would have been
overbearing. Many would be surprised to see names like Ricky Ponting, Brian
Lara, Michael Bevan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Gordon Greenidge, etc. missing. Had the
list been 10 candidates long, it definitely would have included some of those
names.
Following the game closely for
almost 20 years now, I have had an opportunity to watch all of the selected
candidates at their peak but one – Sir
Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards. The name itself is imposing. Having
watched numerous footages of his batting on YouTube or on TV in programs like
Cricket Classics, I feel like I have watched him play in his heyday. The story
on ESPNCricinfo would tell you enough about how his strike rate and average
were way ahead of his time. But Richards was beyond numbers; he was an
intimidating personality, in almost every aspect of his game. From the famous
stroll out into the middle to the way he hammered the best bowlers in the world
all over the park, his swagger was unmatched. One of finest players of the hook
shot against the mightiest fast bowlers of the era (viz. Imran, Lillee,
Thomson, Botham, Hadlee, Kapil), he never wore a helmet. If anyone could be
called a gladiator on a cricket field, it would be Sir Viv Richards.
The Indian ODI Captain MS Dhoni happens to be the only current
player in the top five. In his rather unique but unconventional way, Dhoni has
achieved as a cricketer what most can only dream about. He is arguably the best
finisher the game has ever seen, rescuing his team from grave situations so
very often and almost every time taking them all the way. The opposition seldom
considers the game won as long as they haven’t seen the back of Dhoni. The
phenomenal success of Indian cricket team since his emergence is a testimony to
the impact he has had on this generation of Indian cricket, particularly in the
shorter formats. Apart from his tremendous skills with the bat, Dhoni has also played
a great part in the Indian success story as a street-smart wicketkeeper and inventive
captain.
Another wicketkeeper in the list
is Adam Gilchrist, also one of the
most fearless batsmen I have witnessed. He was the lynchpin of Australian
outfit during their golden run. He could easily be attributed to be one of the
pioneers who showed the way to a new style of batting at the top of the order
in ODIs. Statistically the most successful wicket keeper batsmen so far,
Gilchrist could change the momentum in favor of Australia in a flash by his
uncanny ability to hit the cricket ball at will. In my view, if you build a
modern day wicketkeeper batsman from ground up, he would probably look and play
like Gilchrist.
The only bowler to make the cut
is none other than the Sultan of Swing, Wasim
Akram. With his pace and swing, he could terrorize any batsman on the
planet. One of the earliest proponents of reverse swing, Akram went on to
become more lethal with experience after cutting down a few miles on the pace
but exercising even greater control with swing. It won’t be a surprise if the
phrase making the ball talk was
coined after his bowling.
Last but certainly not the least
is the epitome of modern day batting – Sachin
Ramesh Tendulkar. Many call him the most complete batsman of his time or
any other. Having started his career at the ripe age of 16 as a flamboyant
lower middle order batsman, he went on to become the best opening batsman of
all time or maybe even the best batsman to play at any position. Having borne
the burden of Indian cricket for so long, he has a record number of batting
records against his name. He would compete against a new generation of the very best players of the world every 5-6 years and yet Tendulkar would invariably top them all in batting.
Like mentioned earlier, it is
very likely that the public opinion might differ from the opinion of the
experts appointed by ESPNCricinfo to pick the best of the best. Owing to the
large number of Indian fans and his God-like following, it should not be
surprising if Sachin Tendulkar garners the most votes from the public. For myself,
to choose one is a battle of mind and heart. While I have myself subscribed to
the notion of Tendulkar as Cricketing God, no cricketer has swayed and captured
my imaginations more than Vivian Richards, the King of Cricket. For once, I
would let mind win over matter and choose the King over the God!
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| Image Source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/843863.html |
