Fearless batters of all time: There have been a few batters across eras who have broken conventions. These batters stayed ahead of the curve. They showed no fear when fronting up to mighty fine bowlers. Their fearlessness is reflected in their numbers. This set of batsmen have usually high strike rates as their only method of playing is attack.
Bowlers often felt intimidated bowling to these batsmen. This fearless bunch ensured fans flock to the stadiums to watch the game.
We look at a few such fearless batters of all time:
#1 Viv Richards
He was the original king. Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards transformed the game completely. He stormed into the crease chewing his gum game after game. His presence at the crease was enough for bowlers to falter in their line and lengths. Richards dismantled attacks at will. There was no single bowler who could claim to have his number. Not many batsmen struck at 90.2 in the ODIs in the generation he batted.
#2 Shahid Afridi
He was the biggest entertainer in Pakistan colours for over two decades. Shahid Afridi broke onto the international circuit hitting the fastest ODI century then. He took the fans on an exhilarating ride ever since. Not many can claim to strike at 117 in ODIs after having played for 398 games.
Afridi’s strike rate in T20Is was an outstanding 150. He hit a total of 476 sixes in his international career. The fans lovingly called him boom-boom. Afridi knew just one style of playing, to either go bang or go bust.
#3 Adam Gilchrist
He singlehandedly was responsible for changing the role of a modern wicketkeeper. It was Adam Gilchrist who revolutionised the keeper-batsman portfolio. Gilchrist opened the innings in ODIs while coming in at number 7 in Tests. No matter where he batted he took on the bowling right from ball one. He was a man for big occasions. Gilchrist is the only batter to score fifty-plus in three consecutive World Cup finals.
#4 Virender Sehwag
He revived the interest in Test cricket with his batting exploits. Virender Sehwag is the only Indian to notch up two triple centuries in Tests. His third-best score in Test cricket was 293. Sehwag demolished bowlers with effortless ease. The old adage of seeing away the new ball wasn’t part of Sehwag’s manual.
A veteran of 104 Tests, Sehwag scored at 82.2! His strike rate in 251 ODIs was a massive 104. Sehwag along with Sunil Gavaskar are two of India’s finest Test openers. It shows the impact he had on the game.
#5 Brendon McCullum
He was the ultimate modern-day maverick. Brendon McCullum changed the way a country approached its way to cricket. He inspired an entire nation to dream big and enjoy the sport. It was under his brilliant leadership that New Zealand reached their first World Cup final in 2015.
His impact wasn’t just restricted to New Zealand. Impressed with his brand of cricket, England’s ODI team aped his style to power their way to a maiden World Cup win in 2019. It comes as no surprise that McCullum’s fearlessness is behind England’s resurgence as a Test team.
#6 Jos Buttler
He walked into a team that was confined to the traditional school of batting. It was tough for someone to be a trailblazing outlier in an orthodox system. England’s revamped outlook to white ball cricket helped Buttler’s cause. He went on to play a pivotal role in England’s ODI World Cup win in 2019. It was only natural that took over the reigns in 2022 to lead his side to a T20 World Cup title in 2022.
