5 batsmen whose ODI career strike-rates will surprise you

Virender Sehwag has often been dubbed as the most destructive opening batsman the world has ever had the fortune to witness. Indeed, with a strike-rate of above 104 after 251 ODIs and being one of the only two cricketers with at least 5 centuries to have a strike-rate above hundred - the other being Shahid Afridi of course - he may as well have earned it.But what about the other seemingly belligerent batsmen who could rip apart a bowling attack on their day but has failed to maintain the standards consistently? Here we have a look at five of them.

#5 Yuvraj Singh (87.24)

Yuvraj’s strike-rate should have been more

For those who ardently followed the renaissance of Team India under the fearless leadership of Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh epitomizes absolute completeness as a cricketer. Not only can he be destructive with the willow on his day, but can also tear down the opposition batting line-up with the ball in hand.

In addition, his athleticism in the field served as an inspiration to those who followed him into the dressing room.

Having played 293 ODIs and scored in excess of 50 half-centuries, his skills of power-hitting and clearing the ground are beyond the realm of doubts. Indeed, the strike-rate that he boasts of while scoring a century - 111.01 - places him marginally outside the top 10 list of batsmen with the fastest strike-rate while amassing an ODI ton.

It is, therefore, immensely astonishing that a player of such caliber would display a career strike-rate of 87.24 which although quite decent in itself, fails to maintain the standard the southpaw has so often associated himself with.

#4 Chris Gayle (85.11)

Less-effective Gayle-storm in ODIs

Christopher Henry Gayle is not a commonplace cricketer. Neither is he the ideal model for every budding cricketer. In fact, he is what one would never want their kids to become. He is stylish; he is eccentric. He feeds off danger, his life being as lavish and extravagant outside the 22 yards as his batting is within it. He has thrived 15 years at the highest level in a way none ever has managed.

Yet this is the man who scares every opposition whenever he walks into the field. The only mortal being to have scored a hundred in T20Is, a double in ODIs and a triple in Tests, the Jamaican maverick has a strike-rate of almost 150 after 222 Twenty20 matches.

Even with his abominable footwork and technique, Gayle carves fear in the hearts of bowlers, courtesy his outstanding hand-eye coordination. Such unrivalled belligerence, however, seems unrewarded by statistics.

A career average of 85.11 - which is lower than Hashim Amla, Marcus Trescothick and Gautam Gambhir to name a few - certainly does no credit to the school of aggressive, stroke-making game he is known to be a proponent of.

#3 Matthew Hayden (78.96)

Hayden’s shots were always full of power

The image of a tall, heavily-build left handed batsmen opening the innings for the Baggy Greens along with wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist is not to be easily forgotten by Australian fans. Although technically challenged in comparison to his teammates, Matthew Hayden emerged as a top-order lynchpin for the Aussies through sheer grit and perseverance.

It was the concentration of a monk that helped him scale feats one after the other, annihilating bowling attacks on the way. Several of his 22 ODI hundreds were scored at more than run-a-ball and his effortless fashion of getting on top of the opposition was on full display at the 2007 World Cup where he managed 659 runs with a fractured toe and a broken bone on the other foot.

An ODI career strike-rate of 78.96 is indeed cruel for an impact-making phenomenon as him for his ability to destroy attacks and win matches single-handedly are but tales of the folklore. Perhaps the T20I strike-rate of 143.92 salvages some of his lost honor in the 50-over format.

#2 Sourav Ganguly (73.70)

Dada slowed down at the end of his career

If one were to enlist the most polarizing characters in Indian cricket, Sourav Ganguly would unquestionably be the one to top it. Although more is said and written about his captaincy and ability to galvanize the side, his batting prowess - remember he has in excess of 11000 runs in ODIs - deserves to be mentioned in the same breath.

As a swashbuckling left-hander, Ganguly worked wonders with Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the order and together they formed one of the most successful opening partnerships India has ever produced. Described as ‘God on the off-side’ by many, the southpaw’s inclination of finding means to accelerate the innings made him a quick run-getter sans pinch-hitting.

It comes as a surprise that his career strike-rate of 73.70 is lesser than everyone who has scored more runs than him except for Jacques Kallis. A lean patch in the mid-2000s that saw him being axed may account for it although it has to be admitted that Ganguly did slow down towards the end of his career when he lost his magical touch.

#1 Javed Miandad (67.01)

Miandad’s strike rate surprises the most

Every Pakistani cricket follower swears by the fact that Javed Miandad is the best batsman the country has ever produced. He may not have been as successful with regards to numbers as Inzamam-ul-Haq or Mohammad Yusuf, but his versatility and panache left a legacy that was held in supreme reverence and admiration.

Miandad’s penchant for maneuvering the gaps and his astute shot-placement made him a maverick with a taste for early reserve-sweeps. The highlight of his marvelous ODI career came when he smacked Chetan Sharma for a last-ball six in the Australasia Cup final against India in 1986 - an incident that is frequently referred to even today.

A career strike-rate of 67.01 appears to be extremely unflattering for the man who could clear the field at will, thus setting an example for successors like Michael Bevan and MS Dhoni. No wonder, Miandad’s consistency of swinging sixes and propensity of taking the game to the last over before wrecking havoc earned him the title of the world’s first accomplished finisher.