Most Destructive Batsman in Onedayer!

[royGilchrist]

After seeing Gilli's ineptitude against spin, I've taken him off almost all lists

Gilchrist's test innings (onslaught is more like it) in Hobart against Pakistan was the single most important reason why Saqlain's impeccable career to that point lost track (permanently?). Before the second innings he was an automatic selection in the team, was being touted as a possible future captain, and had been successful in India which won him many critics. But after the second innings of Hobart he has lost his confidence (the biggest asset for a spinner, Warne, Qadir's biggest assets), and hence his effectiveness as a player.

So, Gilli is not all bad against spin. Its difficult ot be successful againt all types of spinners, in all conditions, all the time, for any player.

 

[full_length]

Yes that's when Saqlain's career went down. But that was more of Saqlain being shown up. He'd been bowling more doosras than offbreaks. Aussies showed their level of preparation for matches when after losing six wickets to Saqlain, they figured out how to read the doosra.
Once Saqlain lost that delivery as a weapon, he had nothing else to offer. At the best of times he was not a great turner of the ball, and he'd not developed well enough the offspinner's stock delivery- the one that turns from off to leg.

Gilli's and Ponting's techniques in India were the worst I've seen from batsmen of that repute. It's not only that he had little success, but that he was simply at sea facing the spinners. Even Mark Waugh had trouble- and he's a good player of spin- but he didnt look so out of place.

 

[full_length]

Originally posted by marc71178

Originally posted by Rik
Although I didn't see his innings thanks to Ch4 not even doing highlights, I'm suprised no one has mentioned Astle...I mean 222 off 153 balls...in a test?

A one-off freak innings, most of which came when NZ needed a lot of runs with only an injured Cairns to bat at the other end. Opportunistm but swallow<>summer

Yeah it was an one-off innings in that he's not likely to do it again. But it shouldnt really have surprised people- Astle is a very aggressive and good batsman.
He's definitely not out of place in this list. I guess batsmen of that quality are bound to have one such dream innings in a lifetime (example- Athers' big knock in SA, Laxman's knock against Aus etc.).

Talking of Astle, what the hell do people see in Craig McMillan? I never thought he was all that good. But NZers seem to have a great opinion of him. Roger Twose on the other hand was a very clever batsman. Is he still playing? He was taking MBA exams in '99 right?!

 

[The Argonaut]

For sheer destruction one can't go past Viv Richards or Graeme Pollock of the past players.

Of the current players -

Gilchrist - though has lost consistency
Afridi - has not shown enough against quality opposition
Jayasuriya - started it all as an attacking opener
Lara - not consistent enough
Tendulkar - still brilliant
Sehwag - best form at moment
Cairns - always injured

These guys are the best but it's hard to keep form and consistency when you attack all the time.

 

[full_length]

"Jayasuriya - started it all as an attacking opener"

Not true.
Srikkanth used to bat like that but that was just Kris.

The guy who really started it off was Sachin himself, in NZ long back. I still remember over by over statistics- they used to read 064460 or something like that quite often. He volunteered to open sometime during the series, and quite deliberately started hitting over the top in the 1st 15 overs. Any match report of those times (for India matches) would read "India got off to a great start with Sachin making a quick 45 and then a few quick wickets fell.."

The guys who did it as a team tactic first were the Kiwis in the 1992 World Cup, when Mark Greatbach had his two weeks of glory. I can't say, but perhaps Martin Crowe got the idea from Sachin's onslaught against his team.

Jayasurya did it most effectively because he scored centuries doing so.
Further, his playing style was such that people simply got intimidated. Jayasurya would hit deliveries bowled outside offstump for six. His unusual playing style, ability to make big scores (he was not simply a slogger), and MOST importantly his teammates made him so successfull.
He didn't start it though..

 

[royGilchrist]

Disclaimer: Im in no way going to make this some twisted and subliminal utterance against India and Indians, so please dont take it that way.

Saqi had been awesome the same year (I think) against India the graveyard of most spinners, so he could not have been suddenly turned off in that innings. Also he did very well in the first innings. If it was Austrailian team's reading of Saqi, then they would have been more successful collectively against him in the whole match and in the second innings the top order should have also played him comfortably. I still say it was an inspired performance by Gilli against a class bowler, very close to his peak, you cant take that extraordinary individual effort away from Gilli.

In India he failed and should be blamed for it. But maybe he is not mature enough to face the gigantic Indian crowds behind the Harb and co. because the crowd support is one of the most important and often overlooked thing in the effectiveness of the Indian team in India.

 

[Marcs]

are we talking who can be at times or who consistently does it????

 

[Marcs]

there are so many options - but i rate alot of aussies well

Shane and Brett Lee
Lehmann
Gilly
Warne (not so good though)

lehmann has the ability to go on with innings at a high SR - this year he made 246 at better than a run a ball

from other countries

Pollock
Jayasuria
Afridi
Kaluwitharana
Powell
Anwar
Akram

 

[full_length]

Very interesting choices indeed!

Why Pollock? So many people have played one odd destructive innings. He hardly belongs to the league of the others discussed, IMO.

I can throw you many domestic cricket records in India. Granted that the general quality in Australian domestic cricket is higher (because they play with something like one fifth the no. of teams that play in India!) but still....

So I take it that all those Aussie names are in due to their domestic records?

 

[Eclipse]

Originally posted by anilramavarma
Among active players:

India - Sachin Tendulkar(86.56), Virendra Sehwag(101.95), Yuvraj Singh(89.93), Saurav Ganguly
Aus - Adam Gilchrist(89.81)
Pak - Inzamam Ul Haq, Shahid Afridi(101.28)
SL - Sanath Jayasuriya(89.56), Aravinda DeSilva(81.19)
SA - Herschelle Gibbs, Lance Klusener(89.84), Jonty Rhodes(80.65)
NZ - Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns(81.52)
WI - Brian Lara, Ricardo Powell(93.06)
Eng - Marcus Trescothick(88.75)

I have mentioned some players who do not have a strike rate > 80, that's because they can be really explosive on their day and so deserve to be included.
Also, I avoided freak stats by some players.

[Edited on 10/1/2002 by anilramavarma]

You left out a few Aussies there what about mat hayden Ricky Ponting and d.martin they all have stk rates almost 80 and can be brilliant on there day gilly is not the only one.

 

[Anoop]

Coming late into this....

Gilchrist, Sehwag and Trescothik are the best, atleast right now.

Sachin does it at periodic intervals.

Astle, Flintoff, Pollock more irregularly.

Viv Richards has to be the best all time!

 

[Eclipse]

As far as over all destructive batsman world wide tests and ODI its deffinatly gilchrist by a long way

The guy avrages 60 in tests with a strike rate of 80 witch is the highest by any test player in history who has made more than 1000 runs. Kapil Dev is second he had a strike rate of 75 in tests.

 

[Kimbo]

Aravinda has only been mentioned once. I saw his little innings the other night... I was impressed, I guess he was only facing Agarkar though. I thought it was cool though- come on hes 36! (sorry eddie, don't mean to make that sound old)

 

[Eclipse]

In his prime arivinda was a great hitter.

 

[Top_Cat]

I always thought that the first guy to do the whole 'hit over the top in the first 15 overs' thing was Navjot Sidhu..............damn fine player, though.

 

[Gotchya]

are we talking who can be at times or who consistently does it????

The one who has made a job off it. Taking the field apart that is.

 

[Neil Pickup]

However, Sanath and Kaluwitharana (I think) were the ones to bring it to the forefront of ODIs at WC 96.

 

[Anil]

Hitting over the top in the 1st 15 overs was successfully practised by Mark Greatbatch of NZ in the '92 WC.

 

[Kimbo]

Yea, I think Greatbatch has been widely credited with starting that way of batting in the first 15.

 

[Gotchya]

Just looking back, I still remember how confused and bewildered i was then at the sight of Greatbatch playing with such abandon. We were used to seing batsmen consolidating and ploding away, such a big change that he made with his strategy, and perhaps the surprise element worked largely for NZ who were very succesful in that tournament.