Top 100 in ODI history - 2: Tendulkar, 1: Richards

[sifter132]

#68 - Andy Roberts

Role: RH fast bowler, predominantly taking the new ball. RH bat, most often at #8.

Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Manchester, 1975.
Matches: 56
Wkts: 87
Avg: 20.35
Econ: 3.40

Legacy: Tall, wiry, pacy, hostile...Andy Roberts was the first real star off the West Indian fast bowling production line of the 1970s and 80s. Played World Series Cricket which reduced his career in official ODI cricket by a couple of seasons.

No doubting his quality, but probably those lack of matches damages his rank a bit on this list.

Ian Chappell often recalls Andy Roberts and his 'effort' ball. Usually a bouncer, he'd bowl one normal speed, and then with no discernible change of action he could fire down one a yard quicker.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 4/27 (8) vs England, Lord's, 1976. England were 4/47 chasing 222 after Roberts had ripped out the first 4 with some fearsome fast bowling. Randall got them close with a great innings, but WI held out for the win.
2) 5/22 (10) vs England, Adelaide, 1980. Got Brearley at the top then took all 4 of England's 4/11 collapse midway through their chase of 247. Easy win for WI as a result.
3) 3/15 (10) vs Australia, Sydney, 1982. Australia ended up getting home in this game, but Roberts was honoured as Man of the Match for his 'splendid' bowling, according to Wisden.

Highlights:

#67 - Martin Crowe

Role: RH batsman, usually at #3 or #4. Occasional RH medium pace.

Debut: vs Australia, Auckland, 1982.
Matches: 143
Runs: 4704
Avg: 38.55
S/R: 72.63
Wkts: 29
Avg: 32.89
Econ: 4.41

Legacy: Probably the most talented batsman New Zealand has ever produced, Crowe could play all the shots and had the aggression necessary to do well in ODI cricket. Much like NZs most recent world class talent, Chris Cairns, Crowe's career was dogged by various injuries. Was only 33 at retirement and missed quite a few matches during his career as well.

Was player of the World Cup in 1992 when New Zealand surprised everyone and made it to the semi-finals (it's since become customary for NZ to make the semis and lose...:P). Crowe was captain for that tournament and made some noteworthy tactical moves: famously opening the bowling with spinner Dipak Patel; and promoting the 'pinch-hitting' Mark Greatbatch to open.

Over his career Crowe won 19 Man of the Match awards in 143 ODIs, one of the best ratios in history.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 93* (74) & 1/36 (6) vs England, Manchester, 1986. Crowe showed England his prodigious talent, cruising to 50 off 61 balls before unleashing at the end of the innings to help NZ to 284 off their 55 overs. But Gooch and Athey had a big partnership for England and knocked off the runs, Crowe bowling out Mike Gatting in the process.
2) 81* (81) vs West Indies, Auckland, 1992. World Cup of 92 and this was an important win for the Kiwis. Greatbatch's 63 helped set up the chase, but Crowe's quick innings helped NZ home with 9 balls to spare despite a lack of help lower down the order.
3) 91 (83) vs Pakistan, Auckland, 1992. World Cup semi-final this time and Crowe took control of the Kiwi innings. But in going for a quick single, Crowe pulled his hamstring and had to bat with Greatbatch as his runner and ultimately was runout (as is so often the case with runners). Even so, NZ's total of 262 looked enough with the RR for Pakistan getting over 8 at one stage in their reply. Enter Inzamam-ul-Haq and his 60 off 37 balls with some help from Moin Khan and Javed Miandad. The Kiwi dream ended there.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

Match fixing alert...look away now if you are offended





#66 - Saleem Malik

Role: RH middle order bat, spending time all through the order from #3-#6 (most runs at #5, best average at #4, most 100s at #3, best S/R at #6). RH slow mediums/leg spin, part time to start but bowled more in his later years.

Debut: vs West Indies, Sydney, 1982.
Matches: 283
Runs: 7170
Avg: 32.88
S/R: 76.41
Wkts: 89
Avg: 33.24
Econ: 5.06

Legacy: Hmm, yes match fixing would be high on the list. Was the first player banned from cricket for match fixing in 2000 for trying to bribe Shane Warne and Mark Waugh to lose a Test match. Since then he's had his life ban lifted - we may see him in cricket again in some form.

Malik's overall numbers aren't spectacular, but there was a time in the late 80s when Malik was one of the world's best ODI batsman. From 87/88-90/91, Malik made 2513 runs @ 39.89 with S/R of 88.18 - excellent for the era. Batting wise, Malik was known for his stylish play with a bias for square of the wicket play, strong wrists and his cool head in run chases. He loved to step forward to smack through the covers, or lots of sweeping to the spinners.

Malik picked up bowling more seriously in the middle of his career. The highlight was in the 4 team Sharjah tournament of 1994 where Malik was equal 2nd on the wicket taking list (equal with Shane Warne, oh dear...) taking 9 wickets in his 4 matches there.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 72* (36) vs India, Kolkata, 1987. Stunning chase by Malik. Came in at #7 with 78 needed at more than 10 an over. Malik scored 72 of them, controlling the strike and battering the bowlers, in particular Maninder Singh got punished and Malik also hit Kapil Dev for 5 4s in an over. Pakistan won with 3 balls to spare.
2) 17 (26) & 5/35 (7) vs New Zealand, Lahore, 1990. This time Malik helped win a game with ball, the perfect bowler to destroy NZs middle order as the required run rate was creeping over 6. 3 of the 5 wickets were stumpings! I guess because Malik's slow dobblers looked so inviting (see 2nd vid below).
3) 91* (98) vs West Indies, Lahore, 1990. WI had only set 177 from 39 overs to win, but Pakistan were in trouble at 3/23 vs Ambrose, Bishop and Marshall. Yet Malik was immovable, first steadying the innings and then dominating it. Imran's 32 was the next top score, Pakistan home in the 2nd last over.

Highlights: First is some Test match batting with Basit Ali. 2nd is Malik bowling briefly.

#65 - Jason Gillespie

Role: RH Fast bowler with new ball. RH Bat, most innings at #10.

Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Colomobo, 1996.
Matches: 97
Runs: 289
Avg: 12.56
S/R: 78.53
Wkts: 142
Avg: 25.42
Econ: 4.21

Legacy: One of my favourites bowlers, Gillespie had a smooth approach to the wicket (mullet flowing), a leap, and then he would uncoil with a quick arm action to generate impressive pace. He didn't really swing the ball much, but used to get lots of seam movement - I must have seen Gillespie beating the bat 100s of times over his international career. Had a good slower ball too which helped his success.

Gillespie took a while to break into the Australian ODI team due to injuries and stiff competition for spots, but once he did he was an outstanding performer. From 2001/02 when he cemented his spot, to 2004/05 when he began to lose his edge, Gillespie took 88 wickets in 53 games, at an average of 21.39, with an economy of 3.93. That's similar to the Andy Roberts figures of the other day.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 4/26 (9) vs India, Colombo, 1999. Australia defended 252 comfortably thanks to Gillespie's opening burst. From 1/31 India became 5/44 as Gillespie got Khurasiya, Dravid and Kambli in quick time.
2) 3/20 (9) vs England, Manchester, 2001. Australia made only 208, but England were bundled out for just 86 after Gillespie and McGrath took the first 5/40. Remember staying up to watch this one. Gillespie castled Vaughan first ball with a beauty.
3) 3/13 (10) vs India, Centurion, 2003. 2003 World Cup and some mean, mean bowling by Gillespie against the stacked Indian batting lineup. They were 2/44 when he came on and 7/97 after he bowled his 10 overs straight dismissing Dravid, Tendulkar and Kaif. Easy win for Australia.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#64 - David Gower

Role: LH Bat, mostly at #3.

Debut: vs Pakistan, Manchester, 1978.
Matches: 114
Runs: 3170
Avg: 30.77
S/R: 75.15

Legacy: Graceful, elegant, effortless. These are words synonomous with David Gower's batting. He had a lovely relaxed style and was one of cricket's most watchable batsmen. That style was often his downfall though, ever criticised for lazy looking shots.

Stats wise, Gower had an intriguing career split. Check this for a career of two parts:
part A: 1978-1983: 58 ODIs, 1995 runs @ 41.56, S/R 78.94
part B: 1983/84-1990/91: 56 ODIs, 1175 runs @ 21.36, S/R 69.49

As the numbers show, for the first few years of his career Gower was one of the world's leading ODI batsmen. He scored 6 of his 7 100s in those years and scored at a very healthy rate for that era. He was the highest run scorer at the 1983 World Cup, but after that it all fell away. It's interesting because his Test career has no such disparity in average, both halves are almost identical. Whatever the reason for his decline, we can acknowledge the talent that was David Gower here on this list.

Excellent fielder too, haven't mentioned fielding for a while, but Gower was a good 'un: agile and a good catcher.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 114* (122) vs Pakistan, The Oval, 1978. This was only Gower's second ODI and he celebrated with a fine century. England won the match easily by 94 runs, only one other man passing 50 in the match.
2) 122 (134) vs New Zealand, Melbourne, 1983. Chasing 240, Gower was an opener for the day. But he found little support in the England order, and when Gower fell to Hadlee with 3 overs left, England's lower order couldn't scramble together the runs. NZ won by 2 runs, but Gower was nominated Man of the Match.
3) 158 (118) vs New Zealand, Brisbane, 1983. Two days later and New Zealand were on the receiving end of one of ODI cricket's finest innings. Gower scored 158 of the 241 made while he was at the wicket, smearing a good attack of Hadlee, Chatfield and Snedden around the Gabba. Certainly not a batting paradise either, take Gower out and 16 wickets fell for 322 in both innings, with a high score of 40. A remarkable knock, chanceless according to Wisden.

Highlights: His 158 is first, a Test 100 in the 2nd one.

#63 - Bob Willis

Role: RH Fast opening bowler. RH bat, either #10 or #11.

Debut: vs West Indies, Leeds, 1973.
Matches: 64
Wkts: 80
Avg: 24.60
Econ: 3.28

Legacy: Tall and pacy, Willis had the 2 most important wicket taking tools for a fast bowler in the 70s and 80s: bouncer and yorker. Willis' real strength however, was his economy. He bowled that awkward back of a length stuff which was so difficult to get away without taking risks. 3.28 is a mark bettered by only the legendary Joel Garner (for those who've taken 50 or more wickets). He went over 4 RPO in only 3 of the 20 ODI series he played in.

Played through a lot of pain. Had both knees operated on early in his career and I'm not was ever at 100% health, yet he still charged in and bowled fast.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 4/15 (11) vs Pakistan, Manchester, 1978. Carnage at Old Trafford as Willis took 4 of the first 5 wickets to fall leaving Pakistan at 5/21. They were eventually all out for 85, well short of England's 217.
2) 4/23 (9) vs New Zealand, Sydney, 1983. Willis had NZ 2/20 early before coming back and getting Hadlee and Coney towards the end. England easily chased the 200 required.
3) 2/9 (7) vs New Zealand, The Oval, 1983. World Cup match and England easily defended 322 with the help of Willis' stiffling opening spell, nipping out both openers, Turner and Edgar.

Highlights: Can't find much for Willis, but here's some stuff from his legendary 8/43 in the Headingly Test of 1981 vs Australia. The 500/1 match.

 

[sifter132]

#62 - Mohammad Azharuddin

Role: RH middle order bat, mostly at #4, but played a lot at #3 and #5 too. Part time RH medium pace.

Debut: vs England, Bangalore, 1985.
Matches: 334
Runs: 9378
Avg: 36.92
S/R: 74.02

Legacy: Again we find the match fixing taint. Azharuddin was banned for life by the BCCI in 2000. In 2006 that ban was overturned by BCCI, but the ICC has not recognised that.

As a batsman, the wristy flick to leg was Azharuddin's signature shot. He was much admired by his batting style, an artist at the crease. He could be a brutal artist however, his 62 ball century vs New Zealand was the fastest in history until Afridi's 37 ball whirlwind.

Along with fastest century, Azharuddin was both the leading most run scorer and catcher in ODI history upon his retirement and owned the highest partnership ever record too at (275 with Jadeja).

Brilliant fieldsmen, probably the best India's had. Was like a cat in the covers, and a sure handed catcher. Also should be recognised for his captaincy as he captained India through most of the 90s. He has the 6th most wins on the alltime captains list, winning 54% of his games.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 108* (65) vs New Zealand, Baroda, 1988. New Zealand must have thought they were doing well after scoring 278 and having India at 5/133 in reply, India needing around 8 an over when Azharuddin arrived. They didn't count on the record breaking century, "an extraordinary display of batting pyrotechnics" according to Widsen.
2) 95* (63) vs England, Gwalior, 1993. Another breakneck innings in a chase that seemed lost. This time it was a mere 7 RPO required when Azharuddin arrived with 167 still to get. India home with 8 balls to spare.
3) 153* (150) vs Zimbabwe, Cuttack, 1998. Azhar certainly was a game changer. Zimbabwe had a brilliant start with Streak and Mbangwa getting Ganguly, Tendulkar and Laxman cheaply to have India 3/26. Azharuddin and Jadeja then put on 275 in 41.3 overs, then a record partnership for any wicket.

Highlights:

#61 - Kevin Pietersen

Role: RH middle order bat, most innings at #4. Part time RH off spin.

Debut: vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2004.
Matches: 127
Runs: 4184
Avg: 41.84
S/R: 86.76

Legacy: Pietersen was an intimidating batsman: tall; strong; and hit the ball hard. He would gladly walk down the pitch at the bowler to dictate terms. Loved to come forward and drive particularly through mid on and mid wicket.

A bit like David Gower yesterday, Pietersen had a great start to his career where he was clearly one of the best batsmen going around, but his performances fell away a bit in the second half.
Part A: 2004/05-2007: 61 ODIs, 2277 runs @ 51.75, S/R 89.32
Part B: 2007/08-2011/12: 66 ODIs, 1907 runs @ 34.05, S/R 83.90
In fact so good was Pietersen's start that he equalled the record for the fastest batsman to reach 1000 runs in ODI history (21 innings).

Pietersen has been an innovator of sorts. For starters, he left South Africa to come to England and play, willing to serve out a 4 year qualification period due to his opposition to the quota selection system in South Africa. Pietersen also famously played the switch hit for a couple of sixes against Scott Styris at Chester-le-street in 2008 and it sparked lots of debate about the legality of such a shot.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 108* (96) vs South Africa, Bloemfontein, 2005. Pietersen's first century, and it came versus his homeland. Remarkable finish to this game when SA couldn't get 3 off the last 6 balls to win, the final result: a tie. Crowd famously turned their backs to Pietersen when he walked off after his innings.
2) 116 (110) vs South Africa, Centurion, 2005. Pietersen's third century of the series (equalling the record). This time England were in tatters: 3/32 when Pietersen came out, and 6/68 at one stage before Giles stayed with Pietersen to help them to 240, Pietersen's 2nd 50 coming in just 24 balls. SA won with 6 balls to spare, but Pietersen was Man of the Match.
3) 130 (153) vs Pakistan, Dubai, 2012. Pietersen did all the heavy lifting in England's chase of 238 against Pakistan's spin heavy attack. He was playing as an opener in this match. Was out in the second last over with only 2 runs to go. England home with 4 balls to spare.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#60 - Herschelle Gibbs

Role: RH bat, mostly as an opener. Never bowled in an ODI.

Debut: vs Kenya, Nairobi, 1996.
Matches: 248
Runs: 8094
Avg: 36.13
S/R: 83.26

Legacy: Gibbs was a powerful batsman who could play all the shots, even the ridiculous and made them look easy. Was tough to stop once he got going. As proof, Gibbs has one of the best 100/50 ratios in history, making 21 100s vs 37 50s.

Gibbs also holds a few records for ODI cricket. Gibbs is thus far the only man in ODI cricket to hit 6 6s in an over, achieved at the 2007 World Cup. Another record Gibbs has is the record for most consecutive centuries, scoring three in a row in 2002 (equalling a couple of others). He ALMOST made it four in a row, but could only get to 97* as South Africa were only chasing 155 (vs Bangladesh).

Awesome fieldsman too (Steve Waugh, 1999 aside...) If not for Jonty Rhodes shadow, I think Gibbs may have been even more highly regarded for his agility and brilliance.

And yes just to end the run of match fixers we've had, it should be acknowledged that Gibbs was suspended for six months for accepting money from Hansie Cronje.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 143 (141) vs New Zealand, Johannesburg, 2003. World Cup match vs New Zealand, and Gibbs had been brilliant, carrying South Africa to 6/306. Unfortunately for SA, Stephen Fleming was equally brilliant and the Kiwis were victors.
2) 175 (111) vs Australia, Johannesburg, 2006. THAT match and the most audacious chase in ODI history. Chasing 435 to win, Smith and Gibbs put on 187 in 21 overs against the world champs, and then Gibbs kept going! This innings broke the record for 'most runs from boundaries in an innings' (126 of the 175 were from 4s and 6s). It's now third on the list behind Watson and Sehwag.
3) 119 (101) vs New Zealand, Cape Town, 2007. Deciding match of the series and Gibbs made the Kiwi's 238 look very small as he dominated his opening stand with Smith. Gibbs was out on 187 going for his eighth 6 of his innings. After the match Daniel Vettori said the innings was "one of the best ODI hundreds I've ever seen".

Highlights:

#59 - Shane Watson

Role: All-rounder. RH opening batsman. RH Fast-medium bowler, 1st or 2nd change.

Debut: vs South Africa, Centurion, 2002.
Matches: 150
Runs: 4457
Avg: 41.65
S/R: 88.83
Wkts: 153
Avg: 28.53
Econ: 4.77

Legacy: First arrived as a 20 year old with all the raw skills: pacy bowler, hard hitting batsman. He couldn't stay fit though and only briefly got the chance to shine, mainly hiding down at #7.

Has had a very productive run in ODIs since 2008 when he returned to the Australian side and began opening the innings permanently. Consider his career in two parts:
Part A 2002-2007: 65 ODIs, 1001 runs @ 34.52, (80.02 S/R). 62 wkts @ 34.11 (4.89 RPO)
Part B 2008-2012: 85 ODIs, 3456 runs @ 44.30, (91.76 S/R). 91 wkts @ 24.73 (4.67 RPO)
If he can maintain his 'Part B' numbers then he deserves to be much higher on this list.

I love watching Watson bat, mainly because he has a simple technique: get the front foot down the wicket as far as possible if it's full, or rock back and pull and cut hard if it's short.

Has been Australia's death bowler of choice in recent years, possibly not ideal, but Watson has that happy knack of taking wickets throughout the innings - definitely a golden arm.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 136* (132) & 2/35 (8.4) vs England, Centurion, 2009. Champions Trophy semi-final. Watson dismissed Morgan and Davies mid-innings before he and Ponting put on a demoralising 252 run stand to run down England's 257 with 8.1 overs to spare.
2) 161* (150) & 0/44 (8) vs England, Melbourne, 2011. England posted 294, but couldn't dislodge Watson who dominated the innings and took Australia home with 5 balls to spare. Next highest score was Haddin's 39.
3) 185* (96) & 1/35 (7) vs Bangladesh, Mirpur, 2011. Yes it's against 'only' Bangladesh, but it still must rate as one of the most brutal innings in history. Watson broke a few records with this one: most 6s in an ODI innings (15), most runs in boundaries (150) and highest score by an Australian. His 100 came off 69 balls, while his last 82 came off only 27 balls :0

Highlights: Bowling from a T20I but let's not get too technical :P

 

[sifter132]

#58 - Terry Alderman

Role: RH Medium fast, new ball bowler. RH bat, mostly #11.

Debut: vs England, Birmingham, 1981.
Matches: 65
Wkts: 88
Avg: 23.36
Econ: 3.65

Legacy: A fantastic swing bowler. Alderman didn't have much pace to rely on, but he was accurate and made the ball talk.

Interesting Alderman facts: Tackled a pitch invader in a 1982/83 Test match and messed up his shoulder so badly he had to miss a year of cricket; Went on a 'rebel' tour of South Africa and was banned for 3 years by the Australian Cricket Board; had Graham Gooch as his 'bunny', dismissing him for low scores 7 times in 13 Tests vs Gooch (only 2 times in 8 ODIs though)

Alderman was also a good slip fielder, one of those rare bowlers who finds themselves in the cordon.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 5/17 (10) vs New Zealand, Wellington, 1982. Lillee and Thomson were his bowling partners, but Alderman made best use of the conditions, getting 5 of the first 6 wickets in a demoralising spell to have NZ 6/35. NZ only made 74 and Australia chased successfully with only 2 wickets down.
2) 3/27 (9) vs Pakistan, Brisbane, 1989. Noteworthy because Alderman got 2 wickets in 2 balls: the first 2 balls of the match! Rameez Raja and Aamer Malik were both bowled for golden ducks. Alderman bowled tidily and later returned to dismiss Imran Khan.
3) 4/22 (10) vs Pakistan, Mumbai, 1989. Didn't get many games in Asia, but this proved Alderman wasn't just a green top bowler. Did most of his damage in the middle, Pakistan collapsing from 3/138 to 7/154, Alderman taking Saleem Malik, Ijaz Ahmed and Shoaib Mohammad. Australia couldn't make the 206 required though, bowled out for only 139.

Highlights: Some Test match bowling from Terry first, then in the 2nd vid Wayne Larkins plays possibly the WORST shot/leave (who knows??) that I've ever seen...aww that's bad every time

----------

Got 4 Indians in a row coming up next...

 

[vorgaphe]

Watson above Pietersen ?

 

[sifter132]

Apparently so... I rated Pietersen a bit better, but no one else put KP in their lists If Watson keeps his current performances up I think he'll certainly deserve to be higher than KP. I guess it could be argued Watson's ahead now: his batting stats alone are very similar to KP. It's all the fun of rankings...anyway...see how these 2 blokes compare...



#57 - Yuvraj Singh

Role: LH middle order bat, from #4-#6 mostly. Part-time LH orthodox spin.

Debut: vs Kenya, Nairobi, 2000.
Matches: 274
Runs: 8051
Avg: 37.62
S/R: 87.58
Wkts: 109
Avg: 37.24
Econ: 5.04

Legacy: Hits the ball hard and hits it a long way, one of those natural boundary strikers who can make it look easy to clear the fence. Yuvraj was man of the tournament in the 2011 World Cup. He is also famous for swatting Stuart Broad for 6 6s in an over at the 2007 World T20 tournament.

Generally a good fielder, particularly earlier in his career where he was involved in many run outs and was pretty agile across the outfield. His bowling has become more noteworthy as his career has continued, as India have continued their search for an all-rounder.

Hoping to come back from a cancer scare in the last few months. Would be good to see him play again - he's still only 30, even though it feels like he's been around forever.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 139 (122) vs Australia, Sydney, 2004. This was an innings that confirmed Yuvraj's quality. His only previous century had been vs Bangladesh, but this time he put on 213 with Laxman against the world champs. India ended up losing a tight, rain shortened match.
2) 138* (78) vs England, Rajkot, 2008. India were already hooping along at 2/153 when Yuvraj arrived at the wicket, but by innings end India had added 234 more in the last 26 overs. Yuvraj got his 100 off 64 balls (2nd 50 in just 22) and was particularly harsh on Freddie Flintoff, hitting him for 3 of his 6 6s.
3) 118 (122) & 4/28 (10) vs England, Indore, 2008. 3 days later and Yuvraj killed England again as he did the 100 + 4 wkts double for only the 10th time in ODI history. Wasn't easy either: Yuvraj came out at 3/29, and with the ball had to break 2 vital stands (Prior/Shah & Pietersen/Flintoff).

Highlights: Sorry Broad fans, but the 6x6s are here...

#56 - Virat Kohli

Role: RH Middle order bat, most times at #3 or #4. Occasional RH medium pace.

Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 2008.
Matches: 85
Runs: 3590
Avg: 50.56
S/R: 86.31

Legacy: Kohli's an aggressive character, both in nature and with his battting, always playing shots. Rather than mindless slogging though, Kohli is largely from the textbook, playing all around the wicket. He's particularly strong off his legs and through the covers. Very useful in the field too, either diving around in the circle or occasionally bowling his awkward, wrong-footed medium pacers. A future captain as well.

His best innings have come chasing thus far: he averages 58.4 in 48 2nd innings vs 40.45 in 34 1st innings. He also has a great conversion rate in his career so far: 11 100s vs 21 50s, up among the best.

Kohli started out as a reserve batsman, filling in when someone was injured or for whichever Indian star was being rested, but his performances have been so compelling that he has demanded selection. Now he's one of the best ODI batsmen going around. If Kohli can keep his current scoring up, then he will climb higher up this list in future.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 112* (98) & 0/18 (5) vs England, Delhi, 2011. Bowled tidily in England's 237 before joining Gambhir at 2/29 and blowing England's bowlers away. India home easily with 13.2 overs to spare.
2) 133* (86) vs Sri Lanka, Hobart, 2012. India needed to chase inside 40 overs to get the bonus point that would keep them alive in the series. Once SL made 320 that seemed almost impossible, but Kohli came out and dominated the SL attack. With a little help, India made the runs in only 36.4 overs and Kohli played an innings of remarkable quality, featuring pure shots with great power - one of the best innings I've seen. Particularly punished was Lasith Malinga: Kohli taking 44 off Malinga's 15 balls to him. Malinga ended up bowling 7.4 overs for 96 - the most expensive RPO in an innings EVER.
3) 183 (148) vs Pakistan, Mirpur, 2012. A month later Kohli again engineering another big chase. Pakistan had set 330 to win, but India arrived there with 2 overs to spare as Kohli again put on a stroke playing clinic.

Highlights:

 

[sami ullah khan]

Kohli is my favourite batsman at the moment but still too early to warrant such high place in this list. I totally agree with regards to Yuvraj though.

 

[sifter132]

I agree about Kohli, always hard to place him in an historical list - same for Watson for that matter. But interestingly, Kohli is only 600 career runs behind Kevin Pietersen I've got Hashim Amla coming up as well and it feels like he's been around for only a couple of years. Oh and Zaheer Abbas too, he scored less runs than either Kohli or Amla are on right now. Very hard to juggle career length vs performance.

 

[Dare]

Kohli?? Yao Ming says

 

[sifter132]

#55 - Anil Kumble

Role: RH Leg spin. Lower order RH bat, batting from #8-#10 mostly.

Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 1990.
Matches: 271
Runs: 938
Avg: 10.53
S/R: 61.06
Wkts: 337
Avg: 30.89
Econ: 4.30

Legacy: India's leading wicket taker in ODI history. Kumble was a tall man, bowling with a high action and that gave him bounce, even on Asian wickets. Never a big spinner or flighter of the ball, he relied more on accuracy and the flipper and wrong'un variations. The early advice to batsmen was to play him like an inswing bowler, which was fine, but you still never knew when Kumble would get his leg spinner to bite and turn to catch the edge.

Kumble was more effective in the first part of his career:
1990-1997: 129 ODIs, 173 wkts @ 27.45 (Econ: 4.11, S/R: 39.9)
1998-2007: 142 ODIs, 164 wkts @ 34.53 (Econ: 4.48, S/R: 46.2)
The RPO increase is not unusual as ODI cricket's scoring rates increased over time, but Kumble found it a bit harder to strike as the mystery surrounding his bowling and variations gradually decreased. Was always accurate though and his economy rate was very good throughout his career.

Was the leading wicket taker at the 1996 World Cup, possibly the peak of his ODI career.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 6/12 (6.1) vs West Indies, Kolkata, 1993. Final of the Hero Cup and Kumble ran through the West Indies taking them from 4/101 (chasing 226) to all out 123.
2) 5/33 (10) vs New Zealand, Wellington, 1994. New Zealand were chasing 256 and Kumble broke both burgeoning partnerships (Harris/Hartland) and (Thomson/Parore) to ensure India won by 12 runs.
3) 4/12 (7) vs Pakistan, Toronto, 1996. India has struggled to 191 but Kumble squashed any thoughts of a Pakistan win by taking 4 big wickets in the middle overs (Saeed Anwar, Saleem Malik, Azhar Mahmood and Wasim Akram). India won by 55 runs.

Highlights: Not many Kumble ODI highlights out there, so there's some Test bowling and some grainy ODI stuff from his 6/12 match

#54 - Rahul Dravid

Role: RH Middle order bat, batting mostly between #3-#5. Occasional wicketkeeper. Very occasional RH off spin.

Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Singapore, 1996.
Matches: 344
Runs: 10889
Avg: 39.16
S/R: 71.24
Catches: 196
Stumpings: 14

Legacy: We know Dravid as "The Wall", but over his ODI career he showed he could score quickly enough when required of him.

Dravid is 3rd on India's ODI run scoring list (just behind Ganguly & just a tad behind Tendulkar :P) Wasn't a great century scorer in ODIs, only getting 12 100s vs 83 50s. 6 of those 100s came in one year: 1999, where Dravid was the top run scorer at the 1999 World Cup. The 4 biggest scores of his career all came in 1999 as well.

Kept wicket in 73 ODIs between 1999 and 2004 to help India's team balance. His batting record as keeper is actually better: average of 44.23 with gloves vs 38.00 without. Captained India in 79 ODIs as well, and again his batting as captain was better than his career average (42.19 as captain vs 38.28 not captain).

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 145 (129) vs Sri Lanka, Taunton, 1999. World Cup of 1999 and Dravid and Ganguly put on a world record 318 in 44.5 overs as India made 373. Dravid showed intent from the start, his 50 coming from just 43 balls. Chaminda Vaas was Dravid's favourite target of the day, stroking 8 boundaries from his bowling.
2) 153 (153) vs New Zealand, Hyderabad, 1999. A few months later and Dravid and Tendulkar created a new partnership record: 331 this time, as India made 376. Vettori and Styris were the only bowlers under 6.5 RPO as the two Indians showed no mercy.
3) 109* (124) vs West Indies, Ahmedabad, 2002. Dravid was keeping this match and got a catch off Srinath, but WI made an imposing 324. When batting, Dravid held the innings together with a cool head as partners came and went. Finally Sanjay Bangar stayed til the end, putting on 94 with Dravid in 10.1 overs as India got home with 2.2 overs to spare.

Highlights:

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

Kohli is my favourite batsman at the moment but still too early to warrant such high place in this list. I totally agree with regards to Yuvraj though.

see, it's only recently I've come round to thinking kohli already deserves to be regarded as an all time great in ODIs despite his young age, but yeah, as sifter said, his run tally is already impressive. He's in the top 100 all-time run scorers but the remarkable thing is he's played 32 matches less than anyone else on that list. He's also joint 25th in terms of centuries scored along side viv richards.

I suppose where it gets contentious is you do get other players that have played a lot less games than their peers and yet have incredible stats. shane bond springs to mind, he's played less ODIs than kohli and like kohli has an incredible average and aggregate. the difference between the two is that kohli's low number of matches is due to being young and bond's is due to injury problems.

dunno if bond is coming or not, but i'd definitely argue kohli has more right to a spot than bond given you have to take bond's sporadic appearances and poor injury record as part and parcel of his career success whereas with kohli he's absolutely maximised his oppertunities and career so far. of course, he could slip down as well if he all of a sudden loses form even if it's more likely he'll go up, but i reckon if you're judging on right now it's pretty hard to leave him out.

 

[sifter132]

The guy who's scored the least amount of runs is coming up...now. He's an old mate of yours Stinky...And yeah Shane Bond is coming up

I think the counterargument to Kohli being higher is that you have recent examples of Kevin Pietersen in ODIs and Mike Hussey in Tests: guys who started their career with BIG averages and who both looked like absolute world-beaters, but haven't quite been able to maintain it over the second half of their careers. If Kohli retired today I think he'd end up higher on the list, despite having exactly the same stats, just because you expect that an ODI average of 50 isn't sustainable over a long career.

----------

#53 - Clive Lloyd

Role: LH middle order bat, mostly #5. Occasional RH Medium pace.

Debut: vs England, Leeds, 1973.
Matches: 87
Runs: 1977
Avg: 39.54
S/R: 81.22

Legacy: Lloyd was a very tall man and wore glasses, not seeming like much of a cricketer, but his left handed batting was pretty destructive. Lloyd used a heavy bat and he was a big man so it's no surprise that he could give the ball a clout.

Clive Lloyd was West Indies captain from 1975-1985 presiding over 2 World Cup wins and the 1983 defeat in the final by India. He's got the highest winning percentage of any captain in ODI history. Wasn't just his brain that was useful in the field, Lloyd was also an excellent fieldsman (or so my Dad says ), although he slowed down later in his career with knee problems and moved to the slips.

He still has a lot to do with the game, working as a match referee and now on the Cricket Committee at the ICC (the one that decides the rule changes essentially).

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 102 (85) & 1/38 (12) vs Australia, Lord's, 1975. World Cup final of 1975. Australia's pace attack had been brilliant all tournament and they had West Indies in early trouble at 3/50, but Lloyd turned the tide, middling almost everything as his teammates struggled. He put on 149 with the very slow, but surviving Rohan Kanhai (Lloyd scoring 102 of the 149). Then was the most economical bowler as Australia came close, but not close enough to chasing down 291.
2) 79 (59) vs England, Birmingham, 1976. Rain reduced match and the West Indies didn't hold back getting to 223 off 32 overs. Lloyd led the scoring and had counter-attacked with vigour after coming out early at 2/7.
3) 80 (82) vs Australia, Perth, 1981. Good Australian attack of Lillee, Alderman, Thomson and Lawson got spanked around the WACA by Lloyd and Richards. They came together at 2/37 chasing 189 and got there with a whopping 20 overs to spare.

Highlights:

#52 - Allan Lamb

Role: RH middle order bat, mostly at #4.

Debut: vs India, Leeds, 1982.
Matches: 122
Runs: 4010
Avg: 39.31
S/R: 75.54

Legacy: Lamb followed Basil D'Oliveira and Tony Greig's lead, as a South African who qualified to play for England. Like Greig, Lamb even captained England (for only 4 ODIs and 3 Tests).

Lamb was fairly short, but was solidly built and his natural aggression meant that he could score quickly. That gave him value in England's middle order as the versatile player that could steady after a poor start or increase the run rate towards the end. His technical weakness was supposed to be against spin, but Lamb averaged over 40 against India and Pakistan, the two strongest spin attacks at the time.

Known for a couple of noteworthy moments: a good one being when Lamb took Bruce Reid for 18 runs off the last over to win a match; a not so good one being when Wasim Akram bowled Lamb with a ripper to change the course of the 1992 World Cup final.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 118 (121) vs Pakistan, Nottingham, 1982. Lamb was the dominant scorer in two century partnerhsips (with Tavare, then Gatting), as England chased down 251 with almost 8 overs to spare. This was Lamb's first century and he impressed all with his strokeplay.
2) 108* (106) vs New Zealand, Sydney, 1983. Looks easy on paper, England chasing down the 200 target with only 2 wickets down and over 7 overs to spare. Reality tells otherwise, Lamb came out at 2/10 with Hadlee and Chatfield bowling very well. After 20 overs England were only 2/47, but from there Lamb attacked, and added the remaining 153 with Tavare in only 22.4 more overs.
3) 77* (102) vs Australia, Sydney, 1987. Probably one of Lamb's least impressive innings...up until the last over. He has mistimed the ball all innings and England looked like they'd left their run too late with 32 needed off the last 3 overs and only 3 wkts left. Finally it came down to 18 required from the last over and Lamb found his form, hitting 18 from the 5 balls Bruce Reid bowled for a famous victory.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#51 - Malcolm Marshall

Role: RH fast bowler, either new ball or change bowler. Useful RH bat, at either #7 or #8.

Debut: vs England, Leeds, 1980.
Matches: 136
Runs: 955
Avg: 14.92
S/R: 76.64
Wkts: 157
Avg: 26.96
Econ: 3.53

Legacy: Short for a fast bowler, Marshall had a bustling 'front on' action that manufactured a lot of pace. In particular he had a quick, skidding bouncer that put many a scare into opposing batsmen. The story goes that Marshall broke the nose of Mike Gatting with a bouncer in an ODI, and later found bone fragments embedded in the ball!

Marshall doesn't make it as high as he might on a Test cricket top 100, but he was still a great ODI bowler. Surprisingly though, it wasn't for a great strike rate like his Test career, his ODI prowess was more related to his economy rate. Of the bowlers to take more than 50 wickets in the 80s, only three beat Marshall's economy rate.

Only made two half-centuries despite often batting at high as #7, but Marshall's batting ability helped to give the WI team that balance and the ability to play four fast bowlers constantly.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 3/28 (12) vs Pakistan, The Oval, 1983. World Cup semi-final and Pakistan found the going stifling against a 4 man attack of Roberts, Garner, Holding and Marshall. Pakistan only managed two boundaries in 60 overs!! Marshall sparked a middle order collapse, Pakistan going from 3/139 to 6/159 to prevent any potential acceleration.
2) 3/28 (9) & 56* (84) vs Pakistan, Adelaide, 1984. Bowled impressively early to leave Pakistan 4/59 (wickets of Mansoor Akhtar, Javed Miandad and Saleem Malik). Then Marshall was needed with bat as WI sunk to 7/92 chasing 178. Marshall managed a 53 run stand with Baptiste (the next top scorer on 24) and the 10th wicket partnership of 21 got West Indies home in the last over, Marshall the hero.
3) 4/18 (10) vs Australia, Melbourne, 1991. Marshall took Marsh, Boon, Jones and finally McDermott in his best figures in ODI cricket. But WI couldn't chase down the 174 required! Australia home by 9 runs in a low scoring thriller.

Highlights: mostly Test highlights floating around for Marshall, but it's all good