Best batsmen in the world across all formats of cricket

Is Hashim Amla the best batsmen in the world currently?

The invention of Twenty20s has significantly taken a toll on the performances of cricketers in other formats. Both batsmen and bowlers invariably struggle to alter their strategies to the changing playing conditions they encounter in every format. Most international teams are relying on a particular group of individuals to deliver in all formats. It is them who make the bigger impact for their teams and act as the backbone of their setup.

On the other hand, there are some players who are specialists in particular formats of the game. An international T20 player might sometimes not even play first-class cricket regularly. On the contrary, some players are preserved from limited overs cricket to both keep them fresh and to make sure their effectiveness remains high.

ICC Rankings

If that is the case, how does one identity a player to be the best in the world? One may be a superstar in the longer version but might not be a great limited overs cricketer. Here, Cricket Australia’s method might help.

They have compared ICC Rankings for all formats of the game and have come up with an idea of adding the rankings for each format. The one with the lowest total among all players is rated as the best at the moment.

Here is the table of the best batsmen according to the rankings.

#	Player	Test Ranking	ODI Ranking	T20 Ranking	Total
1	Hashim Amla (SA)	3	2	18	23
2	Virat Kohli (Ind)	20	3	2	25
3	AB de Villiers (SA)	2	1	35	38
4	Brendon McCullum (NZ)	19	25	4	48
5	David Warner (Aus)	4	38	9	51
6	Ross Taylor (NZ)	9	9	37	55
7	Shane Watson (Aus)	33	13	17	63
8	Angelo Mathews (SL)	5	22	40	67
9	Kane Williamson (NZ)	13	12	44	69
10	MS Dhoni (Ind)	32	6	32	70

South Africa’s new Test captain Hashim Amla tops the list followed by Indian middle-order batsman Virat Kohli. The Indian’s recent slump in form in the Test series against England resulted in him dropping 5 places in the latest ranking released by the ICC. It allowed Amla to leapfrog the 25-year-old as the leading batsmen in world cricket at the moment. Another South African cricketer in AB de Villiers occupies the third spot. On a surprising note, despite New Zealand not ranked that highly in the team table have three of their batsmen making the list.

Blackcaps skipper Brendon McCulllum pips Australia's David Warner to occupy the fourth spot. Indian captain Mahendra Singh finds himself at the 10th place with his consistency in one-day internationals.

Kumar Sangakkara’s retirement from T20s means, he misses out on the list despite topping the Test rankings. Also, No.1 T20 batsmen Aaron Finch does not make an entry as he is only a limited overs specialist.

Top batsmen in terms of runs (since 2012)

As one may argue that the rankings are not the only criteria to judge a player’s performances, let us take a look at the top run-getters list over the last couple of seasons.

Below is the table of batsmen with the most number of runs across all formats of the game. As mentioned earlier, the batsmen who have retired from either of the formats are not considered. In other words, only the players who are involved in all three forms of the game are eligible.

Virat Kohli was in outstanding run of form over the last few seasons and no wonder he is the leading run-getter across formats. He comfortably leads his nearest rival by 580 runs and has scored more centuries than any one since 2012. Amla is slightly behind his teammate de Villiers at 3rd position as Warner is placed at 4. New Zealand’s trio of McCullum, Williamson and Taylor are also part of the table at 7,8 and 9. Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez completes the top 10.

#	Player	Combined Tests, ODIs and T20Is
		Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	Highest	100s/50s
1	Virat Kohli (Ind)	104	115	5220	52.72	183	17/27
2	AB de Villiers (SA)	92	103	4640	52.72	169	13/21
3	Hashim Amla (SA)	81	95	4469	51.36	311*	14/15
4	David Warner (Aus)	81	103	3965	39.65	180	9/23
5	Angelo Mathews (SL)	123	121	3942	44.79	160	3/25
6	Ian Bell (Eng)	74	103	3733	40.57	167	7/26
7	Brendon McCullum (NZ)	89	107	3680	36.80	302	5/20
8	Kane Williamson (NZ)	80	97	3530	39.66	161*	7/22
9	Ross Taylor (NZ)	73	89	3501	49.30	217*	11/15
10	Mohammad Hafeez (Pak)	101	114	3431	32.99	196	7/16

In terms of average (minimum 20 matches)

The table takes a slightly different view when sorted out in terms of runs per dismissal. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli occupy the joint first position with 52.72, followed by Amla. Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who missed out on the run getter list by one position, jumps to third with a handsome average of 51.30.

Despite going through a rough patch in England, Shikhar Dhawan's incredible start to his career earns him a place in the table. Joe Root of England also finds himself in the list along with Ian Bell. Mominul Haque from Bangladesh qualifies on basis of his decent beginning at the top level.

#	Player	Combined Tests, ODIs and T20Is
		Matches	Innings	Runs	Average	Highest	100s/50s
1	AB de Villiers (SA)	92	103	4640	52.72	169	13/21
	Virat Kohli (Ind)	104	115	5220	52.72	183	17/27
2	Hashim Amla (SA)	81	95	4469	51.36	311*	14/15
3	MS Dhoni (Ind)	90	92	3181	51.30	224	3/20
4	Ross Taylor (NZ)	73	89	3501	48.30	217*	11/15
5	Angelo Mathews (SL)	123	121	3942	44.79	160	3/25
6	Joe Root (Eng)	61	75	2708	41.66	200*	5/13
7	Shikhar Dhawan (Ind)	48	54	2154	41.42	187	7/7
8	Geroge Bailey (Aus)	72	70	2300	41.07	156	2/15
9	Mominul Haque (Ban)	33	35	1270	40.96	181	3/6
10	Ian Bell (Eng)	74	103	3733	40.57	167	7/26