5 players who changed their style to adapt to the team's needs

To enjoy a long and fruitful career in professional cricket at the highest level, it is very important for a player to adapt over the years. Adapting one's style is done generally keeping in mind the requirements of the team and gives the player a desired flexibility to continue to ply his trade at the top level.Especially, in a team sport, a player needs to be flexible since he can never take his spot for granted. Here are five top players who changed their style to adapt to their team's needs:

#5 Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali has become a vital cog in the England set-up

There was a time when Moeen Ali was considered to be a bits and pieces cricketer. His first-class record was promising and the English selectors put faith in him believing he could be a handy all-rounder. But he failed to convert his starts into big ones and did not look like a bowler who could be England's frontline spinner.

Moeen Ali knew that economical spells and inconsistent lower order contributions in Tests were not going to be enough to keep him in the team. He worked hard on his bowling - he knew that being known as a mere part-timer was not going to be enough and after the surprise retirement of Graeme Swann, he had been called up primarily for his bowling. A conversation with Kumar Dharmasena, the umpire who was present during a net session, benefitted him greatly as Dharmasena provided him technical advice to increase his pace without compromising on his flight.

In the 2014 Test series against India, Ali seemed to have turned over a new leaf as he bowled at a good pace while varying his trajectory at the same time. He was one of the chief engineers of England's victory at the Ageas Bowl in the third Test as he ran through the Indian lower order on the last day finishing with career-best figures of 6 for 67. It was an important victory and helped turn the series in England's favour as Moeen Ali ended the series with an awe-inspiring 19 wickets.

He started opening the batting in ODIs and found instant success when he hit a thrilling 119 off 87 balls against Sri Lanka later that year. He seemed to be enjoying the freedom he had been given to express himself and even when batsmen at the other end kept getting out cheaply, he kept going unleashing an array of strokes that were pleasing to the eye. His flicked six off Ajantha Mendis was especially a treat to watch.

He was asked to open for England in the 2015 World Cup and he set up England's victory against Scotland beautifully scoring 128 off 107 balls. He is now seen as England's only genuine all-rounder who opens the batting in ODIs and is also considered to be their frontline spinner.

He is considered to belong to the new brand of fearless English cricketers who are bringing about a renaissance in England's style of batting in the shorter format of the game. Lovingly known as 'The Beard That's Feared' among the English fans and already having been compared to the legend WG Grace, Moeen Ali is expected to be the frontline spinner to lead the attack for England in the upcoming Ashes.

#4 Michael Clarke

Clarke started out as an aggressive batsman

Michael Clarke's initial selection raised quite a few eyebrows - it was inexplicable to many why he was being selected for Test cricket ahead of the likes of Brad Hodge and Mike Hussey. He vindicated his selection scoring a sublime 151 against India in 2004. His innings was full of flashy strokeplay and determination.

In his early days, he was widely compared to Damien Martin - yet he was more aggressive as a batsman and doubled up as a useful left arm bowler. There was a cockiness about him in his early days - the punk spirit he seemed to carry with him found expression in his batting as well. Though his cuts and flicks had class written all over them, they also had the swagger of a youngster ready to take on the world.

A career beset with injuries and a dip in form however, compelled him to change his style. By the time he had taken over the captaincy as a part of a four year plan after Ponting's retirement in 2011, Clarke had remarkably toned down his aggressive batting style. In the later stages of his career, he came to depend on his class and timing more than anything else. He was repeatedly criticised for being 'old school' and was even considered by many to be unfit for ODIs.

Despite fighting repeated back and hamstring injuries, Clarke continued to play on and used his evolved technique efficiently to score runs. His career seemed to be over due to a series of injuries leading to the 2015 World Cup and his surprise inclusion in the squad despite not being fully fit was criticised by many. His innings of 74 against New Zealand had a gritty beginning - but Clarke soon turned back the clock unleashing a wide range of cuts and lofted shots. By the time he got out and was given a standing ovation by the 93,000-odd MCG crowd.

Clarke's story is remarkable because he managed to be one of the most successful modern cricketers despite battling his body throughout his career. Speaking in a press conference while announcing his retirement, Clarke said, “I’ve had injury concerns since I was 17 years of age and I’ve managed to play over 200 one-dayers and over 100 Test matches.”

He cut down on his free stroke play and dropped down the order towards the end of his ODI career. But by the time he retired, Pup, as he was affectionately known among his teammates, had amassed 7,981 runs from 245 ODIs at an impressive average of 44.58.

#3 Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh led Australia valiantly

Very few seem to remember that Steve Waugh first made his debut as an all-rounder and took his bowling quite seriously. In fact, he made his first-class debut for New South Wales primarily as a medium pace bowler and batted at number nine. Shortly after his debut, he impressed with his all-round performance by scoring 74 and taking 4 for 56 against New Zealand in a Test match at Christchurch in 1986.

In the 1987 World Cup, he was considered to be the vital medium pacer who could bowl some tight overs and play some cameos batting down the order. In that tournament, he bowled tight overs at the death against India and New Zealand picking up crucial wickets and winning the game for Australia.

His form in Test matches remained inconsistent at best and he was dropped during the 1990-91 Ashes series in Australia. He was seen more as a bits and pieces cricketer who could bowl his quota of overs and score a few runs but was not considered to be good enough for Tests. His twin brother Mark Waugh who replaced him for the fourth Test in that series was considered by many to be infinitely more talented.

His comeback was glorious. He had worked on his defence and had eked out a more compact style. He returned as a number three batsman for the home series against West Indies in 1992-93 and went on to score a century in the third Test at Sydney. Waugh said that the century was "probably the most important hundred of my Test career ... word had reached me that if I didn't get runs, then I was going to be dropped".

A popular anecdote states that a gentleman called LJ Cooray in his letter to the national selector John Benaud had demanded Waugh to be dropped because he "only plays well against teams that have no fast bowlers." It was the same Waugh who grinded out the classy century in SCG in 1993 against an attack comprising Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop. That his stance was more compact and he was putting a price on his wicket was there for everyone to see - he took the pull and hook out of his game temporarily.

Waugh never had to look back and averaged an awe-inspiring 56.60 in his next 121 Test matches. Though the elimination of risk from his batting brought about a revolutionary change in his career, he was determined and adventurous as a captain which helped him build one of the best Australian teams that won the 1999 World Cup and achieved a record of sixteen consecutive Test wins.

Yet, the early Waugh was as aggressive a bowler perhaps as a batsman. His three consecutive bouncers to Viv Richards on a fast Brisbane wicket in the 1988-89 series had taken the cricketing world by surprise. And who could forget the famous instance of him taking out Brian Lara with a pacy, well-directed delivery?

#2 MS Dhoni

From number 3 to number 7, Dhoni has succeeded everywhere

Of all the players who have changed their batting style for the requirement of the team, Dhoni's metamorphosis is perhaps the most phenomenal. When he announced himself in 2005 with his sublime 148 against Pakistan at Visakhapatnam - an innings which was the best example of Dhoni's fearlessness and clean hitting.

At a time when India were struggling to find a specialist wicket-keeper batsman, MS Dhoni with his long hair and lusty power-hitting very quickly carved out a niche for himself. He was a gambler who could be sent in occasionally at number three and he would virtually go after every ball. When promoted up the order while chasing a daunting 299 against Sri Lanka at Jaipur in 2005, Dhoni unleashed an uninhibited example of savage stroke play to score an unbeaten 183.

But captaincy and an unreliable lower order has now made him a more responsible batsman. His presence now brings to the crease stability and calmness more than anything else. He is ready to dig in deep in trying conditions and stretch the game as much as possible till the end.

Over the years, Dhoni has evolved into one of the most prized finishers in the limited overs format. He is often willing to consolidate when he comes in because with his penchant for big hitting, he knows he can always make up in the end. Dhoni himself has admitted the conscious change in style he has adopted:

"I had a different role when I made my debut. I was batting at a different slot. We had a person who would carry on an innings and be there till the end. I was among those batsmen who will go out and look to accelerate. Even if I get out, it was okay... There's been a transformation in my career. I am playing for the last four years and during the latter half of my career, I was under a bit of pressure to take up the responsibility and play through the innings."

In the 2013 Celkon Cup final against Sri Lanka, Dhoni was the literally the last man standing when he took the match to the last over. With Eranga bowling the last over and India needing 15 runs to win, he went for his shots with his trademark calmness and won India the match.

#1 AB de Villiers

AB scored the fastest ODI hundred recently

AB de Villiers is the one of the best examples of how a batsman can completely change his style to suit the requirements of his team and the changing demands of the game. He was always known as someone who is incredibly talented and played calm, consolidated knocks at crucial junctures for his team. But the change in fielding conditions which now allows only four fielders to remain outside the circle after the first ten overs has suited him as he has used it to his full advantage.

Ever since the fielding rules were changed in October 2012, AB’s strike-rate has increased from 93.15 to 111.15. His consistency has also been brilliant to say the least - he has amassed 14 half centuries and 7 centuries in his 49 innings since then at an average of 61.75.

He has immense ability as a batsman and he uses it to play with the mind of the bowlers. He moves about a great deal in the crease making it very difficult to bowl to him. With the change in fielding rules, most of his big shots are now pre-meditated ones as he looks at the field placements and chooses where to hit the ball.

He is of course blessed with an extraordinary amount of talent to be able to do that - it is his great ability to hit all around the ground that has earned him the title of Mr. 360 degrees. He is particularly good square of the wicket on the on side as he can walk across his stumps at will and scoop the ball over square or fine leg. He also deploys the reverse sweep with equal success at times against the faster bowlers.

He can play himself in and switch gears any time during his innings. Alternatively, he can walk in at any number for his team and start to go after the bowling right away if the situation demands. Against Mumbai Indians in this edition of the IPL, he walked in at number five and smashed everything scoring 41 off 11 deliveries. His 133 of 59 which came against the same opposition later was a fine example of how he can change gears very quickly.

His 149 from 41 balls, where he scored his century off 31 balls, against West Indies was unlike anything the cricketing world has ever seen. Besides being a brilliant fielder, he has kept wickets for South Africa and since the emergence of Quinton De Kock, he has turned his arm over whenever required and of course, he captains the side. There is nothing he has not done for his team and there is nothing perhaps that he cannot do.