5 Best ODI Batsmen of All Time

[Moonsorrow999]

Kohli, Tendulkar, Ponting, AB and Dhoni from my generation. Picked up cricket quite late so don't remember Bevan too much.

 

[GRAB]

How has Klusener not been mentioned? The best finisher ever until Dhoni... The amount of impossible matches he won for us was astonishing...

 

[Red]

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.

I think it's laughable to suggest Bevan is a "clearly superior" ODI batsman over Ponting. WTH do you base that on?

Bevan's average is the most misleading stat. Bevan averaged 35 per innings in ODIs, while Ponting averaged 37 per innings.

Give me Hussey over Bevan any day to play a similar role.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I too think Hussey was generally superior to Bevan. Just that Bevan really pioneered that specialist finisher role.

He was the Mercedes Benz of ODI finishes.

 

[Adders]

Haha.....RH's disdain for Bevan never gets old.

 

[stephen]

Red Hill hates Bevan for some reason. Thing is, Bevan was the sole batting reason Australia were as good as they were in the 90s. M Waugh was good at opener and S Waugh was good at times but Bevan won Australia games from impossible situations against world class bowling attacks on bowler friendly pitches.

If anything he's underrated. He has an absurd ratio of wins when he was not out in a chase. And his strike rate in the first innings was a quite healthy 80 (which was very good for a 90s bat).

 

[ankitj]

After Red Hill's post I have made up my mind on top 5. Bevan stays, Dhoni is left out.

Vivian Richards
Sachin Tendulkar
Michael Bevan
AB deVilliers
Virat Kohli

Hurts to keep Dhoni out and one can argue Kohli is just half way through his career but the **** has 2nd most hundreds ever, so can't seriously make that argument. Dhoni also has a good case to be rated higher than Bevan but gotta burn Red Hill a bit.

 

[Himannv]

1. Viv Richards
2. AB de Villiers
3. Virat Kohli
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Michael Bevan

 

[watson]

I think it's laughable to suggest Bevan is a "clearly superior" ODI batsman over Ponting. WTH do you base that on?

Bevan's average is the most misleading stat. Bevan averaged 35 per innings in ODIs, while Ponting averaged 37 per innings.

Give me Hussey over Bevan any day to play a similar role.

Can’t really compare Ponting and Bevan as they batted at opposite ends of the batting order and had very different roles. As a No.3 Ponting anyday, but Bevan strolls into the No.6 spot.

Hussey v Bevan is interesting and I’d take either batsman for my XI. But Bevan is too much of a legend, plus his left-armers tip the scales.

 

[randycricfreak]

IMO,

1)Virat Kohli
2)Viv Richards
3) Sachin Tendulkar
4)ABD
5)Sanath Jayasuriya

 

[sunilz]

Viv
Sachin
ABD
KOHLI
Bevan

 

[bagapath]

There used to be a left handed Australian opener. Aggressive. Entertaining. Match winner. Scored a cracking hundred in a WC final. Wicket keeper. And a great great bat. Sadly no one mentions his name anymore.

 

[OverratedSanity]

There used to be a left handed Australian opener. Aggressive. Entertaining. Match winner. Scored a cracking hundred in a WC final. Wicket keeper. And a great great bat. Sadly no one mentions his name anymore.

True.

2nd greatest left handed ODI opener ever imo behind Nick Knight.

 

[Daemon]

Thats nice but he isn't in the top 5 odi bats

Also everyone mentions his name like literally all the time

 

[harsh.ag]

True.

2nd greatest left handed ODI opener ever imo behind Nick Knight.

Aamer Sohail 2nd. Please respect list sanctity.

 

[weldone]

36th post of the thread mentions Hashim Amla's name for the first time. His ODI stats can rival almost anyone else.

 

[Bolo]

36th post of the thread mentions Hashim Amla's name for the first time. His ODI stats can rival almost anyone else.

He's behind 2 of his contemporaries on stats (AB and Kohli) and only equivalent to Dhoni. With only 5 slots available and Tendulkar and Viv being autolocks, there isn't a lot of room for him. Not too bad a shout for the 5th spot though. I'm with concensus in this thread that the 1st 4 are clearly Viv, ab, Kohli and Tendulkar, with no clear answer on number 5. I'd probably put him just behind Zaheer, Bevan and Dhoni because of the extent to which he made soft runs, but still a fair call.

 

[subshakerz]

Viv Richards - Pioneer, dominant in a bowler's era and way ahead of his time

Tendulkar - All-round consistency and longevity over two decades of evolution of ODI

Bevan - The best of the finishers when you factor in the quality of opposition and his success rate in getting his team across the line (better than Dhoni who was hit and miss as finisher since 2013)

Kohli - Modern record-breaker and perhaps the best chaser ever

AB Devilliers - Statistical freak and has expanded the horizons for what is possible as an ODI batsman

 

[smash84]

IMO,

1)Virat Kohli
2)Viv Richards
3) Sachin Tendulkar
4)ABD
5)Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath probably not even the best batsman in his team most of the time

 

[Red]

Red Hill hates Bevan for some reason. Thing is, Bevan was the sole batting reason Australia were as good as they were in the 90s.

Please, I think we had a pretty handy team.

If anything he's underrated. He has an absurd ratio of wins when he was not out in a chase.

He's not underrated. He's consistently selected in greatest ODI XIs etc. And it's hardly surprising that when a team is chasing, if one of their top 6 bats is still there at the end, that they win. Pointless comment.