CW's 50 Best ODI Cricketers of all time - The Countdown (2017 Version)

[NUFAN]

Four people correctly picked Klusener at number 16 - that's a pretty high number.

I went to check others from the top 25 and players picked in their actual finishing position are:

Jones 2 @ 23, Hadlee 2 @ 22, Saqlain 1 @ 20, Warne 1 @ 19.

 

[Burgey]

No footage of that 175* exists, except for one or two privately recorded videos I think. BBC were on strike that day.

That may be the most English thing ever

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I don't recall there being a BBC strike during that World Cup. But I did have to follow most of the early group stuff via radio. In those days the TV company didn't dictate the fixture list, they just covered the fixture list they were given. There were quite a few matches played simultaneously and there weren't cameras at all of them. India v Zimbabwe would have seemed like a good one to omit from the schedule.

 

[AndrewB]

According to BBC Genome, the scheduled coverage was:

(As part of "Grandstand") 10.45, 1.40, 2.10, 2.40, 3.45: World Cup Cricket
The 1983 Prudential World Cup: England Pakistan from Old Trafford, West Indies v Australia from Lord's
The four most powerful cricketing countries in the world do battle. WEST INDIES meet AUSTRALIA at Lord's, and Old Trafford will witness a vital result with only one match remaining before the semi-finals. Commentators: Old Trafford: RICHIE BENAUD, TONY GREIG , FRANK TYSON Lord's: JIM LAKER, TOM GRAVENEY , TED DEXTER

(Later on BBC2) 16.40 : World Cup Cricket
The 1983 Prudential World Cup: England v Pakistan, West Indies v Australia
Introduced by PETER WEST and TONY LEWIS, with latest scores from New Zealand v Sri Lanka and India v Zimbabwe.

which suggests that there wouldn't have been any coverage of the innings, strike or no strike.

 

[vcs]

I don't recall there being a BBC strike during that World Cup. But I did have to follow most of the early group stuff via radio. In those days the TV company didn't dictate the fixture list, they just covered the fixture list they were given. There were quite a few matches played simultaneously and there weren't cameras at all of them. India v Zimbabwe would have seemed like a good one to omit from the schedule.

According to BBC Genome, the scheduled coverage was:

(As part of "Grandstand") 10.45, 1.40, 2.10, 2.40, 3.45: World Cup Cricket
The 1983 Prudential World Cup: England Pakistan from Old Trafford, West Indies v Australia from Lord's
The four most powerful cricketing countries in the world do battle. WEST INDIES meet AUSTRALIA at Lord's, and Old Trafford will witness a vital result with only one match remaining before the semi-finals. Commentators: Old Trafford: RICHIE BENAUD, TONY GREIG , FRANK TYSON Lord's: JIM LAKER, TOM GRAVENEY , TED DEXTER

(Later on BBC2) 16.40 : World Cup Cricket
The 1983 Prudential World Cup: England v Pakistan, West Indies v Australia
Introduced by PETER WEST and TONY LEWIS, with latest scores from New Zealand v Sri Lanka and India v Zimbabwe.

which suggests that there wouldn't have been any coverage of the innings, strike or no strike.

Interesting.

The "BBC strike" theory is something of an urban legend in India whenever people discuss that innings.

This day, that year: Kapil Dev?s epic 175 - Times of India

 

[RK_123]

Fairly certain these 15 will make it to top 16: Ponting, Jayasuriya, Klusener, Pollock, Gilchrist, De villiers, Kohli, Dhoni, Bevan, Garner, Akram, Murali, McGrath, Tendulkar, Richards.

Who gets 16th spot? Kapil, Ganguly?

That means Ganguly would miss out of top 50 greatest cricketer in odis.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Did Sir Geoffrey get any votes?

 

[harsh.ag]

That means Ganguly would miss out of top 50 greatest cricketer in odis.

Yeah. Classic case of everyone knowing he belongs somewhere between 30-50 but no one voting for him in the top 25.

 

[RK_123]

Yuvraj Singh is another massive name who has been missing out of this list. A guy who was Man of series in WC 11 deserved to be there and more so in between 20-30.

 

[harsh.ag]

Swap in Yuvi for Harvey imo.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

One interesting thing to do (albeit only mildly) could be to re-do the list again later but removing each players best and worst placing. They used to do this in some Olympic events that rely on scoring to eliminate the effect of bias overshadowing results.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yuvi, Haynes definitely should be in there somewhere around 30-40.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Main memory of Klusener: that Forrest Gump hairstyle

 

[ankitj]

Inzamam going to miss out too. I do think he is better ODI player than Javed Miandad.

 

[NUFAN]

One interesting thing to do (albeit only mildly) could be to re-do the list again later but removing each players best and worst placing. They used to do this in some Olympic events that rely on scoring to eliminate the effect of bias overshadowing results.

I was thinking of this myself. Actually would keep the lowest score (as a 24th place is better than not selected at all) but the best score could eliminate some selection bias.

 

[Daemon]

Decent suggestion. Atm the outside biased selections like Harvey are getting a bit of extra weight.

Say in general most people have similar top 25s and similar 25-50s. If a poster then selects an outsider in his top 25, it's going to leapfrog a lot of those 25-50s who didn't get votes. Dunno if that makes sense tbh, I just want Harvey out.

 

[NUFAN]

One of the things that I initially suggested was that everyone has the opportunity to pick a top 50 as I thought it would mean some of the cricketers who people generally think are 30-50th best would keep getting a few points and that would help them more then the 'all or nothing' players. I know it gets pretty difficult though - hard to find a perfect solution.

Anyway now for 14th and 13th place (look at the difference in points - it mates me think the top 13 are the real candidates for a spot in the ATG ODI world XI).

14 Shaun Pollock
Total Points: 184
Highest Pick: 6th
2011 Ranking: 9th

Shaun Pollock quietly went about his business drying up runs, creating chances and taking bulk wickets. For a seam bowler with 393 ODI wickets, the most by a South African, his skills appeared underrated in the 50-over format. He could make the ball talk on almost any surface, whether it be through the air or off the deck each way. Pollock was always probing, wanting an edge or a gap between bat and pad to exploit. It's a testament to his abilities with the white ball that the right-armer dismissed Sachin Tendulkar, a record nine times. On his day, Polly was equally destructive with the bat, often chipping in with crucial runs down the order.

Main Memory: His terrific 5-fa in the famous 1999 World Cup semi.



13 Sanath Jayasuriya
Total Points: 283
Highest Pick: 2nd
2011 Ranking: 11th

Sanath Jayasuriya wielded his blade with serious power, as his career strike rate of 91.20 suggests. Muscular forearms combined with hawk-like vision to produce one of the most devastating batsmen in the history of ODI cricket.The left-hander was at the heart of an ODI revolution in the mid-1990s, after he was promoted to the top of the order by Arjuna Ranatunga and given a license to make hay in the initial 15 overs when the field was up and quick runs were in the offing. No-one performed the role as effectively – or spectacularly – as Jayasuriya, who scored 28 hundreds as an opening batsman.
Sanath's bowling was underrated too. He took 323 ODI wickets, taking 5 wickets in an innings 4 times.

Main Memory: His move to opener, his 48 ball century and his sixes over point/third man.

 

[Daemon]

That last over against NZ where SA needed 27 and Pollock smashed Mills around for 3 sixes. Glorious.

Awesome cricketer. You really can't have a Test side that is more perfectly balanced than SA did when they had both Pollock and Kallis.

 

[honestbharani]

England kinda getting there with Stokes and Woakes AFAIC. But such a long way to go. Pollock, WAG.

 

[harsh.ag]

Having Pollock in the ATG ODI side is mandatory imo. A McGrath who could bat.

Jayasuriya is just a freak. A little inconsistent for mine, but enormous peaks.