10 great cricketers who were not great at running between the wickets

In life, as in sport, everyone has some sort of failing, and even the greatest of sportspersons are not immune to those. The same holds for cricketers. All the great cricketers of the past have had certain shortcomings in their game that became apparent as their careers progressed.

However, this article is related to a particular failing and seems a bit surprising that it had taken hold of some of the finest cricketers in the game.

It relates to running between the wickets, and terrible running is not merely restricted to running fast. Judging when to run, when not to run, communicating with the partner, and not being in two minds are some of the essential aspects of running between the wickets.

So, the great players who were terrible at running were not precisely slow runners but lacked some of the qualities that go into the making of a good runner. More importantly, this is an exercise to demonstrate that some of the great cricketers of the past could have made even more runs or won even more games for their nations had they been a bit better at running.

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#10 Mark Waugh

Mark Waugh

Former Australian batsman Mark Waugh was one of the most majestic batsmen to watch in international cricket. In a career that lasted around 14 years, he became one of Australia's most essential batsmen in both formats of the game. He was destructive as an opener in one-dayers and an equally sublime presence in the middle order in Test cricket. In total, he scored 38 international centuries and 97 half-centuries to become one of Australia's renowned match winners during the 1990s.

However, he was pretty weak when it came to running between the wickets and used to be involved in run-outs quite often. In his one day international career, he was run out as many as 32 times, which is the 5th highest in the history of one-day cricket.

#9 Geoffrey Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott

If there is ever any discussion on the greatest opening batsmen to have played Test cricket, then former England great Geoffrey Boycott's name will definitely figure in it. Boycott was a batsman who was one of the world's most technically gifted through the mid-1960s and the 1970s.

However, despite all those runs and all those centuries, he suffered from the inability to run well between the wickets. For a batsman who was so famously cautious, Boycott was run out seven times in Test cricket. However, what is even more startling is that he ran out his partners 13 times in Test cricket.

It is alleged that he had once run Ian Botham out deliberately to settle a personal score.

#8 Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram

Pakistan legend Wasim Akram is the finest left-arm pace bowler to have ever played the game and even to this day, there are few bowlers that can match his ability to swing the ball. On the other hand, Akram was a decent lower-order batsman as well and helped the team plenty of times with his timely intervention.

That said, he was also guilty of being a pretty average runner between the wickets and that saw him get dismissed run out seven times in Test cricket and an astonishing 38 times in one-day internationals. However, the high number of run-outs in one-dayers is primarily down to the fact that Akram batted lower down the order and was often forced to take risks in order to score runs quickly.

#7 Sanath Jayasuriya

Sanath Jayasuriya

During the 1990s, Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka emerged as one of the most dangerous opening batsmen in one-day international cricket but at the same time he was an excellent Test match batsman as well. The left-hander remains one of the modern day greats of the game. However, he was not as gifted a runner between the wickets and he was not only run out plenty of times but also ran his partners out quite frequently.

In ODIs, he was run out 27 times in 335 innings, while in Test cricket the same figure stood at 5. On the other hand, it seems Jayasuriya was not a decisive runner either. He had run his partner out a staggering 31 times in one dayers, while the same figure stood at 10 in Test cricket.

#6 Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly

Among India's greatest batsmen of all time, former skipper Sourav Ganguly's biggest fault was his poor running between wickets. This would often lead to his partners being run out as well.

Ganguly often hesitated when setting off for a run and often backtracked to his crease while his partner was often left stranded. In one day internationals, he ran his partner out 30 times while the same figure stood at 10 in Test matches.

On the other hand, he was dismissed run out 27 times in one-day internationals and four times in Tests, to cement his place among the worst runners between the wickets.

#5 Garry Sobers

Garry Sobers (sitting in the centre)

Sir Garfield Sobers is among the greatest cricketers to have ever played, and except for wicketkeeping, he has done everything that one can expect from a cricketer. Sobers was one of the best batsmen in the world, a handy bowler who could bowl both spin and seam, and an excellent fielder too.

However, despite being a great athlete, he seemed to struggle a bit with running between the wickets, and this was at a time (1954-1974) when run-outs were quite rare in Test cricket. Sobers, however, managed to get run out ten times in his Test career and in addition to that, he ran out his partner ten times.

Despite all his brilliance, running between the wickets was not one of his strong points.

#4 Arjuna Ranatunga

Arjuna Ranatunga

Former Sri Lankan batsman Arjuna Ranatunga might not be counted among the greatest batsmen to have played the game, but as far as influence as a captain is concerned, he is up there with the best. His exploits as a batsman held the national team together for 18 years.

However, the rotund batsman was well and truly a terrible runner and a poor judge of a run as well. In Test cricket, he had been run out 30 times but what is even more startling is the fact that he had run his partners out 40 times and that is an alarming statistic.

In one day internationals, his record was equally chequered with a total of 30 run-outs in a career spanning 255 innings.

#3 Allan Border

Allan Border

Legendary Australian batsman Allan Border is credited for bringing the national team back on track in the mid-1980s by building a team that went on to dismantle numerous opponents in the future. His greatness has never been in question, but that said, Border was a bit of a mess when it came to running between the wickets.

In a career spanning around 15 years, he was run out as many as 28 times in one-day internationals and 12 times in Test cricket, which remained a record for many years. More significantly, however, Border had also run his partner out 17 times in Test cricket.

#2 Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam-ul-Haq

There is no other player who can personify the great player-terrible runner between the wickets conundrum as perfectly as former Pakistani great Inzamam-ul-Haq. Inzamam had problems with his weight throughout his career and what made his running between the wickets a source of comedy was that he seemed to find newer ways to get himself or his partner run out. Often, he was too eager to go for a run and misjudged it, which led to even more run-outs.

In one day internationals, he was often a complete disaster and had been run out as many as 40 times, while he ran his partner out 34 times. In Test cricket, he was run out only six times. However, beyond the numbers, Inzamam's presence at the crease almost always led to mix-ups and run out chances seemed to be lurking around the corner at all times.

#1 Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh

When it comes to listing great players who were terrible runners, then former Australian great Steve Waugh's name does not come to one's mind straightaway. However, when one looks at the numbers, then there is no doubt that his record as far as run-outs go, will take some beating.

Waugh wasn't a slow mover but what differentiates him is that he was hardly ever the victim of his indecisive running. His partners were the ones who suffered. He was himself dismissed for falling short only four times, but he had run his partner out a whopping 23 times in his Test career. The same pattern holds in one-day internationals as well. Waugh was himself run out 23 times, but he had run his partner out a record 50 times.