Greatest ODI Cricketer of all Time

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!

Image Source: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/843863.html