Cricket is called a funny game by many. It could be called dangerous if you happen to be on the receiving end of any of these batsmen. Whenever these batsmen have walked in to bat, they created such kind of fear in the bowlers that people won’t be surprised even if they started shivering. There was a bowler who said “If I glared at Viv Richards he’d just hit me even further.” That was how these batsmen played their game. I’m listing six of those lethal batsmen who have played the game; batsmen who have been a source of joy for their fans and fear for their opponents.
1. Sir Don Bradman: Being the most prolific and the most worshiped cricketer by many cricket lovers, he has managed to set a benchmark for players all around the world and his record in many categories are yet to be broken. Known as an attacking player, Bradman was a crowd puller whenever he came in to bat. His average of 99.94 is enviable and is yet to be surpassed. His exploits include scoring a 100 in just a single session of a day’s play and scoring a triple in a single day: a feat which is still unmatched. Though Bradman has hit only 6 sixers in the whole of his Test career, the number of fours that he hit is 618, a staggering amount for a player who has played only 29 Tests. Many of the bowlers who bowled to him had made special plans for him alone and one of Australia’s former captain has said about Bradman, “He is worth three batsmen.” He definitely deserves a place in this elite league and he makes one of the six.
2. Sir Vivian Richards: He is one of the most feared batsman of his era, and has managed to impress one and all with his batting skills. He was mainly a right-handed opening batsman who could bowl a bit. He was a very good fielder too. He is called one of the most devastating batsman of all times. His Test average of over 50 and strike rate of over 70 says it all. He was voted one of the 5 cricketers of the century by Wisden. His hundred of 56 balls in a Test match is a record that is yet to broken. Wasim Akram has rated Sir Vivian as the best batsman he has ever bowled to. That speaks volumes of his ability and he is certainly one amongst the best when it comes to power-hitting.
3. Adam Gilchrist: The wicket-keeper batsman from Australia has been a mainstay batsman for his team for over a decade. He was a capable batsman unlike many others who were there in the team especially for their keeping abilities. Known to strike the ball hard, this southpaw has always managed to set the stage on fire whenever he batted. He redefined the way wicket-keepers should approach the game. His tally of 31 centuries is the most by any wicket-keeping batsman. His hundred of 59 balls in a Test match is a innings which is remembered by many even today. He opened the batting for Australia in ODIs and his ability to score quickly put many bowlers under pressure right away and that has been the success of this southpaw.
4. Chris Gayle: The amicable Jamaican is one of the most feared batsman in cricket today. His exploits in the T20 format are known to one and all. He has 8 centuries in the shortest formats playing for different clubs all around the world. His strike rate of over 160 in the T20 format has put him on the top of the table. His hitting abilities are in a league of his own which cannot be matched.
5. Sanath Jayasuriya: The south paw from the island nation started off as a bowler who could bat a bit. But due to a lucky experiment, he was chosen to open the batting and was asked to use the powerplay overs to attack the bowlers. He created a new dimension to powerplay batting and used the field restrictions to his advantage. He was a nightmare for many bowlers all around the world. He amassed more than 13000 runs, the second highest behind Sachin at the time of his retirement. Glenn McGrath once said in his interview that Jayasuriya is one of the toughest batsman he’s bowled to.
6. Virender Sehwag: How can the list be complete without this diminutive batsman who closely resembles Sachin in his batting style. The Nawab of Najafgarh is one of the finest hitters of the cricket ball. His strike in Tests and ODIs is right on top. He is fondly called as the “Viv Richards” of our era for the kind of domination he brings into the game. His fearless attitude and the “I don’t care” policy on his wicket makes him even more dangerous and his average is also very good in Tests and ODIs for an opener. He has the record for the fastest triple century in Tests and fastest century in one dayers for India. So he makes up the last and sixth of my very own list of top six most feared batsmen of all times.
Well, like in every other list, there are certain notable omissions in this list too. They are Shahid Afridi, Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson and Sachin Tendulkar. These players are also good in their own right and if my list was made for top ten, then these batsmen would have been my other four.
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