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

[NUFAN]

34 Mark Waugh
Total Points: 57
Highest Pick: 2nd
2011 Ranking: 36th

As a younger twin myself I took an immediate interest in Waugh and the interest grew each time I saw the stylish batting, brilliant fielding, sunglass wearing, medium pacer in action. His strokes through extra cover, clips through mid wicket and his lofted drive against spinners were all a thing of beauty. Waugh's move to opener was when he went from a good to great batsman. As an opener Waugh averaged 44 forming great partnerships with Taylor, Gilchrist and Hayden. In World Cups Waugh averaged 52.84, he was particularly successful in the 1996 Cup scoring 3 centuries, including a vital 110 in the quarter final chasing a big NZ score which I rate as his best ODI knock. Waugh also scored a then Australia record 173 against the West Indies, which wasn't his most elegant knock but was so entertaining, a real 'I'm going to have some fun today' performance - watch it on YouTube (after liking this post). His fielding was A+, his batting in terms of style points was an A+ plus too which is a main reason why so many people around the world have such fond memories of Mark Edward Waugh.

Main Memory: Buying a Slazenger V100 to be like Waugh.

 

[harsh.ag]

Solid entry at #34

 

[honestbharani]

43 Gordon Greenidge
Total Points: 41
Highest Pick: 13th
2011 Ranking: 38

Never in the game has there been a more withering and dismissive square-cut, nor a more willing and able hooker and puller. Greenidge

Seem to know Greenidge a lil too personally there, Nuffers.

 

[NUFAN]

Seem to know Greenidge a lil too personally there, Nuffers.

No homo. I didn't know what to write so used the line from his Cricinfo profile page.

 

[marc71178]

Harvey at #2 and now Bracken at #1. Someone really trolled hard.

For ****s sake, are we going to have this every time someone doesn't like a ranking. Everyone has different opinions, deal with it.

 

[ankitj]

For ****s sake, are we going to have this every time someone doesn't like a ranking. Everyone has different opinions, deal with it.

 

[Daemon]

For ****s sake, are we going to have this every time someone doesn't like a ranking. Everyone has different opinions, deal with it.

It's 100% not someone's actual opinion though.

 

[cnerd123]

I wanted so badly to get Bracken in my top 25 but he just missed out

Great to see he made the top 50

 

[NUFAN]

It's 100% not someone's actual opinion though.

Harder to argue with this one compared to Harvey, as without the number 1 pick Bracken still makes the top 50.

 

[NUFAN]

33 Malcolm Marshall
Total Points: 61
Highest Pick: 5th
2011 Ranking: 40th

Arguably the best fast bowler to play Test Cricket, Malcolm Marshall was also very good in ODIs. With a misely economy rate of just 3.53 Marshall took 157 wickets from 136 matches. He could swing and seam the ball both ways from an open-chested and quick-arm action that gave batsmen little indication of what was coming their way, and the skiddy bounce he obtained further added to the batsmen's woes.

Main Memory: I don't have a specific ODI memory. I think of Marshall in a similar way to how I think of Courtney Walsh, they are both just much better Test bowlers than ODI.


32 Michael Holding
Total Points: 66
Highest Pick: 4th
2011 Ranking: 45th

Michael Holding was an athletic fast bowler with an elegant long-striding runup. He took 142 wickets from 102 games at an average of 21.36 and economy rate of just 3.32. In the 1979 World Cup Final Holding took 2-16 from 8 overs, he took the wickets of both openers who had shared in a 129 run partnership. In 11 World Cup matches his record was even better than his overall record, taking 20 wickets @ 17.05 and his economy rate was an extremley low 2.94.

Main Memory: The bowlers Holding the batsman's Willey.


31 Zaheer Abbas
Total Points: 77
Highest Pick: 9th
2011 Ranking: 22nd

Zaheer Abbas was a stylish, elegant batsman. In full flow, he was a sight for sore eyes. His appetite for runs matched that of the Australian legend, and that was why he was dubbed the Asian Bradman. In World Cups Abbas averaged 49.75 from 14 matches. Abbas is arguably Pakistan's best ever number 3.

Main Memory: His career average and strike rate always seemed way ahead of his time.

 

[Daemon]

Abbas

 

[harsh.ag]

Yeah, Abbas was gun. Marshall overrated here imo.

 

[morgieb]

Don't really get Marshall being so high. Good ODI player but I don't think he's Top 50 standard; worry that people are over-rating him because they're mixing his Test performances with his ODI ones.

 

[cnerd123]

How many people voted for Marshall but not Garner?

 

[NUFAN]

Don't really get Marshall being so high. Good ODI player but I don't think he's Top 50 standard; worry that people are over-rating him because they're mixing his Test performances with his ODI ones.

This was pretty much what I was saying in my little blurb about Marshall. I really struggled to know what to write about him. With the exception of Bond, the quick bowlers so far have all been West Indian or Australian.

I wont say yes or no, but is anyone concerned that a particular player who they expected to feature, isn't going to make the top 50 now?

 

[harsh.ag]

Bond and Lee behind Marshall is a bit of a joke.

 

[Daemon]

I think I may be part of the reason why the Windians are so high. Never really watched them play so I'm going off how ****ing awesome they looked in youtube clips + good stats in their eras

 

[Starfighter]

One thing I've noticed is that a few people put world cup performances on a pedestal. I think I might be one of the few to not care so much about this. While some players are better than others under (certain kinds of) pressure, I reckon random variation is a big factor that gets forgotten.

 

[jaideep]

Inzamam may not make the top 50.

 

[ankitj]

Abbas Shortchanged here. Deserved to be in top 25. As Nufan said his average and especially SR were ahead of time. His SR just shy of 85 is better than that of Lara, Ponting, De Silva, Gibbs, Anwar, R Taylor, Hayden among others. And Abbas retired in 1985!