A solid opening batsman plays a pivotal role in any cricket team's road to success since it is the opener that has to absorb the initial pressure on the pitch and set the tone for the batting side.
One such brilliant left handed opening batsman was Saeed Anwar. Known for his extensive use of wrists in his shot making and his sublime touch through the off side, Saeed Anwar was probably Pakistan's most entertaining yet consistent opening batsman to date. He holds the record for the most ODI centuries by any Pakistani batsman and to top of that off, the world would remember him better for his outstanding knock of 194 in an ODI inning in Madras. The latter part of the 1990's saw Sanath Jayasuriya redefining the way batting was opened; Though he had been around for around 7 years, but the world took a serious notice of this flamboyant Sri lankan left handed opener in the 1996 WC where he annihilated the bowling attacks and contributed significantly in his team's effort to carve their name on the trophy. Sanath's fierce all round stroke play along with his knack of rotating the strike makes him a name that would echo within the cricketing history.
West Indies is famous for producing batsmen who have been known to dent the psyches of the bowlers all across the globe owing to their devastating batting styles and one such Caribbean maestro who is still carrying the torch is Chris Gayle. Suffering with a medical situation (a hole in the heart) he is not particularly famous for his running between the wickets and hence makes up for it pretty well by absolutely making a mockery of the attacks world over.
Sachin Tendulkar, is not just a name but a brand that echoes the world over. Everything about him is just supreme; the guy owns almost each and every record that there is for taking as a batsman and is questionably the greatest batsman to have graced the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment