Aug 01, 2006 01:44 PM
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Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar: the name itself strikes terror in the hearts of bowlers and captains all around the world. The Star of Indian Cricket, more like a GOD in India, he is the best player ever gifted to the game of Cricket and should be chosen as the sport personality of the year. He possesses all the strokes in the book and is probably the best cutter and straight driver of the ball today. His technique is impeccable, and he is professional at his approach. And He made the highest runs in a...
Tendulkar has a skill - a genius - which only a handful have possessed. It was not a skill that he was simply born with, but one which was developed by his intelligence and an infinite capacity for taking pains. If there is a secret, it is that Tendulkar has the keenest of cricket minds. At times in a Test series he looks mortal.
Rahul dravid
The Dravid legend has grown in the past couple of years, and deservedly so, given his form and achievements during this period. But even as his share in the limelight has increased, the cliches have only become more pronounced.
For instance, one of the most pleasing things about the attention now being given to Dravid is the fact that he isn’t the sort of player the average fan takes instantly to heart. Wide acclaim has come his way against the odds; the sheer level of his performances has made him impossible to ignore, despite his reputation for being an unexciting batsman. But the flip side is that by now all the snivelling about Dravid being an "unsung hero" has reached absurd proportions.
Brial Charles Lara
Brian Charles Lara (born May 2, 1969) (nicknamed "The Prince of Port-of-Spain" or simply "The Prince") is a West Indian cricketer. Lara is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest batsmen, having several times topped the Test batting rankings and being the current world record holder for the highest individual innings score and the all-time leading run scorer in Test cricket. Lara's career statistics suggest unmitigated genius, but in reality his career has been bedevilled by clashes with authority, injury and loss of form, all against the backdrop of West Indies being the strongest team in world cricket at the time of his debut (indeed, Lara was unable to break into the test side on his first tour with the side) but suffering a decline to the point where victories against leading test sides are few and far between.
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist has been the symbolic heart of Australia's steamrolling agenda and the most exhilarating cricketer of the modern age. He is simultaneously a cheerful throwback to more innocent times, a flap-eared country boy who has walked when given not out in a World Cup semi-final, and swatted his second ball for six while sitting on a Test pair. "Just hit the ball, " is how he once described his philosophy on batting, and he seldom strays from it. Employing a high-on-the-handle grip, he pokes good balls into gaps and throttles most others, invariably with head straight, wrists soft and balance sublime.
Jacques kallis
He made his test debut in December 1995 against England, managing only one. His next seven test innings produced only 57 runs, leaving him with an average of 7.13. In his next test a knock of 61 against Pakistan saw his average 'rocket' to 13.11.
Kallis is a majestic player with a solid technique and this, together with an unflappable temperament, makes him a top-class test batsman. He has at times been criticised for a perceived inability to accelerate his scoring rate as a one-day batsman, but it appears that he is improving in this area. His limited-overs average is nearly as high as his test average, which today (31 January) is just over 50, the mark of a batsman of the highest quality.
Damien Martin
There was once this boy: a flamboyant, good-looking, quick-talking and wonderful batsman who made his Test debut for Australia when he was only 21. Technically perfect, he was the apple of his country's eye and expectations were great.
But this boy didn't know the rules. He lived fast and loose and, after one flamboyant stroke too many, the Australian critics had their ammunition and he was dropped. Despondent, he nearly gave up to work in the travel business.
Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam-ul-Haq is a symbiosis of strength and subtlety. Power is no surprise, but sublime touch is remarkable for a man of his bulk. He loathes exercise and often looks a passenger in the field, but with a willow between his palms he is suddenly galvanised. He plays shots all round the wicket, is especially strong off his legs, and unleashes ferocious pulls and lofted drives. Imran Khan rates him the best batsman in the world against pace. Early on he is vulnerable playing across his front pad or groping outside off stump. He uses his feet well to the spinners, although this aggression can be his undoing. Inzi keeps a cool head in a crisis and has succeeded Javed Miandad as Pakistan's premier batsman, but his hapless running between wickets is legendary and most dangerous for his partners.
Nathen Astle
One of cricket's free spirits, Nathan Astle became a lively allrounder at Test and one-day level without losing his breezy confidence. He began at Canterbury as a no-account batsman and the most parsimonious of medium-paced bowlers, but his batting developed quickly. After becoming a free-scoring one-day player Astle was turned by the national coach Glenn Turner into a first-rate Test top-order batsman, with consecutive hundreds in West Indies in 1995-96. He ripped up the record books with his 222 against England, at Christchurch in 2001-02, which was the fastest double century in Tests, coming up off only 153 balls.
John Davison
John Davison is a right-arm offspinner, defiant lower-order batsman (or opening pinch-hitter) and polished fieldsman who has made a significant impact as a cricketer in Canada and Australia. He started his representative career in Melbourne but struggled to become a significant wicket-taker and was never quite able to cement a regular place in Victoria's team. In 1999, Davison was sounded out to spend his winters in North America in a role as a club player and coach - and potentially a long-term member of the Canadian national team. It led to his inclusion in several Canadian sides, including the one that landed the country a cherished berth in the 2003 World Cup when it rode an emotional wave of home town support to finish third behind Holland and Namibia in the 2001 ICC Trophy tournament in Toronto.
