10 most overrated players in the history of cricket 

Now, this is a sort of topic which is obviously a difficult proposition for anyone. But, as everyone knows, there are certain players in all sports who are rated too highly and often it is not perhaps a true reflection of their gifts as a sportsman. In that regard, cricket is no different.

However, it needs to be pointed out that ‘overrated’ does not actually mean ‘bad’ or ‘poor’, but simply that the player is perhaps praised disproportionately in relation to his exploits as a cricketer.

Hence, certain cricketers, who were actually pretty excellent are included in this list and it is in no way, an attempt to downplay their achievements.

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#10 Umar Akmal

Umar Akmal failed to live up to the expectations

When he first came along, Kamran Akmal’s younger brother Umar looked like a truly superb talent, who could have turned into one of Pakistan’s top batsmen for years to come.

However, it seems the batsman brought into his own hype, as several sections of the Pakistani media hailed him as the next great. But, he never quite kicked on to become the batsman that many hoped he would.

Needless to say, he can be a flashy player at times and a treat to watch, but he never really was in the same league as some of the former Pakistani greats or the great batsmen of the game who were still in business.

An average of 34.59 in 116 ODIs, 35.82 in 16 Tests, and 26.82 in 82 T20Is, is proof that he did not make good on the ample opportunities that he was given.

Additionally, only 1 Test century and 2 ODI centuries, is also a testament to the fact that Akmar perhaps lacks the temperament to play the long innings.

#9 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan's career never took off

The Indian all-rounder may have shown what he was made of when he hit the first ball of the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan in 2007 for a six, but, Yusuf Pathan’s career remains a case of unfulfilled promise.

He could be an immensely destructive player on his day but, he delivered rarely, and that is what makes him such an overrated player.

He had a strike rate of 113.60 in ODIs and a whopping 146.58 in T20Is, but that all becomes quite ineffective if the player averages only 27 and 18.15 in the two formats respectively.

Every time he played, the hype followed but before long India’s team management realized that he was too unpredictable a player to persist within the long term.

#8 Geoffrey Boycott

Geoffrey Boycott was a very selfish cricketer

With a tally of 8114 runs in 108 Test matches, it will possibly seem a bit blasphemous to include former England opening batsman Geoffrey Boycott on this list. But then, again there is some fine print that needs to be considered.

He was regarded as an incredibly selfish batsman for a start, and once he was dropped from the side after he had scored a double century. Reason? Slow scoring.

On the other hand, he seemed to have a gift of avoiding playing the best attacks. As former teammate Graeme Fowler pointed out, he claimed to have a mysterious back injury when the fearsome West Indians were in town.

He might talk a lot about his achievements while on commentary and while he was certainly an excellent opening batsman, he was not in the league of some of the greatest to have played for England. Also, he never quite succeeded in hacking one-day International cricket.

#7 Shane Watson

Shane Watson was never as influential as one expected him to be

Now, make no mistake, the former Australian was one of the world’s better all-rounders during the latter part of his career, but, Shane Watson was never the world-class player that many seem to think he was.

His international career remains one of unfulfilled talent, which was exemplified by his struggles as the team’s opening batsman in Test cricket.

Watson was an excellent power hitter at the top of the order in limited overs cricket, but, then again, he found it difficult going against the best attacks.

As far as his bowling goes, he was largely a peripheral member of the Australian bowling attack.

He was a good player and still is, considering the fact that T20 franchises still want him, but he wasn’t exactly a match-turning all-rounder that many seem to think he was.

#6 Matthew Wade

Matthew Wade couldn't successfully replace Adam Gilchrist

Following the retirement of Adam Gilchrist (perhaps the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of all time), Australian cricket seemed to be in a fix as they scrambled to find his replacement.

However, it proved futile and understandably so, in 2012, eventually, they unearthed Matthew Wade, who was a wicketkeeper and also batted left-handed.

He is a capable stroke-player, but, the comparisons with Gilchrist and the fact that he was going to be a solution for that gaping hole seemed way off the mark.

In the end, it proved to be a case of incredible overestimation of a player’s talent as Wade generally struggled in international with both the bat and the gloves.

An average of 28.58 in 22 Tests, 25.75 in 94 ODIs, and 19.91 in 26 T20Is, is ample proof that he is among the most overrated cricketers to have ever played the game.

#5 Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir has been poor ever since he returned

When he was banned for five years from International cricket following his involvement in the Pakistani spot-fixing scandal, the cricket work was aggrieved.

Mohammad Amir was a teenager who reminded people of Wasim Akram (albeit there is not much similarity in their actions), and hence those sentiments were understandable.

However, has he actually been any good since his return despite the constant talk about him being a world class bowler?

In 16 Tests since his return, he has taken only 44 wickets and that too at an average of 37.25. In ODIs, his match-turning spell against India in last year’s ICC Champions Trophy final notwithstanding, Amir has only taken 32 wickets in 25 games and that is simply not good enough for someone who is supposed to be world-class.

Maybe he will need another season to rediscover his touch, but it hasn’t happened yet and unfortunately, he is being overrated by many.

#4 Srinivas Venkataraghavan

Srinivas Venkataraghavan (left) during his umpiring days

Sometimes, close association with greatness often bestows the epithet great on players who might not be deserving of that, and former Indian off-spinner Srinivas Venkataraghavan, is a fine example of that.

Make no mistake, he was an excellent spin bowler in his own right and enjoyed a remarkably long international career (1965-1983).

However, he was nowhere near the three bowlers who made up the rest of the famed Indian spin quartet.

The fact that Venkat had been included in that august company, made many believe that he was perhaps as good as them but he wasn’t, and a Test average of 36.11, is proof that he is not quite up there with the best (Chandra had an average of 29.74, Bedi clocked 28.71 and Prasanna averaged 30.38). A bit overrated.

#3 Chris Cairns

How vital was Chris Cairns?

He is often regarded as some sort of an all-round great, and while Chris Cairns was definitely a vital member of the New Zealand team, there is no doubt that his prowess as an all-rounder is exaggerated.

Now that he has fallen from grace due to the court proceedings related to match-fixing in the now defunct Indian Cricket League, the overrating has perhaps stopped once and for all.

He was a competent middle-order batsman in both Tests and ODIs, however, there was nothing great about him.

He could be a brutal hitter but an average of 33.53 in 62 Tests and 29.46 in 215 ODIs is proof that Cairns definitely wasn’t among the greats.

So, did he compensate it with superlative bowling? Not at all. Again, he was a mediocre swing and seam bowler, who could vary his as well.

In fact, he was one of the better bowlers of the slower ball but then again, his record was not what anyone would expect from a great of the game.

#2 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi is an overrated legend

He is often regarded as a legend of the game and has some sort of a cult following, but, Shahid Afridi was largely a street cricket batsman, who ended up having a pretty fruitful career at the top level.

He played some absolutely unforgettable innings throughout the course of his career, and scored two of the fastest hundreds in ODI history, but a career tally of 6 centuries is a meagre return.

Particularly, when he opened the batting for Pakistan for a large portion of his career. A strike rate of 117 is incredible, but, an average of 23.57 makes that strike rate totally pointless. He only played 27 Tests in his career and averaged 36.51, which is again a mediocre return.

However, what is amusing is that his batting gets so much attention despite Afridi being an extremely ordinary batsman but his bowling does not. Towards the end of his career, he was one of the most lethal bowlers in limited overs cricket.

#1 Graeme Hick

Graeme Hick is the most overrated cricketers

As far as overrated players are concerned, nobody quite comes close to Zimbabwe-born former England batsman Graeme Hick.

The right-handed batsmen had a fine technique and a wide array of strokes, which enabled him to become the highest scorer in the history of first-class cricket with a tally in excess of 64,000 runs.

However, when it came to International cricket, Hick could never quite deliver on his promise. Despite the fact that the English selectors had pinned their hopes on him being the next great, he never threatened to truly break out into something close to his first-class avatar.

That being said, the selectors never seemed to give up hope and for a decade from 1991 to 2001, he kept making comebacks and played in as many as 65 Test matches.

Hick averaged only 31.32 and scored a grand total of 6 hundreds. In 120 ODIs, he made 5 hundreds and averaged 37.33.