5 Best ODI Batsmen of All Time

[sumantra]

1. Virat Kohli
2. ABDV
3. Viv Richards
4. Sachin Tendulkar


For no. 5 slot there are many contenders. Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, MSD, Dean Jones and even for that matter, Greg Chappell's name spinning in my mind, is there anyone else you can think of for that number 5 or replace one or two from the top 4?

 

[ankitj]

Tough. I'll go 6 in the order of ODI debuts:

Vivian Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Michael Bevan
MS Dhoni
AB deVilliers
Virat Kohli

That's the elitist of elite club. Can't decide who drops if I have to name 5.

 

[ankitj]

1. Virat Kohli
2. ABDV
3. Viv Richards
4. Sachin Tendulkar


For no. 5 slot there are many contenders. Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, MSD, Dean Jones and even for that matter, Greg Chappell's name spinning in my mind, is there anyone else you can think of for that number 5 or replace one or two from the top 4?

If you are creating a shortlist, you have to add Gordon Greenidge and Zaheer Abbas there.

 

[marc71178]

If you are creating a shortlist, you have to add Gordon Greenidge and Zaheer Abbas there.

And if you’re ranking them in order then you’re very wrong.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

1. Nick Knight

Daylight

2. Tendulkar


... you get the picture!!

 

[S.Kennedy]

Phil Mustard

 

[Gob]

1. Virat Kohli
2. ABDV
3. Viv Richards
4. Sachin Tendulkar


For no. 5 slot there are many contenders. Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, MSD, Dean Jones and even for that matter, Greg Chappell's name spinning in my mind, is there anyone else you can think of for that number 5 or replace one or two from the top 4?

Exactly my list with Dhoni at 5

 

[sumantra]

1. Nick Knight

Daylight

2. Tendulkar


... you get the picture!!

I wouldn't like to get that picture but Nick Knight is a good entry...

 

[Zinzan]

In Order:

1. Viv
2. ABDV
3. Kohli
4. Tendulkar
5. Zaheer Abbas

It's strange Zaheer so often gets overlooked in these discussions. 62 matches is easily enough of a sample to be indicative; and to average 47 and have a SR of 85 in an era the great Gordon Greenidge had a SR of 64 is just unreal. His record is almost the same as Viv's with a slightly inferior SR, and those two were streets ahead of the pack in the 70s and 80s.

 

[RK_123]

Top7 as a batsmen:

Viv
SRT
Ponting
ABDV
Kohli
MSD
Bevan

 

[OverratedSanity]

Viv
Sachin
ABdV
Dhoni
Kohli

Obviously biased but I think there's a legitimate argument for all 3 of Sachin, MS and Kohli in the top 5.

 

[Zinzan]

Doesn't make my top 5, but when thinking about my 6-10 it's easy to forget Amla averages the same as Dhoni (51) & at a marginally superior SR.. and did so from opening/no 3, with only 11 not outs.

Is Amla the Chanderpaul of ODIs?

 

[srbhkshk]

In Order:

1. Viv
2. ABDV
3. Kohli
4. Tendulkar
5. Zaheer Abbas

It's strange Zaheer so often gets overlooked in these discussions. 62 matches is easily enough of a sample to be indicative; and to average 47 and have a SR of 85 in an era the great Gordon Greenidge had a SR of 64 is just unreal. His record is almost the same as Viv's with a slightly inferior SR, and those two were streets ahead of the pack in the 70s and 80s.

It's really not, Hussey was averaging 67 @ 92 after 61 matches, he still retired with a great record but not with those godly numbers.

 

[OverratedSanity]

It's really not, Hussey was averaging 67 @ 92 after 61 matches, he still retired with a great record but not with those godly numbers.

You'd have a point if Hussey had played those 67 matches over a span of 11 years.

 

[Zinzan]

It's really not, Hussey was averaging 60 @ 90 after 70 matches, he still retired with a great record but not with those godly numbers.

Hussey didn't play in the 70s and 80s; and besides Hussey's SR wasn't as far above those in his era as Zaheer's was in against his contemporaries.

 

[Zinzan]

Also there's a decent case for Hussey making a top 15-20 of all time list.

 

[srbhkshk]

You'd have a point if Hussey had played those 67 matches over a span of 11 years.

That's just one aspect of it, it took teams 6-7 years to figure out Kohli's weakness in this digital era, if he played just 5-6 matches each year they probably couldn't have done that. Maybe there was an area where you could bowl where Zaheer finds it easy to defend but hard to score off but you just didn't have enough info to figure that out.

Hussey didn't play in the 70s and 80s; and besides Hussey's SR wasn't as far above those in his era as Zaheer's was in against his contemporaries.

What's 70s and 80s got to do with that? His SR wasn't as much above, but his average was much more above his contemporaries as compared to Zaheer.

 

[Zinzan]

What's 70s and 80s got to do with that? His SR wasn't as much above, but his average was much more above his contemporaries as compared to Zaheer.

You serious? Averages were much lower in the 70/80s compared to this modern era, It has a lot to do with it.

 

[srbhkshk]

You serious? Averages were much lower in the 70/80s compared to this modern era, It has a lot to do with it.

Mate I am talking relative average, not absolute.

 

[ankitj]

This article is a good guide for this thread. Stats from the Past: The best ODI batsmen from across eras | Cricket | ESPNcricinfo

Also, I think Ponting the ODI batsman is a bit overrated on this forum. Jones and Bevan from among his countrymen are clearly superior batsmen. So are arguably 1-2 others. Doesn't fit in top 5 discussion.