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

[sifter132]

^Yeah there's a few good ones around...one against Australia in 95/96 - it's now known as the Bevan game where he hit 4 off the last ball to win, but Ambrose set up that very difficult scenario with his great bowling up front.


Moving on from bowlers...we've got 3 opening batsmen coming up - all of whom thump/used to thump the ball around the park. First up we have:

#38 - Matthew Hayden

Role: LH opening batsman. Only ever bowled 3 overs of RH medium pace.

Debut: vs England, Manchester, 1993.
Matches: 161
Runs: 6133
Avg: 43.80
S/R: 78.96

Legacy: Hayden was a tall, strong left hander who formed a fairly terrorising opening pair with Adam Gilchrist. He and Gilchrist sit 2nd on the 'most runs by an opening pair' list (behind Tendulkar & Ganguly). Hayden loved to drive down the ground, or rock back and play the pull shot. He also liked to walk down the wicket at the fast bowlers to disrupt their length, and it's this kind of play that got Hayden labelled as an 'arrogant' player, a bit like Kevin Pietersen in that way.

Had an interesting career: Hayden got an early start, debuting at 21, but he only played 13 ODIs before he was dropped, the selectors preferring Michael Slater. Meanwhile Hayden waited 6 seasons before getting another chance. He had a brief battle with Mark Waugh for an opening spot, but soon the aging Waugh brothers were dropped by the forward looking selectors and Hayden finally got the go ahead as a permanent member of the side almost 9 years after his debut.

Hayden got dropped again after the 2005 Ashes series, with Simon Katich getting the openers gig. But Hayden came back better than ever, averaging 54 over his last 41 ODIs. The highlight was his dominance at the 2007 World Cup, the top run scorer as Australia dominated the tournament.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 146 (128) vs Pakistan, Nairobi, 2002. Facing an attack of Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib, Hayden was supreme. "Imperious" Wisden called it, Hayden hitting 6 6s in total - one of them out of the ground off Waqar. Was not a batting paradise, only Ponting made it past 50 and Pakistan were rolled for 108 for a huge Aussie win.
2) 181* (166) vs New Zealand, Hamilton, 2007. Australia made 346 and lost, but for a while Hayden's big innings was the story of the day. He hit 11 4s and 10 6s, 5 of them off Jeetan Patel. Broke his toe in the 39th over and needed a runner, but after that he just hit out - taking 79 off his last 35 balls.
3) 101 (68) vs South Africa, St Kitts, 2007. South Africa were touted as the team that might win the World Cup in 2007, but in this match Hayden and Gilchrist laid down the true world order, putting on 100 in the first 15 overs, with Hayden launching a stunning assault, Shaun Pollock his favourite target of the day. Australia made a massive 377 and never looked back. This century was the quickest in World Cup history until Kevin O'Brien's last year.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#37 - Chris Gayle

Role: Batting all-rounder. LH opening batsman. RH off-spinner.

Debut: vs India, Toronto, 1999.
Matches: 229
Runs: 8140
Avg: 39.13
S/R: 84.05
Wkts: 156
Avg: 35.08
Econ: 4.73

Legacy: I think any IPL viewer would be aware of what Chris Gayle can do. An explosive batsman that you need to get out early or there'll be plenty of leather chasing. Gayle currently sits 5th on the 'most 6s in a career' list on 174 and is able to send the ball into orbit (so the commentators say...) with seemingly little effort.

Gayle has been a bit of a minnow basher in ODIs: 6 of his 19 100s have come against the 'lesser' teams and if you only consider his matches against the other top 8 teams then his average drops by around 5, to 34.05. Given that fairly underwhelming news...why is Gayle at #38?

The thing that elevates Gayle on this list is two X-factors: his ability to hit centuries and win matches and his steady off-spin. Gayle has a fine conversion rate (19 100s vs 44 50s) and has won 22 Man of the Match awards for the West Indies over his career. Meanwhile, the all-round ability that his off-spin brings made Gayle a natural successor to Carl Hooper's valuable role in the WI team. He's never been a big wicket taker, but 4.73 is a decent economy rate in the modern game and Gayle's made quite a few batsmen pay for underestimating his very innocuous looking spinners. Barely has a run-up, more a walk-up.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 101 (128) & 3/31 (10) vs England, Ahmedabad, 2006. Champions Trophy in India and Gayle and Bravo put on 174 and got West Indies to 272. England made a fast start and while Gayle's triple strike (Strauss, Flintoff & Collingwood) and tidy bowling briefly stopped the charge, England got home with 9 balls to spare.
2) 0/48 (10) & 133* (135) vs South Africa, Jaipur, 2006. Same Champions Trophy: semi final this time, and SA made 258 batting first. But Gayle took WI there with 6 overs to spare, not sparing any of the SA pacemen. Pollock, Ntini, Nel and Kallis all went at 6 RPO or greater.
3) 80 (43) vs England, Bridgetown, 2009. To finish, an example of Gayle's destructive abilities. Target was a measly 117 in 44 overs after England were routed by Edwards and Bravo. Gayle got the Windies there in the 15th over. He respected Flintoff, but Broad, Anderson and Mascarenhas got hammered.

Highlights:

#36 - Virender Sehwag

Role: RH opening batsman. Part-time RH off-spin.

Debut: vs Pakistan, Mohali, 1999.
Matches: 245
Runs: 8090
Avg: 35.17
S/R: 104.68
Wkts: 95
Avg: 39.91
Econ: 5.27

Legacy: When Viru fires, anything can happen, and not many can match him for pure entertainment value. Sehwag doesn't rely on a flowery technique: see it and hit it - that's the Sehwag method - and he's able to get away with it because of his brilliant eye. Doesn't bowl as much as his earlier, injury free days, but Sehwag's off-spinners have been a useful option for India in the past.

No one has scored more runs at a 100+ strike rate than Virender Sehwag (Afridi's not far behind). To maintain that scoring rate for over 8000 runs is quite remarkable. Sehwag also owns the record for highest score in an ODI of 219. Hit all 6 balls of an over for a boundary in 2005 against little known Sri Lankan quick Dilhara Lokuhettige (446444). Little known bowler or not, not many batsmen have ever done it.

Up until a few years ago many were wondering why Sehwag wasn't a particularly successful ODI batsman, given his tremendous scoring ability. But from 2008 Sehwag has finally delivered on his promise much more frequently:
up to 2007/08: 183 ODIs, 5312 runs @ 31.06, S/R: 96.5, 8 100s.
June 2008-now: 62 ODIs, 2778 runs @ 47.08, S/R: 124.8, 7 100s.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 125* (74) vs New Zealand, Hamilton, 2009. NZ made 270, but it looked very small as Sehwag blasted the Kiwi attack. His century came off only 60 deliveries. For a change, Sehwag almost entirely avoided the off-side, square of the wicket shots, blasting down the ground and to leg instead. Rain interrupted the game with India at 0/201 after 23.3 overs, easy winners under D/L.
2) 110 (93) vs New Zealand, Dambulla, 2010. As close to a battling knock as you'll see from Sehwag Only 2 others in the match made it past 20. Sehwag dominating the scoring in India's 223, before NZ were bowled out for 118.
3) 219 (149) vs West Indies, Indore, 2011. 25 4s and 7 6s in this world record innings. Not one bowler was spared, Sehwag striking at 120 or more against everyone he faced. The scary thing is that Sehwag was out with 3.3 overs left in the Indian innings - he might have made 250! WI made a respectable 265 in reply, but it paled in comparison to India's 418.

Highlights:

 

[AbhishekS]

And finally comes Viru!

 

[sifter132]

^Yep, I knew you'd like it He really has improved a lot in ODIs over the last few years.

#35 - Brett Lee

Role: RH fast bowler, almost always with new ball. RH bat, most often at #9.

Debut: vs Pakistan, Brisbane, 2000.
Matches: 218
Runs: 1100
Avg: 16.92
S/R: 82.45
Wkts: 379
Avg: 23.08
Econ: 4.75

Legacy: Brett Lee is one of the great bowlers to watch. He owns a smooth, technically strong action, and from that base he can generate pace that few bowlers have ever matched, regularly breaching the 150kph barrier throughout his career. DUring the 2003 World Cup Lee clocked his fastest official delivery: 160.6kph vs England. The video below also shows him bowling a 161kph wide vs New Zealand. In that 2003 World Cup, Lee also claimed a hat-trick in the 4th over of the match against Kenya.

Combine that express pace with his ability to swing the new or old ball, and that has made Lee one of the most potent wicket takers in ODI history. In fact as of this week, he currently owns the best bowling strike rate for anyone over 100 wickets (he's JUST moved ahead of Shane Bond). Lee has been pretty consistent in providing those breakthroughs. Despite various niggles and injuries, Lee has rarely had a down period in his career. In only one calendar year has Lee's strike rate been over 35 (2004), and in only two years has his economy been over 5 (2001 and 2012...so far of course - not bad considering he's 36 this year).

Lee has added a lot of value to the Australian team with his 'extras'. He was useful with the bat, with 3 50s over his career and the ability to hit boundaries (see Lee vs Donald - 2nd vid below). Lee was also a very athletic fieldsman, quick round the boundary with a rocket arm. He's also one of the nicer blokes you'll find on the cricket circuit, much loved in the Aussie dressing room.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 18 (17) & 5/30 (9.3) vs England, Melbourne, 2003. 2nd final of the triangular series and Lee bowled Australia to victory. He had dismissed both openers cheaply but it was the death bowling that was special. England needed only 14 off 18 with 4 wickets in hand, Flintoff and Collingwood at the crease. But 2 of the last 3 overs were Lee's. He took 3/3 and Australia won by 5 when Anderson was the last man out - run out with 3 balls left.
2) 38* (44) & 4/38 (10) vs West Indies, Adelaide, 2005. Lee had to bat out the last 15 overs after coming in at 7/182 and with Gillespie's help they lifted Australia to 269. Then he struck twice up front to remove Hinds and Gayle before returning to get the big scalp of Lara and Browne immediately followed. Was very close to hat-tricks both times. WI could only muster 196 and Lee was Man of the Match.
3) 5/22 (10) vs South Africa, Docklands, 2006. 1 caught behind and 4 bowled for Lee as he picked up Smith, Hall, Dippenaar, Prince and Kemp to help Australia defend 245. Not only the leading wicket taker, but the most economical of the Australian bowlers, all the batsmen finding Lee's speed and accuracy hard to get away.

Highlights: 1st Vid: Watch first 5 minutes for Lee's very quick over. Speeds are: 143-151-158-158-160-161(WD)-158. His 2nd over starts around 9:00 - all around mid 150s too. 2nd vid: from about 0:30 in you see Lee take 26 off the last 5 balls of an Allan Donald over - one of my favourite Lee memories.

#34 - Michael Hussey

Role: LH middle order batsman, usually at #5 or #6. Occasional RH medium pace.

Debut: vs India, Perth, 2004.
Matches: 181
Runs: 5262
Avg: 48.27
S/R: 86.97

Legacy: Michael Hussey, aka Mr Cricket, has proven to be an outstanding player in Australia's middle order. He's known as Mr Cricket for his work ethic and tireless devotion to the sport, a bit like his batting style too. At the crease he's busy and energetic, with a reputation of being a fighter. In the middle innings he'll probe the gaps and rotate the strike. Then towards the end of the innings he has all the shots to aid him in raising the run rate. Hussey's money shot is the pull shot over midwicket, I'd wager most of his 74 6s have come in that direction.

Statswise: Hussey has come down to earth a little bit after a tremendous start to his career, but he's still maintaining an excellent average and high strike rate:
2004-2008: 93 ODIs, 2113 runs @ 55.61, S/R: 87.0
2008/09-now: 88 ODIs, 3149 runs @ 44.35, S/R: 87.0
The main difference is that Hussey used to be the cherry on top of the innings, but now he's often required a bit earlier and is more important to Australia's batting performance.

Hussey has a reputation as a great finisher of a match, but his record shows he's a better 1st innings batsman than 2nd (averaging 49.81, S/R 91.95 in 1st innings vs average of 43.34 and 72.56 S/R when chasing). Almost all his big innings have come in the 1st innings - helped by Australia's preference to bat first where possible.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 88* (56) vs New Zealand, Christchurch, 2005. An example of savage Hussey. The remarkable thing was that he was 14 off 28 balls at one stage, Vettori and Styris keeping him quiet. Then his last 74 came off only 28 balls, the quicker bowlers all getting savaged. Australia couldn't defend the 331 though in a big Kiwi chase: Styris and McCullum doing the damage.
2) 109* (90) vs West Indies, Kuala Lumpur, 2006. Counter attack from Hussey as he came in at 4/64. He and Haddin put on 165 and got Australia to 272, but again it wasn't enough - chased down thanks to Gayle and Lara half-centuries.
3) 79 (60) vs England, Lord's, 2010. The Aussie top order struggled to score, only at 4/106 in the 30th over when Hussey was summoned. He started circumspectly (12 from his first 22 balls) before launching in the final 10 overs. Batted well with Shaun Marsh to get Australia to 277, a winning score as Shaun Tait took 4 wickets (and broke 100mph) in England's failed reply.

Highlights: 2nd vid: Hussey hit the roof at Docklands stadium - interview about it at the end.

 

[Bevab]

Lee's got to be one of my most favourite bowlers. Absolutely teared a batting line-up on his day with his amazing speed.

 

[sifter132]

^Indeed - one of my favourites too. I was hoping he'd get a bit higher on this list.

But Lee didn't get as many votes as this guy...

#33 - Waqar Younis

Role: RH fast bowler, mostly taking new ball. RH batman, usually #9 or #10.

Debut: vs West Indies, Sharjah, 1989.
Matches: 262
Wkts: 416
Avg: 23.84
Econ: 4.68

Legacy: I'm not sure anyone is known for the inswinging yorker more than Waqar Younis. He's not the only one to use it of course, but Waqar had a couple of extra advantages. He wasn't particularly tall for a quick bowler, had a bit of a round arm action and coupled with his reverse swing knowledge and had plenty of speed. All that combined to make his yorkers bend like a banana at times, usually resulting in hopping batsmen and plenty of broken stumps (or maybe toes...).

The other thing Waqar is known for is for bowling in partnership with Wasim Akram. A bit of a shame really, because Waqar was good enough to forge his own legend rather than always be coupled with Wasim. Apparently they didn't always get on, but there is no doubting that they formed one of the most feared bowling partnerships in history.

Waqar holds a couple of records in ODI cricket: 1) most 5 wicket hauls (13 - next is Murali with 10); 2) most consecutive 5 wicket hauls (3 vs NZ, NZ & WI in 1990); 3) highest percentage of wickets bowled (36.29% of Waqar's 416 were bowled, just ahead of his partner Wasim Akram on 35.05%). He also has an ODI hat-trick to his name (vs New Zealand, East London, 1994).

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 5/52 (8) vs West Indies, Karachi, 1990. West Indies were cruising to victory at 1/139, chasing 212, when Waqar sprung into action. Richardson was caught, then he bowled Logie and Haynes, followed by LBWs against Lara and Hooper. WI never recovered and lost by 6 runs.
2) 5/25 (10) vs South Africa, Durban 1993. Similar story in Durban: SA were 2/165, chasing 209 with around 10 overs left when Waqar sparked a stunning collapse as SA lost 8/33 - 5 to Waqar and 3 run-outs. All 5 of his wickets were bowled and Pakistan were home with 10 runs to spare.
3) 7/36 (10) vs England, Leeds, 2001. Waqar took the first 7 wickets with 5 of the batsmen caught behind the wicket, all done with "magnificent swing and seam" according to Wisden. England were 7/58 at the end of Waqar's 10 over stint and he was unlucky not to have more, with a plumb LBW turned down and a dropped catch off his bowling. This was a match that ended in a big pitch invasion when Pakistan were only 4 runs away from winning - and England conceded the match after order could not be restored.

Highlights:

 

[sami ullah khan]

Watching Waqar was one of the reasons that made me fall in love with the game of cricket. He revolutionized the role of bowlers in ODI Cricket especially in death overs.

 

[sifter132]

2 more Pakistani champions...

#32 - Javed Miandad

Role: RH middle order batsman, usually at #4. Occasional RH leg-spin.

Debut: vs West Indies, Birmingham, 1975.
Matches: 233
Runs: 7381
Avg: 41.70
S/R: 67.01

Legacy: Javed was a great partnership builder with his smart play and by having such a quality player at #4, Pakistan were able to build a formidable side around his consistency. In general, Javed was a great manipulator of the ball, rather a slogger. He could maneouvre the ball into small gaps and in particular exploit average fielding with his quick running between the wickets, a skill that was pretty rare in those early days of ODI cricket. Of course he wasn't just a nudger, he also hit a few famous 6s in his career.

Javed was the first player to play in 6 World Cups (only matched by Sachin Tendulkar since). The best of course was the victory in 1992, where Javed was Pakistan's leading run scorer for the tournament (2nd overall behind Crowe). He also holds the record for most consecutive 50s in ODI cricket: 9 in a row during March-May 1987 (3 vs India, 4 vs England & 1 vs Australia and Sri Lanka). Next best is 6 in a row.

One of those guy who you either loved or hated. He was passionate and wasn't backward in coming forward. Some went further, calling him annoying and abrasive. That made him the less popular captain when compared with Imran Khan, despite Javed being favoured as possibly the better tactician.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 119* (77) vs India, Lahore, 1982. It was a shortened 33 over match so the run rates were a bit higher than usual, but Javed and Zaheer Abbas put on 158 in very quick time. Miandad hit 5 6s to show what he could do with his ears pinned back. Ended up being his highest score in ODIs. Kapil Dev conceded 73 in only 7 overs, the most runs he ever gave up.
2) 116* (114) vs India, Sharjah, 1986. You've probably heard about this one...it was the final of the tournament and Pakistan needed 4 off the last ball from Chetan Sharma to win and Javed hit it for 6! Wasn't just the last ball heroics that should be honoured, Javed was the only batsman to make it past 40 as Pakistan chased 246.
3) 78* (71) vs India, Jamshedpur, 1987. More last over brilliance from Javed. This time they needed 12 off the last and Javed hit the first 2 balls from Gopal Sharma for 6! The target had been 266 in only 44 overs and Javed had needed to bat intelligently after Ijaz Ahmed (72) fell. From there he scrambled small partnerships with 3 other batsmen and got it down to the final over where the rest is history.

Highlights:

#31 - Inzamam-ul-Haq

Role: RH middle order batsman, usually #4 or #5.

Debut: vs West Indies, Lahore, 1991.
Matches: 378
Runs: 11739
Avg: 39.52
S/R: 74.24

Legacy: He was the complete opposite Javed Miandad (personality, athleticism, leadership style etc.), yet Inzamam was just as successful with the bat, and like Javed, he gave Pakistan that rock in the middle to build around. Only 2 batsmen have more 50-99 scores than Inzamam: Tendulkar and Kallis.

Inzamam was a big man - both tall and wide. It gave him a lot of power, but it also gave him a long reach and helped him drive balls on the rise and get leverage on his pull shot - two of his favourite shots. Imran Khan regarded him as the best player of pace bowling in the world, in the main because Inzamam had a great eye and could get into position very quickly. Some also compared him to Wally Hammond, a big guy, but a sweet timer of the ball who played attractively.

Was a comically bad runner between the wickets. Slow to begin with, but his judgement of a run was fairly awful. He was run out 40 times in ODIs, equal with Rahul Dravid and one behind the leader Marvan Atapattu. Mohammad Yousuf is 4th with 38 run outs, and when Yousuf and Inzamam batted together... lets just say it was a good time for aspiring cricketers to look away - how NOT to do it.

Inzamam captained Pakistan in 90 ODIs, and his batting average improved when he took the captaincy duties (43.89 as captain). Will also be remembered for one of the most bizarre incidents of modern times. After an ODI in Toronto, he went into the crowd with a cricket bat, trying to hunt down a fan who had been abusing him with a megaphone all game.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 60 (37) vs New Zealand, Auckland, 1992. This cameo catapulted Pakistan into the World Cup final, and Inzamam into the international spotlight as a player of great ability. Pakistan needed 123 in the last 15 overs, but he put on 87 in 10 of those overs with Javed Mianded, cutting hard and hoicking over midwicket in a whirlwind innings to make Pakistan favourites again. With 5 overs left Inzamam was run out...of course but Javed was there to guide Pakistan into the final.
2) 121* (113) vs India, Sharjah, 2000. Strangely enough it was a quiet start from openers Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi...so it was left to Inzamam and Yousuf to raise the run rate. They put on 151 in the last 22 overs to get Pakistan to 272, Inzy hitting 5 6s in total. Then Waqar Younis took yet another 5fer to give Pakistan a 98 run win.
3) 122 (102) vs India, Karachi, 2004. Pakistan were looking at chasing down the massive 350 required while Inzy remained, scoring 7 RPO for the 35 overs he was out there. But with 8 overs left he was dismissed, leaving the lower order to scramble for the runs. 9 was needed off the last over, 6 off the last ball, but Moin Khan was caught, India winning by 5. Despite losing, Inzamam was Man of the Match.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#30 - Allan Donald

Role: RH fast bowler, either new ball or change bowler. RH tail end batsman, most often at #11.

Debut: vs India, Kolkata, 1991.
Matches: 164
Wkts: 272
Avg: 21.78
Econ: 4.15

Legacy: Allan Donald was a beatiful bowler to watch. A little like Brett Lee, he owned an excellent action and got the ball to swing at excellent pace. His nickname came from his speed: he was called "White Lightning", arguably the world's fastest bowler for a while. He had to wait until he was 25 before he could play for South Africa, waiting for them to allowed back into international cricket.

Donald has an imposing record. His 31.4 strike rate is bettered by only a few bowlers in history and he was able to take plenty of wickets while only going at just over 4 RPO. Donald was at his best in the mid-late 90s under the captaincy of Hansie Cronje and with the support of a young SA opening bowler named Shaun Pollock:
with Cronje captain (94-99): 81 ODIs, 155 wkts @ 18.80, RPO: 4.05, S/R: 27.7
under other captains: 83 ODIs, 117 wkts @ 25.74, RPO: 4.25, S/R: 36.4

He was a great fieldsman too for a fast bowler, very athletic across the ground and able to rip it in from the boundary. Upon retirement, Donald is now very much in demand as a bowling coach, having worked for NZ, England and various counties and franchises.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 5/29 (8.4) vs India, Kolkata, 1991. This was SA's first ODI ever and India got a taste of what a young Allan Donald could do. Chasing only 178, Donald took 3 wickets quickly to have India 3/20, then came back to get Tendulkar and Amre - but too late, India home with 3 wickets to spare.
2) 4/17 (8) vs England, The Oval, 1999. A group match of the World Cup and Donald destroyed the England middle order, taking them from 2/39 to 6/60 before coming back to get Fairbrother too as England were all out for 103 chasing 226.
3) 4/32 (10) vs Australia, Birmingham, 1999. THAT match - the tied semi-final of the 1999 World Cup. Donald was difficult to score from and took 2 double strikes: Ponting and Lehmann when Australia were 1/54 and Reiffel and Fleming in the last overs. Unfortunately, that bowling effort is largely forgotten as Donald was the man run out on the 3rd last ball of the match to see the scores tied and Australia advance to the final.

Highlights: Not a lot of ODI Donald about, so enjoy some Test highlights.

#29 - Andrew Symonds

Role: Batting all-rounder. RH batsman, most frequently at #5. Part-time RH medium pace to begin with, but switched to off-spin (for the most part) later in his career.

Debut: vs Pakistan, Lahore, 1998.
Matches: 198
Runs: 5088
Avg: 39.75
S/R: 92.44
Wkts: 133
Avg: 37.25
Econ: 5.00

Legacy: Prior to the 2003 World Cup Symonds was a highly talented, but failed cricketer. He could field like a demon and his bowling was decent, but with bat Symonds had hit only 2 50s in 54 ODIs, a glorified slogger for the most part. His career was on life support, and personal intervention from Ricky Ponting had been needed to resuscitate it with a spot in the World Cup squad. Then he hit a brilliant (and uncharacteristically responsible) 143* vs Pakistan and the rest is history. From that point on Symonds was a world class batsman, scoring lots of runs at a great rate and intimidating most of the world's bowlers with his power hitting. The stats:
03 World Cup-2009: 144 ODIs, 4326 runs @ 45.06, S/R: 91.8, 6 100s

While his batting was vastly improved, his bowling was never quite as effective after Symonds' big comeback into the side in 2003. His off spin was steady, but never quite had the strike rate that his medium pacers used to.
1998/99-2002/03: 54 ODIs, 44 wkts @ 32.14, Econ: 5.00, S/R: 39.2
03 World Cup-2009: 144 ODIs, 89 wkts @ 39.78, Econ: 5.04, S/R: 47.3

Symonds was loved by the Aussie crowds for the way he played his cricket (lots of big hits) but also that he looked like he enjoyed his cricket, often grinning widely in the field and joking with teammates. Of course for his fielding prowess as well, throwing himself around athletically for such a big man and able to rocket the ball in from the outfield. Off the field however, Symonds had a few incidents that eventually caused his retirement from international cricket: including missing a team meeting to go fishing and a number of alcohol related incidents.


Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 143* (125) vs Pakistan, Johannesburg, 2003. A career changing innings for Symonds in the opening match of the 2003 World Cup. Ponting was the only other Aussie batsman who got past 30, but he was out at 5/146 and apparently told Symonds to "be there at the end of the innings" (this is one of Richie Benaud's favourite tales...god I'd love a dollar for every time he'd mentioned it...) Didn't bowl, but took a good catch to get rid of Mohammad Yousuf as Pakistan were hanging around in their chase of 311.
2) 151 (127) & 2/32 (5) vs Sri Lanka, Sydney, 2006. 2nd final of the triangular series and Australia were in early trouble at 3/10, but Ponting and Symonds put on 237 with Symonds accelerating at the end. 50 came off 61 balls, last 100 came off 66 balls. Murali took 0/99 off his 10 (the most expensive 10 overs in history, at the time) with Symonds taking 41 off the 23 balls Murali bowled to him.
3) 156 (127) vs New Zealand, Wellington, 2005. Another steady start from Symonds, his first 50 coming off 70 balls after Australia lost 4 wickets before the half way mark. But then Symonds accelerated, the next 50 coming off 39 balls, the last 56 in just 18 balls. He hit 8 6s, 3 in a row off the first 3 balls of a Cairns over. NZ almost got the 323 needed, and arguably should have, losing 2 wickets when only 4 off 4 were needed.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#28 - Desmond Haynes

Role: RH opening batsman.

Debut: vs Australia, St. John's, 1978.
Matches: 238
Runs: 8648
Avg: 41.37
S/R: 63.09

Legacy: Haynes was known to be the steadier of the Greenidge/Haynes partnership, but once he'd established his innings Haynes could rattle along as well as Greenidge could. Those of course being the days where being 0/50 after 15 overs was a reasonable start...Can't really remember a lot about Haynes (I only saw the very end of his career), but I read that the cover drive was probably his best shot and he always played pretty correctly, even when trying to score fast.

Haynes scored a brilliant century on debut vs Australia in 1978 but it took him almost 6 years to score another one. When that 2nd 100 eventually came in 1983/84 it opened the floodgates, and from that summer til the end of the 80s Haynes was always up there in the world's best ODI batsman argument. Here are the numbers:
1983/84-1989/90: 127 ODIs, 5070 runs @ 48.29, S/R: 65.1, 15 100s.

When he retired Haynes held the records for most runs and most 100s. The glut of ODI cricket since then has seen those overtaken fairly easily though.

Very determined and professional player and highly respected in the dressing room. Was overlooked to replace Viv Richards as captain, even though Haynes had been the vice-captain for a few years. Richie Richardson was the younger man though and despite deserving the captaincy, Haynes was happy to play under him. Since retiring he's been a coach, selector, served on the WICB and even been a Senator in the Barbados parliament.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 123* (130) vs Australia, Melbourne, 1985. Chasing 241, Haynes dominated the opening stand of 69 (Greenidge only 12), then found partners in Richardson and Richards. The WI scored so efficiently that they got the runs with 5.1 overs to spare. Only spinner Murray Bennett had tidy figures, Haynes scoring well off the quicks.
2) 145* (157) vs New Zealand, Guyana, 1985. Haynes scored over half of the WI total of 259, with even the legendary Richards scoring at only 65 S/R against the Kiwis accurate attack, lead by Hadlee and Chatfield. Then the true value of Haynes' innings was shown when NZ were all out for only 129 in reply, meaning that Haynes had outscored both the Kiwis and his teammates.
3) 152* (126) vs India, Guyana, 1989. An innings to show how quickly Haynes could score when set on it. He put on 185 with Greenidge (80) and a very quick 95 with Richardson (42). Struck 6 6s and 12 4s over the innings.

Highlights: some Test match batting from Haynes

#27 - Aravinda de Silva

Role: Batting all-rounder. RH middle order batsman, usually #4. Part-time RH off-spin.

Debut: vs New Zealand, Moratuwa, 1984.
Matches: 308
Runs: 9284
Avg: 34.90
S/R: 81.13
Wkts: 106
Avg: 39.40
Econ: 4.86

Legacy: Aravinda gripped the bat a bit like a wood chopper, high on the handle and used to hammer it into the pitch as he waited for the bowler. It made sense to take guard like that because he was a naturally aggressive player, a 'swashbuckler' who loved to attack and play the flashy shots. After debuting at only 18, it took a while for Aravinda to understand when to go hard at the bowling and when to be patient and he was forever fighting his instincts. As a result his ODI career didn't start particularly well, de Silva hanging around for a few years before he really peaked as a player.

He was at his best in the 90s, making all 11 of his 100s between 1990 and 1998.
1990/91-1998: 165 ODIs, 5777 runs @ 40.39, S/R: 84.45, 11 100s
Outside that: 143 ODIs, 3507 runs @ 28.51, S/R: 76.2, 0 100s
In particular, was prolific in the mid 90s when he played so well in the 1996 World Cup, the absolute peak of his powers.

Was an increasingly useful off-spinner as his career went on, getting smarter and more economical with experience. Wasn't used in every innings, but was always a handy option.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 66 (47) & 1/3 (2) vs India, Kolkata, 1996 The World Cup semi-final against India. Aravinda came out at 2/1 and counter-attacked fiercely, stroking boundaries to all parts of Eden Gardens. He dominated the scoring so much that SL was only 85 when he was out. But the damage had been done, India were on the back foot. The chase was abandoned with India in trouble when the crowd rioted and the game could not get restarted.
2) 3/42 (9) & 107* (124) vs Australia, Lahore, 1996. The greatest moment in SL cricket history - the World Cup final of 1996, and Aravinda was the star. Picked up Taylor, Ponting and Healy with the ball, as well as taking 2 catches. Then chasing 241, SL were wavering at 2/23, but Gurusinha and Ranatunga batted around Aravinda who frustrated the mighty Aussie attack by blunting the good balls and punishing the loose stuff.
3) 134 (131) vs Pakistan, Sharjah, 1997. Jayasuriya stuck with him for a while, but Aravinda was largely on his own, making 134 of SL's 251 total as he was the only batsman to score freely against an excellent attack of Wasim, Waqar, Saqlain, Mushie and Afridi. Pakistan were dismissed for 200 in response.

Highlights:

 

[sifter132]

#26 - Zaheer Abbas

Role: RH top order batsman, usually #3. Occasional RH off-spin.

Debut: vs England, Nottingham, 1974.
Matches: 62
Runs: 2572
Avg: 47.62
S/R: 84.80

Legacy: Renowned as being a stylish player and a great timer of the ball, able to just caress it to the fence. I remember reading an interview where he said that when he was in great form he always wanted to make the most of it ie. big scores. He was a bit more vulnerable than most early in his innings, but once past that phase, he often cashed in. You can see that in his record, 7 100s vs 13 50s is an excellent conversion rate for ODIs. He really was a run scoring machine - still the only Asian batsman to score over 100 first class centuries thanks to his time in English county cricket. That hunger for runs earned him the 'Asian Bradman' tag.

Stats-wise, Zaheer was at his best in the early 80s, putting up some pretty ridiculous numbers:
1980/81-1983/84: 34 ODIs, 1670 runs @ 57.59, S/R: 88.3, 7 100s.
Considering the average strike rate was in the high 60s (compared to low 80s today), Zaheer was getting an extra run per every 6 balls he was out there when compared to the average player of his era.

Was involved in a few political powerplays regarding the captaincy (how unusual for Pakistan lol) Captained 13 ODIs, but missed a couple of tours because he wasn't made captain. Wore glasses for a long time during his career before switching to contacts towards the end.

Three of the best (matches in chronological order):
1) 108 (110) vs Australia, Sydney, 1981. Taking on an impressive 4-man pace attack of Lillee, Alderman, Thomson and Lawson, Zaheer made the 223 target look small, as Pakistan got home with almost 7 overs to spare.
2) 109 (95) vs Australia, Lahore, 1982. Again Australia at the receiving end of a Zaheer 100. Pakistan had been put in on a green looking pitch, but it didn't bother Zaheer much who dominated the scoring: hitting 109 of the 154 runs that were made while he was out there. Pakistan ended up with 234 off their 40 overs, Australia only got to 206.
3) 118 (86) & 2/33 (4) vs India, Multan, 1982. Zaheer at full flight in this one, hitting 10 x 4s and 4 x 6s. He and Mohsin Khan put on 205 in 27 overs as Pakistan put on 263 in their 40 overs. Then Zaheer got Vengsarkar and Sandeep Patil in India's failed chase, only reaching 226.

Highlights:

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

we're into the real big guns of the game now. wasn't aware haynes was such a good ODI player, when I initially saw the ordering I thought inzamam had been hard done by, that 60 in the 92 world cup is one of the formats defining knocks, but no, I'd agree with your order on reflection.

not sure about allan donald coming so far down, most of what I'm aware of him he was one of the best fast bowlers ever in the format. average, economy, and aggregates are all world class, but I'll wait and see which bowlers made it in front of him before taking too much umbrage.

as always great posts though, man.

 

[Bevab]

Great write-ups. Would be interesting to see who's next.

 

[sami ullah khan]

I would personally have Waqar much higher in the list but its sifter's list and he has done one helluva job till now. The business is sure to pick up now since we are already witnessing legends now starting to appear in the list.

 

[Varun]

Two of my all-time favourite bowlers must be in the top 25 now, McGrath and Pollock.