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CW's 50 Best ODI Cricketers of all time - The Countdown

zaremba

Cricketer Of The Year
CW's 50 Best ODI Cricketers of all time
50 Chris Harris
49 Chris Gayle
48 Jonty Rhodes
47 Neil Fairbrother
46 AB de Villiers
45 Michael Holding
44 Shane Watson
43 Allan Border
42 Chris Cairns
41 Martin Crowe
40 Malcolm Marshall
39 Nathan Bracken
38 Gordon Greenidge
37 Greg Chappell
36 Mark Waugh
35 Saeed Anwar
34 Desmond Haynes
33 Shane Bond
32 Inzamam-Ul-Haq
31 Aravinda de Silva
30 Brett Lee
29 Sourav Ganguly
28 Michael Hussey
27 Allan Donald
26 Javed Miandad
25 Andrew Symonds
24 MS Dhoni
23 Curtly Ambrose
22 Zaheer Abbas
21 Saqlain Mushtaq
20 Richard Hadlee
19 Lance Klusener
18 Dean Jones
17 Imran Khan
16 Waqar Younis
15 Jacques Kallis
14 Shane Warne
13 Kapil Dev
12 Brian Lara
11 Sanath Jayasuriya
10 Ricky Ponting
9 Shaun Pollock
8 Muttiah Muralitharan
7 Joel Garner
6 Michael Bevan
5 Glenn McGrath
4 Adam Gilchrist
3 Wasim Akram
2 Sachin Tendulkar
1 Viv Richards



Players by nation
Australia 14
West Indies 9
Pakistan 8
South Africa 6
New Zealand 5
India 4
Sri Lanka 3
England 1

Current players vs. Past Players
10 vs. 40 (Bracken and Jayasuriya are considered past in my calculations).
Bit of a bump...

Just listening to Jarrod Kimber's "Red Inker" podcast from Nov 22 when he talks about how good the England white ball team is these days. He specifically spoke - at some length! - about this particular thread. Pointing out that there was only one England player in the top 50.

He also spoke about how knowledgeable some of the contributors in the replies were. :-O
 

trundler

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Razzaq is unquestionably better than Harris in ODIs. By a decent margin too. Puzzling to me how Harris is held in any regard, much less so highly.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Bit of a bump...

Just listening to Jarrod Kimber's "Red Inker" podcast from Nov 22 when he talks about how good the England white ball team is these days. He specifically spoke - at some length! - about this particular thread. Pointing out that there was only one England player in the top 50.

He also spoke about how knowledgeable some of the contributors in the replies were. :-O
Any time code?
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Razzaq is unquestionably better than Harris in ODIs. By a decent margin too. Puzzling to me how Harris is held in any regard, much less so highly.
Razzaq was an excellent player and more destructive with the bat, whereas Harris took things deep and worked the ball around. He also had to bat slowly as NZ had often lost too many early wickets. Harris was a better bowler than Razzaq and one of the greatest fielders of all time.
 

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
50 CHRIS HARRIS



Chris Harris | New Zealand Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo
Total Points 25
Nominated by 2/30



A cult hero in New Zealand cricket and, for a time, one of the most effective allround limited-overs cricketers in the international game, Chris Harris will be remembered as much for his versatile accumulation with the bat as for his nagging slow-medium wobblers. Harris's ability to score all around the wicket, pick the gaps and hit boundaries at just the right time turned him into New Zealand's answer to Michael Bevan, and his 62 not-outs in one-day cricket testify to his ability to close out an innings. His bowling was ideally suited to the shorter game - a gentle medium-pace that forces the batsman to do all the work allied to subtle changes in pace and the ability to cut the ball either way off the wicket. Harris was also a very safe fielder, particularly within the inner circle and in the covers.



49 CHRIS GAYLE


Chris Gayle | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 25
Nominated by 3/30


A thrusting Jamaican left-hander, He is one of only five players in One Day International history to have three or more scores of 150. Gayle also bowls brisk non-turning offspin, with which he has turned himself into a genuine one-day allrounder. Maturing quickly, he has become a consistently prolific scorer in the ODIs.

He is of strapping frame with a bleach-white smile that belies a tendency to flay opposition bowling to all parts of the ground. Moreover, his lusty hitting through point, coupled with a Jamaican swagger unseen since Michael Holding, make him a fierce proposition in the modern game and a real crowd pleasure.



48 JONTY RHODES


Jonty Rhodes | South Africa Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 26
Nominated by 4/30


The Jonty Rhodes legend may have begun with the diving run-out of Inzamam-ul-Haq during the 1992 World Cup but it would never have grown as it did without genuine substance. Rhodes worked harder than anyone else in a team of hard workers, frequently delaying the team bus at the end of practice for one more round of reflex catches hit from ten metres or less. Nobody has ever fielded better in the key one-day position of backward point, where he leapt like a salmon, threw off balance, and stopped singles by reputation alone.

Few batsmen have turned the quick single into a finer art form, and his willingness to experiment and adapt enabled him to lead the way with the reverse-sweep under Bob Woolmer's tutelage.



47 NEIL FAIRBROTHER



Neil Fairbrother | England Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 28
Nominated by 2/30


Fairbrother carved out a career for himself as England's leading one-day batsman in the middle order for much of the 1990s, picking the gaps with scientific precision, dabbing the ball behind square, occasionally hitting over the top on the leg side - and running like hell. He was a livewire in the field patrolling the cover region with great expertise.

The highlights of Fairbrother's international career were his appearances in three World Cups. He has been the architect of several one-day triumphs at Lancashire and for England.



46 AB DE VILLIERS

AB de Villiers | South Africa Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 30
Nominated by 2/30


A batsman of breathtaking chutzpah and enterprise, as well as the skills and the temperament required to back up his creative intent. He is a fielder able to leap tall buildings and still come up with the catch. A wicketkeeper who is perfectly at ease donning pads and gloves, Cricket should be pleased to have him.

AB de Villiers blasted the seventh fastest century in ODI cricket, in 58 balls, when he slammed an unbeaten 102 off just 59 balls against India in Ahmedabad in February 2010. De Villiers is currently ranked the second best batsman in the world in the ICC rankings.


45 MICHAEL HOLDING


Michael Holding | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 30
Nominated by 3/30


It began intimidatingly far away. He turned, and began the most elegant long-striding run of them all, feet kissing the turf silently, his head turning gently and ever so slightly from side to side, rhythmically, like that of a cobra hypnotising its prey. Good batsmen tended not to watch him all the way lest they became mesmerised. To the umpires he was malevolent stealth personified so they christened him Whispering Death. No-one in the game has bowled faster.

In 102 ODI’s Holding took 142 wickets at the superb economy rate of just 3.32 runs per over.


44 SHANE WATSON



Shane Watson | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo


Total Points 31
Nominated by 4/30


At the crease he is an aggressive brute with a broad chest, a right-handed disciple of Matthew Hayden, and someone who often doesn't need to follow-through to gain a boundary. However, his drives and pulls are delivered in a much smoother style than his former Queensland team-mate and his technique is worth copying.

As a bowler Watson is willing and speedy, he picks up handy wickets and delivers useful overs. After years of doubt he has developed into a very modern, complete and enviable package.



43 ALLAN BORDER

Allan Border | Australia Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 32
Nominated by 3/30



Border was an artful one-day player with a deadly arm from short midwicket. Border took over the captaincy in the dark age of Australia Cricket. He applied himself to the task as proudly as to his batting and was rewarded with the World Cup win in 1987, Australia’s first.

In ODI’s Border averaged over 30 with the bat and under 30 with the ball, add in the captaincy and direct hits and you can see why AB was rated so highly.


42 CHRIS CAIRNS

Chris Cairns | New Zealand Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 32
Nominated by 5/30


One of the more colourful characters to come from New Zealand, he was one of the finest all rounders in the world taking over 200 wickets and making almost 5000 runs in his 215 matches.

Cairns was a lusty hitter who turned matches in the blink of an eye just like his father Lance did. On January 22, 2006, Cairns announced his retirement from ODIs in a tear-filled press conference.



41 MARTIN CROWE


Martin Crowe | New Zealand Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo

Total Points 38
Nominated by 4/30



Crowe was a classical batsman with a wide range of shots and seemingly all the time in the world to play them. In 21 World Cup matches he averaged a superb 55, which included a fine 100* against Australia at the 1992 World Cup.

With Richard Hadlee, Crowe was at the heart of a New Zealand side which enjoyed considerable success in the 1980s. He captained New Zealand in the early 1990s, and during this period he brought many innovations, such as opening with spin bowlers and utilising pinch hitting batsmen.
What where ABDV's stats at this point? Guy is an undisputed top 4 goat ODI bat along with viv, sachin and kohli by most nowadays from what i've seen, feels weird for him to only be the 49th best ODI cricketer.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Bit of a bump...

Just listening to Jarrod Kimber's "Red Inker" podcast from Nov 22 when he talks about how good the England white ball team is these days. He specifically spoke - at some length! - about this particular thread. Pointing out that there was only one England player in the top 50.

He also spoke about how knowledgeable some of the contributors in the replies were. :-O
Yeah I remember listening to this a few months back. Biggest surprise that the guy chosen was not Flintoff. Feel like he would make one now. Obviously along with Buttler, Bairstow etc.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Flintoff was so good in ODIs but is underrated because he played in a **** team, and also underrated by neanderthals like @Burgey who only count the World Cup (unless England win it, in which case they start screeching like lunatics)
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
He was ok but there’s a zillion seam up all rounders as good as him across the history of ODIs. Unlike in tests, I never thought “Oh ****, here’s Freddie” with bat or ball in ODIs. Being a decent player in a team of klutzes doesn’t make you an ATG

Oh, and England has still never won an ODI WC final, as you well know.
 

Burgey

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Also a bit surprised Mark Waugh doesn’t rate higher on this list. Top class opening bat who could get through ten overs of seam up or off spin and one of the great fielders seems a bit low, but I suppose we aren’t rating mugs here.

Hussey is routinely put in Aus AT ODI XIs ahead of Bevan by a number of posters these days, yet doesn’t feature on the list at all.
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Bit of a bump...

Just listening to Jarrod Kimber's "Red Inker" podcast from Nov 22 when he talks about how good the England white ball team is these days. He specifically spoke - at some length! - about this particular thread. Pointing out that there was only one England player in the top 50.

He also spoke about how knowledgeable some of the contributors in the replies were. :-O



Noofers immortalized on YouTube. :)
 

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
Wow, so nice.

We should really stop using terms like crapinfo when members of cricinfo are being quite respectful to cw members and our analysis like this.
Jarrod is really not part of crapinfo though. I have huge respect for Jarrod. :) And you can see that in my posting history.
 

Migara

International Coach
Bit of a bump...

Just listening to Jarrod Kimber's "Red Inker" podcast from Nov 22 when he talks about how good the England white ball team is these days. He specifically spoke - at some length! - about this particular thread. Pointing out that there was only one England player in the top 50.

He also spoke about how knowledgeable some of the contributors in the replies were. :-O
And Ranatunga is fair way better than Fairbrother too.

In 2022, I think Kohli, Sharma, Malinga, Bumrah, Dilshan, Bairstow have done enough to get in to that list.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
He was ok but there’s a zillion seam up all rounders as good as him across the history of ODIs. Unlike in tests, I never thought “Oh ****, here’s Freddie” with bat or ball in ODIs. Being a decent player in a team of klutzes doesn’t make you an ATG

Oh, and England has still never won an ODI WC final, as you well know.
nah
 

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