Best All Rounder in the World

 

Top 7 All-rounders

All-rounders are a group of multidimensional cricketers whom every team envy to have in their ranks. Unfortunately, there are not many of them whom we can genuinely account for in this group. In present days, most of the bowlers can bat a bit, and the team's tail is not too long. But that was not the condition in the 80s and the 90s, where the bowlers seldom got the capability to bat. In those situations, the all-rounders were an envied possession of many teams. Many all-rounders could bat and ball with the same charisma and viciousness. In this article, we try to mention some of the best all-rounders.

1. Ian Botham

The former English captain is widely considered the greatest English all-rounder of all time. He was known for his aggressive batting and skillful swing bowling. Botham made his ODI debut against the mighty West Indies in 1976. The next year in 1977, he made his Test debut against Australia. Ian Botham made 5,200 runs from 102 Test matches at an average of 33.54, including 14 centuries and 22 half-centuries. But the sad part is that he could never score a century against West Indies. His top score against West Indies was 81, made in 1984 at the Lords. His highest score of 208 came against India in 1982 at the Oval.

In the bowling department, he took 383 wickets at an average of 28.40. His best bowling figures of 8/34 came against Pakistan at the Lords in 1978. In the ODI format, he has 2113 runs and scalped 145 wickets from 116 matches.

Ian Botham

2. Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis was the best all-rounder among cricketers active in the first decade of the 21st century. Kallis was rock solid with the bat and his fast-medium swing bowling was more than handy. He amassed 13,289 runs at an enviable average of 55.37 from 166 test matches. Kallis took 292 test wickets at an average of 32.65.  His batting average was better than Brian Lara's and his bowling average was close to the likes of Anil Kumble and Brett Lee. This simply shows the value he imparted to the team. In the ODI format, he scored 11,579 runs at an average of 44.36. Interestingly, he is the only cricketer who has scored more than 10,000 runs and scalped more than 250 wickets in test cricket.

Jacques Kallis

                                                                 

3. Richard Hadlee

Sir Richard Hadlee was the greatest all-rounder New Zealand has ever produced. New Zealand has always been a land of all-rounders. Chris Cairns, Daniel Vettori, and John Reid are some on the list. Richard Hadlee was more known for his fast bowling than his batting skills. He has a whopping 36 five-wicket hauls in 86 test matches. In as many matches he has taken 431 wickets at an average of 22.29. While in batting, he has scored 3,124 runs at an average of 27.16. His top score in Test cricket is 151* against Srilanka in 1987 at Columbo.

 

Richard Hadlee

4. Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev was the first Indian captain to win the 50-over World Cup. Kapil Dev played an important role in helping India achieve the feat. His highest score in an ODI came against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup. India was in a precarious condition of 17/5 when he came to bat. Kapil Dev made 5,248 runs at an average of 31.05 from 131 test matches. The ‘Haryana Hurricane’ took 434 test wickets at an average of 29.64. He was brilliant in ODIs too. IN ODI format he took 253 wickets and scored 3,783 runs. His bowling average in the ODI was 27.45.

Kapil Dev

5. Imran Khan

Pakistan clinched the 50-over World Cup held in Australia in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan. Imran Khan was known for the reverse swing bowling. He could generate a good pace and swing with the ball. In Test format, he scored 3807 runs at an average of 37.69. He managed to take 362 wickets at a great average of 22.81. In the ODI format, he took 182 wickets and scored 3,709 runs. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Imran Khan managed to score heavily or take wickets even at the fag end of his career.

Imran Khan

6. Gary Sobers

Exceptional bowler, an aggressive batsman, and a great fielder. Sir Garfield Sobers was truly a great all-rounder. In 93 Test matches, he amassed 8,032 runs at an admirable average of 57.78. His highest score of 365* came against Pakistan at Kingston in 1958.  He scored 26 centuries in test cricket but got to play only 1 ODI match. He played his last test match in 1974, and at that time ODI cricket was not very popular. Interestingly, Sobers was selected to the West Indies team as a bowler. He has a tally of 235 wickets at an average of 34.

Garry Sobers

7. Keith Miller

Keith Miller was an Australian Fire Force Pilot and an Australian Rules Footballer apart from being a Test Cricket all-rounder. The ‘Golden Boy’ scored 2,958 runs in 55 test matches at an average of 36.97 with the help of 7 centuries and 13 half-centuries. He also managed to take 170 wickets at an average of 22.97.

Keith Miller

 

Test Players Who Failed to Excel in ODIs

 

1. Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara is a prominent name in Indian Test Cricket. The name was first heard when the young boy from Saurashtra scored a triple century at the under-14 level. He later scored a double hundred against England at the under-19 level. He made his test debut against Australia in 2010. Pujara was lbw for just 4 runs in the first innings but went on to become the fifth Indian to score a 4th innings half-century on debut when he scored 72 runs off 89 deliveries. Pujara was known for his sedative long innings in test matches. The technique lacked the beauty of Sachin or Dravid but was very effective even against mighty opponents in overseas conditions. From 103 test matches, he has scored 7195 r4ns at an average of 43.61. He has scored 19 centuries and 3 double hundreds.

But Pujara was never preferred for the ODI format. He has played just 5 ODIs and scored just 51 runs with 27 being the highest score. Pujara was always destined for the longer format of the game.

 2. VVS Laxman

VVS Laxman was the the mainstay of Indian middle order in test matches during the early 2000s. He was known for his elegant stroke play. The wristy shots often resembled the likes of Gundappa Vishwanath. Australia was his favorite opponent. He scored at an average of 44.14 in Australia. His average was 47 in the West Indies. He scored an average of above 50 on Indian soil. His 281 against Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata against Australia is one of the finest innings in Test cricket. Laxman scored 8781 runs at an average of 45.97.

But Laxman failed to create the same buzz in ODI cricket. Even though he played 86 ODI matches, he never got to play a World Cup match. He scored 2338 runs at an average of just 30.76 with a highest score of 131.

 

3. Mark Butcher

The English batsman made his test debut in the 1997 Ashes test series. He went on to play 71 test matches and scored 4,288 runs at an average of 34.58. He scored 8 centuries and 23 half-centuries with a top score of 173*. But with the rise of Marcus Trescotick, Mark Butcher lost his place in the team But Mark Butcher never got a chance to represent England in ODI format.

4. Justin Langer

Justin Langer made a formidable opening pair with Mathew Hayden in tests. Justin Langer scored 7,696 runs at an average of 45.27 from 105 tests. But despite his achievements in test matches he got to play just 8 ODI matches for Australia.

In his 100th test, Langer was hit by a bouncer off Makhaya Ntini and was rushed to hospital for scans. But despite being advised not to play in the match, he returned and was adamant to take the field, if needed. But fortunately, Bret Lee scored the winning runs and Langer was not needed to bat.

5. Thilan Samaraweera

 Thilan Samaraweera started off his career as an off-spinner who could bat. But he went on to become a prominent Test batsman for Srilanka. He played 81 tests for Srilanka and scored 5,462 runs at an average of 48.76. In the test, he scored 14 centuries and 30 half-centuries, with a top score of 231. But he was not a regular face in the ODI setup. He played 53 ODIs but averaged below 28. He was wounded by bullet firing by terrorists on the way to Gaddafi stadium in Lahore.

6. Dean Elgar

Interestingly, Dean Elgar made his ODI debut before his Test debut. Dean Elgar made his ODI debut against England in August 2012. In the same year, he made his Test debut against Australia in November. Dean Elgar was also appointed as South African captain, after the retirement of Quinton De Kock. Dean Elgar had his problems against spin in the initial days. He is currently part of the South African test team. He has so far scored 5,146 runs from 84 tests at an average of 37.28, which includes 13 centuries and 23 half-centuries. Elgar played in just 8 ODIs and scored 104 runs at a mediocre average of 17.33.

 

7. Yasir Shah

 The leg spinner from Pakistan holds the record for fastest to reach 200 test wickets. Even though he made his ODI debut in 2011, he had to wait till 2014, to make his test debut. The doors to the test arena opened up for him when Saeed Ajmal was banned due to his illegal action. From 48 test matches, he took 244wickets. But in 25 ODI matches, he has just 24 wickets, and that too at a non-viable average of 47.91.

8. Nathan Lyon

For someone who has featured in 123 tests for Australia, 29 ODIs seems to be a mediocre record. Nathan Lyon has been a regular face in the Australian test bowling attack, since the retirement of Shane Warne. From 123 Test matches, he picked up 501 test wickets at an average of 30.8. In ODIs, he picked up 29 wickets in as many matches at an average of 46.

 

 

 

IPL Auction 2024

Every year IPL has thrown new talents into the arena of world cricket. Some of them have managed to climb up the ladders of growth and create their own space in cricket. IPL has always been a blessing to the domestic and foreign players who are striving to imprint their names into the minds of the national selectors. Along with the uncapped players, the current international players also get a chance to revive their scorecards and make a comeback bid to the national team. Let us see some of the important player auction in IPL 2024.

                                                             Kumar Khushagra

As usual, some of the players made unexpected gains, while some found themselves on the other end. We have given the list of sold and unsold players in IPL 2024. The Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Mitchel Starc were sold for a whopping 20.5 Crore and 24.75 Crore Indian Rupee. Pat Cummins was bought by Sun Risers Hyderabad and Mitchel Starc went to Kolkata Knight Riders. Tamil Nadu allrounder Shahrukh Khan was bagged by Gujarat Titans for 7.4 Crore. He hasn’t made an impact as a bowler in IPL but has shown glimpses of his power-hitting abilities. But eventually, he was the leading wicket-taker of TNPL 2023. He took 17 wickets at an economy rate of 6.66 from 9 matches. The rising New Zealand allrounder of New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra was acquired by Chennai Super Kings for an amount of 1.8 Cr. It was a good call from the Chennai Super Kings. Sameer Rizwi, the 20-year-old Uttar Pradesh batsman was bought by CSK for 8.4 Cr. He had a good outing in Syed Mushtaq Ali's trophy hitting 18 sixes in the tournament. The Rajasthan Royals purchased middle-order Vidarbha batter Shubham Dubey, for an incredible Rs. 5.8 Crore. In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy,  Dubey scored 221 runs in seven innings with a strike rate of almost 190. Travis Head, who was unsold in IPL 2023 was sold for 6.80 Crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jharkhand wicketkeeper, Kumar Khushagra was another surprise purchase by Delhi Capitals. The 19-year-old wicket keeper went for 7.20 Crore.

Player	Base Price	Bid Price	Team
Shah Rukh Khan	40 L	7.40 Cr	Gujarat Titans
Kumar Kushagra	20 L	7.20 Cr	Delhi Capitals
Travis Head	2 Cr	6.80 Cr	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Shivam Mavi	50 L	6.40 Cr	Lucknow Super Giants
Shubham Dube	20 L	5.80 Cr	Rajasthan Royals
Umesh Yadav	2 Cr	5.80 Cr	Gujarat Titans
Gerald Coetzee	2 Cr	5 Cr	Mumbai Indians
Yash Dayal	20 L	5 Cr	Royal Challengers Bangalore
Jhye Richardson	1.5 Cr	5 Cr	Delhi Capitals
Nuwan Thushara	50 L	4.80 Cr	Mumbai Indians
Dilshan Madhushanka	50 L	4.60 Cr	Mumbai Indians
Chris Woakes	2 cr	4.2 Cr	Punjab Kings XI
Harry Brookes	2 cr	4 Cr	Delhi Capitals
Shardhul Thakur	2 cr	4 Cr	Chennai Super Kings
Wanindhu Hasaranga	1.50 Cr	1.50 Cr	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mitchell Starc	2 Cr	24.75 Cr	Kolkata Knight Riders
Pat Cummins	2 Cr	20.50 Cr	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Daryll Mitchell	1 Cr	14 Cr	Chennai Super Kings
Harshal Patel	2 Cr	11.75 Cr	Punjab Kings XI
Alzari Joseph	1 Cr	11.50 Cr	Royal Challengers Bangalore
Spencer Johnson	50 L	10 Cr	Gujarat Titans
Sameer Rizwi	20 L	8.40 Cr	Chennai Super Kings
Rovman Powell	1 Cr	7.40 Cr	Rajasthan Royals
Rachin Ravindra	50 L	1.8 Cr	Chennai Super Kings
K S Bharat	50 L	50 L	Kolkata Knight Riders
Manimaran Siddharth	20 L	2.4 Cr	Lucknow Super Giants

 

                                                                   Philip Salt

The auction went well for some players, but for others, it didn’t turn out to be as sweet as expected. Players like Steve Smith and Phil Salt went unsold in the auction.  Phil Salt who had 2 centuries and 2 half centuries in 20 T20I matches was unlucky to miss out. The New Zealand all-rounders Kyle Jamieson and James Neesham also went unsold.

Player	Country	Base Price
Steve Smith	Australia	2 Cr
Phil Salt	England	1.5 Cr
Kusal Mendis	Sri Lanka	50 L
Josh Hazlewood	Australia	2 Cr
Adil Rashid	England	2 Cr
Tabraiz Shamsi	South Africa	50 L
Kyle Jamieson	New Zealand	1 Cr
James Neesham	New Zealand	1.5 Cr
Rassie Van Der Dussen	South Africa	2 Cr
Josh Inglis	Australia	2 Cr