10 current cricketers for whom fans will pay anything to watch

Watching De Villiers now is almost same like watching Sachin play in the 90

Warner’s aggressive batting in all formet is always wonderful to watchBefore we get all emotional about this list, there are a few harsh truths to come to terms with. People rarely go to a ground thinking, ‘I so want to see Sunil Narine of the funky hairstyle tweak the ball’.Rarely, I said, before you go berserk. Yes, some of us absolutely love to hear the ball thudding into the gloves of a wicket-keeper when Dale Steyn steams in, in whites. But, he is a minority. Mostly, people go to watch the batsman slog helpless bowlers.Yes, we love a contest between bat and ball, like ‘that one’ between Sachin and Steyn. But, at the end of the day, a majority of us, love to watch the bat win. The simple, logical reason behind that is the impact.We, as the audience can enjoy a ball flying out of the ground compared to the ball reverse swinging in and then moving out off-seam beating the bat. There is no way for the audience to relish that in the ground. Even on TV it is sometimes hard to pick.The gorgeous cover drive on the other hand or an emphatic pull can be cherished and relished. So, the list below mostly has batsmen. All of these are current players who can draw crowds.Mind you, quite a few names don’t make logical sense. For example, Shoaib Malik isn’t the list, even though on current form he is better than quite a few players here. Eoin Morgan misses out too, narrowly, in spite of showing what he is capable of in the last 10 ODIs England has played.Lasith Malinga hasn’t been the bowler he used to be over the last one year, crushing feet and uprooting stumps. Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson are two bowlers I would still want to watch live, but they are not exactly what you call crowd-pullers.

#1 AB de Villiers

Watching De Villiers now is almost same like watching Sachin play in the 90

AB de Villiers got a standing ovation at Kanpur in the first ODI between India and South Africa. When he was on the brink of a century, the crowd chanted, ‘AB, AB’. That is his popularity.

People around the world consider AB a freak, a genius who hits the ball as he pleases. Most of his centuries have come at faster than a run a ball. More importantly, his innings are filled with incredible strokes.

Some batsmen hit powerful shots, some hit elegant shots. AB hits elegantly powerful shots, like scooping a low full toss for six over long on, flicking a length ball over deep square leg with one leg and lofting full deliveries over extra cover by moving deep inside the crease.

When AB is on the crease, the incredible is always a ball away, not to mention his lightning pace between the wickets. As a fielder or a wicket-keeper he is sublime too, making him the all-round entertainer. As if all that is not enough, he is a no-nonsense cricketer, a true sportsman, who never sledges, applauds good performance from the opposition and is sweet, in the true sense of the world.

#2 Chris Gayle

Gayle’s fabulous batting style plus great character on field

No one needs an explanation for this.

Okay, my editor won’t be happy with blank space so I might as well point out why Gayle is a crowd puller in spite of posing the greatest threat a batsman has ever posed in the history of cricket to the crowds. But, after sending a member of the crowd to the hospital, his sweetness made people want to get hit themselves.

Gayle’s big hitting is now stuff of the legends. He is the greatest T20 batsman ever. Period. Records apart, you love him because he is cool. Unassuming. Modest. Always having fun. For him sport is neither a battle, nor science, nor research. It is entertainment. It is fun and it is supposed to be enjoyed.

That is why he will bowl with his shades on, will stroll for a single, rarely run a third to avoid aggravating his knee injury and always look to do the least work for the most benefit – hitting sixes. He has gotten really good at that and everyone in the world wants a piece of him. Oh and he can shake a leg too!

#3 Glenn Maxwell

Mad Max

He is jokingly referred to as Mad Max and why not. The man who is famous for missing out on centuries became a crowd favourite playing for Australia as well as for Kings XI Punjab, purely because of his no-nonsense style.

He is a modern day Sehwag, following the simple mantra - See ball, hit ball. Maxwell’s form varies drastically from time to time, but when on song, there aren’t many players in international cricket more destructive than him.

Unlike a lot of other fast hitters, Maxwell isn’t cautious even for a split second, once he gets into hitting mood. In his world, every ball must go, even if he is in his 80s’ or 90s’. Electric on the field, Maxwell generally lives up to the hype!

#4 Brendon McCullum

McCullum’s fire starts

Brendon McCullum made New Zealand everyone’s second favourite team in the World Cup 2015. His blitzkrieg against England was one of the fastest half-centuries in World Cup history.

He also made sure, his was the only team that beat the eventual World Champions, Australia, albeit at the group stage. McCullum fields and bats in the same way - like that one ball is all that matters, all that counts. He puts his body on line to ridiculous extent sometimes, leaping and diving at the boundary.

As a batsman, he loves showing bowlers all stumps making room down the leg-side. But so good is his eye and such is his bat speed that even though the bowler knows what could happen, he can rarely help unless he is world class himself.

For a small man, McCullum hits them far and with ferocity. He plays cricket like it should be played - with all the fervour and no hostility. A good sportsman and an amazing ambassador for the game.

#5 Rohit Sharma

Rohit is nickname as ‘Hitman’

No, don’t gasp. It is true. He is India’s most attractive short format cricketer on current form, nevermind how much he has been criticised, his style of playing maligned. In the last one year, he has left Virat Kohli way behind in the ‘attractive game’ quotient.

Whether it is in Deccan Chargers’ Blue, Mumbai Indians Blue or India Blue, Rohit Sharma always had the amazing shots. Like AB, although not on the same scale, he can hit big shots with ease, with timing more than with power.

His 150 during the chase in the first ODI at Kanpur, recently, against South Africa stood out for the ease with which he punished Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. Elegance and sweet timing were always allies with Rohit.

Now even his temperament is up to the mark, thanks to Dhoni’s masterstroke decision to move him to the top. Another brilliant fielder, Rohit is a crowd puller for the simple fact that if he is in, he doesn’t fear playing airily and once he is set, he generally connects.

That is also the reason why he has two ODI double-hundreds and several daddy hundreds to boot. And who could forget 264!

#6 David Warner

Warner is one of the quickest fielder in the fied

One of the few left-handers on this list, David Warner, is consistent with the rest of the names on this list - fearless with bat and electric on the field. Warner can thump them, a pocket-size dynamo. What is incredible is the way he has taken his T20 hitting to the Test level and succeeded.

He opens for Australia and is the scourge of opponents on Test fields where scoring is easy when you take risks. With some advice from Sehwag, Warner has managed to churn out centuries in Tests and ODIs. Powerful square of the wicket on either side, Warner has more ruthlessness than elegance, as his short arm jabs would prove!

#7 MS Dhoni

Everyone wants to watch the ‘Captain Cool’

He is going down the pecking order given his current form and the near-disappearance of the tennis swats and Helicopter shot. Yet, the biggest brand in world cricket, the man who made small town cricket noticeable, Dhoni still has the pull.

He still draws the crowds, whether it is for India or when he played for CSK yellows. His dead-pan face, quirky comments, and rare show of emotion are as much a hit with the crowd as the hitting.

#8 Kevin Pietersen

KP was known as ‘One Man Army’

His international career is all but over, but KP makes to this list ahead of Eoin Morgan as the most well-known English cricketer going around. In demand as a T20 freelancer, KP is tall, with gigantic hands and legs which combined with his hand-eye coordination make for a deadly combination.

Always a man to take the fight to the opponent, KP has never taken a backward step in his life. Member of the World T20 winning English side, KP is the king of counter-attacking cricket, stamping his front foot and smashing balls down the ground. Barring his mercurial temperament, he is the recipe for the perfect batsman and has in spite of his amazing numbers, under-achieved.

#9 Kieron Pollard

Pollard is one of the best Twenty20 all-rounders

Pollard is prime-time reality TV at his best. He will take unbelievable one-handed catches at the boundary. For someone who can run head-on into a freight train, he is extremely acrobatic and watching him on the field is an absolute delight.

His celebrations are legendary especially when he is angry and he always picks fights on the field. When he isn’t sledging the opponents, he is busy with his quirks like putting tape on his mouth. But, what made him a superstar is his big hitting.

No one makes monster-hitting look as simple as Pollard does. With so much power and the gift of timing, Pollard’s mishits travel a long way too. Although extremely inconsistent and currently banned by the WICB, Pollard is one of the most popular international cricketers, especially in the T20 circuit.

#10 Dale Steyn

Furious Steyn

Steyn bowls fast. But that is not the only reason why he is on this list. He brings a different magic to cricket. He is the only consistent tearaway fast bowler going around, although he doesn’t use the heavy ball all the time.

He cranks it only when he needs it. Steyn is an intelligent bowler and he brings energy to the whole proceedings. Most importantly, Steyn has one of the most beautiful bowling actions of all time, making it a treat to watch him as he starts at the top of his run-up.

Almost always angry while bowling, Steyn has a powerful arm and can turn even dead pitches deadly and therein lies the secret to his massive popularity.

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Edited by Staff Editor