#NoMatterWhat - 5 reliable big-hitters in modern-day Cricket

The advent of limited-overs cricket dates back to 1971, but its version that we see now has gone through several changes through the filters of those who pioneered it at various stages.One-day cricket, in its nascent stage was a shortened version of Test cricket. It was like a Test match of three sessions played in two equal phases. Touch-play and timing were the tunes of those days, as some of the most classical batsmen to have graced the 22 yards, namely Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Martin Crowe, Ian Chappell, Graham Gooch, Javed Miandad et al played with sublime hands and supple wrists.What we see now are batsmen inherently gifted with some or all of those qualities possessed by the legends of yesteryears, topped with their ability to hit the ball in an area of their liking.Earlier, a delivery on fourth or fifth stump of a right hander would be cut, or at max. cover-driven. Now, the same delivery can be pulled from outside off and deposited into the farthest stand on the leg-side.This paradigm shift in modern day cricket has been colloquially termed as ‘hitting,’ and over the years cricket has been gifted with some of the most terrific hitters of the leather ball.While hitting the ball in the air is easy, hitting it clean requires art. Here, in this piece, we look at five of the most reliable hitters that cricket has had over the years in a chronological manner.

#1 Adam Gilchrist

Every art needs a pioneer, a revolutionary. Cricket is an amalgamation of arts, and the art of attacking at the top was revolutionized by Adam Gilchrist. Sachin Tendulkar had been doing it before him, but Gilchrist did it with no pressure, no commitments and no intentions to build the team’s innings.

His batting technique was made up of just one sentence - hit the ball. That is evident from the record of the most number of sixes hit in Test cricket, which he currently shares with Brendon McCullum, at 100.

His knock of 149 off 129 with 13 fours and 8 sixes in the World Cup final of 2007 bears testimony to the fearless heart and the risk-free mind that he possessed. Run rates soared as long as Gilchrist was around, and that being at the beginning of an innings was the greatest setback that his opponents had to deal with.

#2 Andrew Flintoff

Perhaps England’s most treasured hero after Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff’s stats are not very great. But he belongs to that rare league of cricketers, whose stats don’t bear the testimony of what they achieved on the field.

Immortalized after the 2005 Ashes - see resemblance to the 1981 Botham’s Ashes - Flintoff was also one of the cleanest hitters of the game as he hit 82 sixes in Tests, just 18 short of the world record in an injury-ridden career, and 93 in the ODIs.

He hit just 3 ODI hundreds and 5 Test centuries, but the cameos that he played many a time coming down the order and rescuing England from trouble would be something that every English fan would hold dear, the most noticeable of which would be the 102 in the 4th Test of the 2005 Ashes.

#3 Yuvraj Singh

The most charmed yet flamboyant, the most classical yet hard hitting, and the most destructive yet reliable middle-order batsman that India has been gifted with, Yuvraj Singh, has been synonymous with demolition in his prime.

Recognized after his Lord’s heroics against England in 2002, it was England again against whom he registered his permanent place in history when he hit 6 sixes in an over off a young Stuart Broad in the 2007 World T20.

He followed that up with a 70 off 30 against Australia in the semi-final of the tournament, and played a pivotal role in India winning the first ever World T20.

The glory didn’t end there as there was another world cup to be won, in 2011 that Yuvraj owned with 362 runs and 15 wickets. Australia were also one of his favourites, having begun against them with a scintillating 84 in 2000, and the last prominent knock coming against the same opponent in 2014 World T20. His strike-rate is a staggering 136 in T20 cricket.

#4 Brendon McCullum

This cricketer’s story has been that of denial to deceit, deceit to courage, and courage to heroism. McCullum’s force has already taken world cricket by a storm, and this little powerhouse in all this abilities and gambles alike, has been the saving face for New Zealand cricket, and the messiah behind their revival.

He rose to the limelight when he lit up the inaugural IPL match with his 158* and has been a force to reckon with ever since. Having recently equalled Adam Gilchrist’s record for the most number of sixes in Test cricket, McCullum his best remembered for being a blizzard equally dangerous in its probability, as in its actual performance.

The knocks are so many that one loses count, but the ones that come to the mind are his recent 77 off 25 against England in the 2015 World Cup, and 59 off 26 against South Africa in the tournament’s semi-final, that was arguably the greatest match of the World Cup.

He is also the first New Zealander to hit a triple century and owns the most number of runs in T20 cricket.

#5 Mitchell Marsh

The youngest member of the list, this bright Aussie all-rounder has looked promising in whatever little cricket he has played so far. Still an amateur on the international circuit, Marsh has expressed himself in the Australian domestic T20 league, the Big Bash, and looks a sure starter for the Australian side come the World T20 in India in 2016.

The younger brother of Shaun Marsh, not only does Mitchell fulfill the role of a lower-order hitter, he also provides a back-up for the fast bowlers. This 24-year old is a bright prospect for Australia’s future and already has a T20 strike-rate of 126.