Your 5 top oneday batsmen for the last 10 overs

[Zinzan]

How on earth can someone include the name of a player on the basis of just ONE INNINGS?????????? this is beyond me

If you are referring to Afridi as the player I've selected on just "ONE INNINGS", then I can only assume that you haven't watched much cricket.

Sure he only averages 23 in ODI's and sure he's inconsistent.
However I did point out when selecting my top 5 batsmen for the slog overs, that I was assuming the players were at their absolute best.

Now here's a few facts and a reminders about Afridi at his best.....

* Has the fastest ODI century in history off 37 balls.

* Is the only batsman to have scored an ODI fifty in less than 23 balls more than once. Afridi has done this THREE TIMES.

*His incredible Career strike rate of 104.08 is easily the best career strike in ODI's for batsmen scoring more than 1000 runs.

*Is the only batsman in ODI history to have both scored over 1000 runs and to have a career strike rate of over 100 ! Afridi has currently scored over 4000 runs.

*Has the 2nd most sixes in ODI's history.He has hit 180 sixes in 184 innings second to Jayasuriya who has 188 sixes in 325 innings.

I would have thought that the above achievements were based on more than just "ONE INNINGS".

How you can suggest me including Afridi in my top 5 for the slog overs as "beyond-you" is beyond me.

 

[bryce]

You say that, but I wouldn't say any of Cairns, Flintoff, Razzaq or Klusener have that much improvisation about them.

you'd be suprised - cairns has added alot of improvisation to his game recently

 

[Eclipse]

Ganguly, once he gets past 100 deserves a mention. There was an innings he played in the 1999 World Cup which sticks in the mind where he hit nearly every ball straight down the ground regardless of where the ball pitched.

That can be said for alot of top order batsman.. Ponting is the same we have seen him really hit out well in One day matches before.

 

[apartheid smash]

Bevan Bevan Bevan

 

[Arjun]

• Flintoff
• Razzaq
• Pollock
• Dravid
• Symonds

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

In no particular order:

Symonds
Flintoff
Razzaq
Afridi
Lara

 

[SJS]

Sehwag
Lara
Afridi
Symonds
Habibul Bashar

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Mine only spelt "sfral".

 

[SJS]

Mine only spelt "sfral".

I tried to include Ponting and Cairns and it was a disaster so I switched to Habibul

Sehwag
Cairns
Razzaq
Afridi
Ponting

It became worse when I removed Sehwag from the above

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

You could have just used Hayden instead of Habibul Bashar.

 

[Josh]

Gilchrist
Bevan
Lara
Jayasuriya
Cairns

 

[tooextracool]

carines isnt past his best he playing the best cricket in is life at the moment
and you should never doubt carines

certainly doesnt explain why his average has dropped steadily since 01/02....

 

[Arrow]

As has been said already, id go with razzaq as the best but he really needs to be set for a while before he can tee off unlike most other hitters. Hes probably the most viscious striker ive ever seen. He weilds that bat like a baseball and when hes goes nuts he can hit sixes at will. Very few can do that.
Ive never forget when he went beserk against NZ last year and scored 89 from 40 balls.

 

[imranrabb]

Razzaq is number one definatly.I remember lots of knocks which have increased pakistans total from 150 or 170 to 280 in the last ten overs.One that springs to mind was his 81 off 40 which nearly won pak the game from a lost position

 

[The Baconator]

Cairns
Razzaq
Klusener
Bevan
Symonds

 

[Steven2106]

Razzaq is number one definatly.I remember lots of knocks which have increased pakistans total from 150 or 170 to 280 in the last ten overs.One that springs to mind was his 81 off 40 which nearly won pak the game from a lost position

I would put Flintoff ahead of Razzaq and any of the other big hitters. Razzaq has only hit 75 sixes in 153 ODI innings and a strike rate of 79 whilst Flintoff has already hit 73 sixes in just 71 innings and has a strike rate of 93. Also Freddie is averaging 35 to Razzaq's 30, so he scores faster and is more consistent.

None of the other middle order batsmen mentioned can match Freddie for big hitting and fast scoring at the end of an ODI innings. He is the only player who averages more than 1 six per innings and has a better strike rate than Cairns, Razzaq, Klusener, Symonds. Afridi has a higher strike rate but has played most of his innings as an opener.

 

[Zinzan]

I would put Flintoff ahead of Razzaq and any of the other big hitters. Razzaq has only hit 75 sixes in 153 ODI innings and a strike rate of 79 whilst Flintoff has already hit 73 sixes in just 71 innings and has a strike rate of 93. Also Freddie is averaging 35 to Razzaq's 30, so he scores faster and is more consistent.

None of the other middle order batsmen mentioned can match Freddie for big hitting and fast scoring at the end of an ODI innings. He is the only player who averages more than 1 six per innings and has a better strike rate than Cairns, Razzaq, Klusener, Symonds. Afridi has a higher strike rate but has played most of his innings as an opener.

Poor rational. As Cairns has both a better career strike rate than Razzaq and has hit more sixes (as well as a better ratio of sixes per match).

Also it should be noted that Cairns has been playing international cricket since 1989...a period when batting strike rates weren't nearly as good. I'd suggest Cairns strike over the last 5 years or so would be closer to 100.

 

[Zinzan]

Apologies....miss read the above. thought you were suggesting Razzaq was a better option than Cairns.

On Flintoff compared with Cairns. As I stated above, Flintoff has played his one-day cricket to date in an era where batting strike rates are a lot higher than the late 80s early 90s when Cairns started to play oneday cricket.

Also with the way pitches are these days, I'm sure most would agree that more sixes are struck these days compared to the late 80s and early 90s.

I think the only fair way of comparing the 2 players stats is to find out Cairns' strike rate and ratio of sixes per innings in the period since Flintoff has been playing ODI's. I'd be very surprised if Cairns doesn't have both a better strikerate and a better ratio of sixes hit than Flintoff in this period.

If you want an example as to how batting strike rates are much higher these days. Just look at some of the great batsmen of the past ODI records.

The great Gordon Greenidge for example had a ODI's strike rate of 64 per 100 balls. This would be considered slow these days.

Personally I'd take Cairns of Over-rated and over-hyped Flintoff in day.


Each to their own I say. However, you must look at all factors before make assumptions like this purely based on stats. Particularly when comparing players from different eras.

 

[Jono]

Ganguly, once he gets past 100 deserves a mention. There was an innings he played in the 1999 World Cup which sticks in the mind where he hit nearly every ball straight down the ground regardless of where the ball pitched.

That innings was amazing. He was absolutely smashing every ball. Murali, Vaas, anyone. His partnership with Dravid was huge.

I remember him needing to hit two 6s of the last two balls of the innings to break Anwar's record. He again went to hit it straight, but hauled out.

 

[Fiery]

From a kiwi perspective, for pure slogging entertainment there was no one better than Chris's Dad Lance. Watching him bat was forking great!
I wanted to be him as a kid. Paddles was great to watch too and Ian Smith scored his runs at a run a ball too but he would cut everything even if it was pitched 6 feet outside leg.