10 Most Underappreciated Players in Cricket History

Fawad Alam: Unorthodox, but effective

Pakistan: Fawad Alam (250 runs @ 41.66)

Joe Root, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson and Fawad Alam; only one averages over 55 in first-class cricket. The player is Fawad Alam, whose lack of chances in Test cricket is among the great modern mysteries such as the Bermuda Triangle and the identity of the Zodiac Killer.

Now 33 years of age, Alam has been limited to just three Test matches, despite scoring 168 on debut, despite a first-class average of 55.42 and a list A average of 48.82, and despite having 11,141 first-class runs to his name.

Alam's non-selection has confounded many. Some fans have even gone as far as suggesting that Alam should take his case to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The only feasible reason for Alam not being picked is that he is not a very graceful player. His technique is unorthodox at best, and certainly not something any coach would use to coach youngsters. But it is also a technique he has used for 152 first class games, and it has served him just fine.

Alam is also far from the only player to find success with an unusual technique. Steve Smith, for example, has made 6199 Test runs at an average of 61.37 with a similarly unorthodox technique.

There is no doubt Alam has been consistently underappreciated by selectors, but as a result, he is also underappreciated in the cricketing world.

Alam may be one of this generation's finest batsmen - his statistics would certainly suggest this is the case - but he will likely end his career with many cricket fans outside Pakistan not even knowing who he is.