Greatest Left-Handed
Batsmen of the 90s
Sachin Tendulkar, Aravinda De Silva, Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Inzamamul Haq, Jacques Kallis, the list of right-handed batsmen who have reigned the cricket arena in the 90s is somewhat a long one. Team Predictors here make an effort to describe some of the great left-handed batsmen from each major team of the 90s.
1. Brian Lara(WI)
The West Indian great is
undoubtedly one of the best to ever play cricket for the West Indies. He played
131 Tests for the West Indies. He made 11,953 runs at an average of 52.89. Lara
held the record for the highest ever test score by a batsman, when he scored
375 against England in 1994. He held the record for a long time until Matthew
Hayden of Australia made 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003. But Brian Lara once
again broke the record by scoring a whopping 400 against England in 2004. Lara
played 299 ODI for West Indies and made 10,405 runs at an average of 40.17.
Lara holds the record of scoring the most runs in an over in Test cricket. He
scored 28 runs off an over from the South African spinner Robin Peterson. The
match-winning innings of Lara, where he scored 153* versus Australia in 1999 at
Barbados is regarded by Wisden as the second-best ever test innings.
Brian Lara
2. Sourav Ganguly (IND)
Sourav Ganguly made a
dream entry to the test arena when he scored a century on his debut at Lords in
1996. Sourav Ganguly is considered to be one of the greatest Indian Cricket
team captains. He led India to the semifinals in the 2003 World Cup. Along with
Sachin Tendulkar, he formed a formidable opening pair in ODIs. Ganguly was
known for his big-hitting capabilities. The Southpaw 11,363 runs from 311 ODI
matches at an average of 41.02. In test format, he compiled 7212 runs at an
average of 42.17. Ganguly. Ganguly was known for his dominance on the offside.
Once Rahul Dravid famously remarked that first there is God on the offside and
then there is Ganguly.
Sourav Ganguly
3. Sanath Jayasuriya (SL)
Interestingly, Sanath
Jayasuriya was included in the team as a spinner. But the left-arm spinner
later went on to become the mainstay of Srilankan's batting lineup. The 1996
World Cup saw a new strategy from the Lankan team management, where the openers
Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharna made most of the fielding
restrictions in the first 15 overs. The opening pair went after the bowling and
made quick runs in the initial overs. Sanath, 'The Matara Marauder' was known
for his sweet timing and cut shots. His attacking style of play helped him
dominate any bowlers in the world. He scored 13,430 runs from 445 ODIs at an
average of 32.36. In tests, he scored 6973 runs at an average of 40.07.
Sanath Jayasuriya
4. Saeed Anwar (PAK)
Saeed Anwar is
considered one of the greatest opening batsmen of his era. The Pakistan opener
held the record for the highest ODI individual score when he scored 194 runs
against arch-rival India in 1997. The stylish batsman had a trademark flick
shot. He scored 8,824 runs from 247 ODI at an average of 39.21. In test format,
he scored 4,052 runs at an average of 45.52 in 55 matches. He scored 20
centuries in ODIs and 11 in Tests.
Saeed Anwar
5. Matthew Hayden (AUS)
Even though Matthew
Hayden was picked for Australia's England Tour in 1993, he had to wait till
1994 to play his first test match. Again he got to play his second match in
1996-97 against West Indies. The star-studded Australian batting line-up was
difficult to be intruded into. The imposing left-hander was a prolific run
scorer in the domestic circuit. But he couldn't reciprocate the same in the
international arena in his initial matches. 2001 Indian tour changed the
fortune of Hayden He scored 549 rund from 3 test matches at an average of 109.
Since then he became a regular face in the Australian lineup until his
retirement. Hayden scored 6,133 runs from 161 matches at an average of 43.80.
In 103 test matches, he scored 8,625 runs at an average of 50.73 with the help
of 30 centuries. His highest score of 380 in tests was a record at that time
until Brian Lara surpassed it with 400.
Matthew Hayden
6. Gary Kirsten (SA)
The South African opener
was a prolific run scorer for South Africa before he got into the coaching
field. Gary Kirsten was the first batsman to score centuries against all nine
test-playing nations. From 101 test matches, he scored 7,289 runs at an average
of 45.27, which includes 21 centuries. In the ODI format, he scored 6,798 runs
at an average of 40.95. His highest score in ODI is 188*.
Gary Kirsten
7. Graham Thorpe (ENG)
Interestingly, Graham
Thorpe switched to a left-hand stance in his childhood, because the boundary in
the garden was shorter for a left-hander! Graham Thorpe scored a century in the
second innings of his debut test. He played in 100 test matches for England and
scored 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66, with 200* being the highest score. In
ODI matches, he scored 2,380 runs at an average of 37.18. In ODI he scored 21
half-centuries, but never scored a century. In the test format, he has scored
16 centuries and 39 half-centuries.
Graham Thorpe
8. Andrew Flower (ZIM)
Andrew Flower is
undoubtedly the best batsman, Zimbabwe has ever produced. But often Andy Flower
had to carry the workload of his team entirely on his line shoulders. Andrew
Flower was technically a sound batsman and was ranked 1 in the list of test
batsmen in October 2001. He scored a century on his World Cup debut. Andrew
Flower is considered one of the best wicketkeeper batsmen in Cricket. Andrew
Flower scored 6,786 runs at an average of 35.34 in ODI. In test format, he
scored 4,794 runs at an average of 51.54 in 63 test matches. In the test, he scored
12 centuries and 4 in ODI format.
Andrew Flower
9. Stephen Fleming (NZ)
Stephen Fleming is the
name that automatically comes to mind when the New Zealand cricket team is
mentioned. He is the longest-serving captain for the Kiwis. He captained his
side for 218 ODI matches. In 280 ODI matches, he scored 8,037 runs at an
average of 32.40, with the help of 8 centuries. In 111 test matches, he amassed
7,172 runs at an average of 40.06, with the help of 9 centuries.
Stephen Fleming
Comments
Post a Comment