5 best sweepers in international cricket today

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When you think of the astounding number of shots in cricket today, it makes you pause and reflect on the skill that batsmen possess today. What is interesting to consider is also the evolution of shots and the invention of some new ones with the advent of T20 cricket.

Very often we come to associate one shot with a batsman when it is his signature stroke and he becomes perfect at it. For instance, Ranjitsinhji is believed to have invented the leg-glance while Tendulkar played almost the perfect straight drive.

The sweep has come to be an important shot in cricket today mainly because it is a potent weapon and there are so many different variations of it that exist today. Let us look at the 5 best sweepers in the cricketing world today.


#5 Sarfraz Ahmed

The young, talented Pakistani wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed recently made the headlines when he captained his team to victory in his inaugural ICC event by lifting the Champions Trophy. The victory was extra sweet because they defeated arch-rivals India in the final to return to their country to a hero’s welcome.

Sarfraz himself had made valuable contributions with the bat and he is rightly considered to be the most valuable player in Pakistani cricket now. His innings, like his captaincy, are often gutsy and full of fight as they portray his never-say-die attitude.

One of his favourite and often used shots is, of course, the sweep which he uses to good effect to dominate spinners and score big runs off them. He can attack them with his sweep and go both square and fine to pick up crucial boundaries.

It is his good sweep shot that is an important part of his leg-side play. This helps him dominate spinners and get on top of them during the middle overs.

#4 KL Rahul

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One of the success stories of the IPL from the perspective of the Indian team is the phenomenal rise of KL Rahul. No wonder that Rahul has Kohli’s absolute faith as they both play for the same franchise RCB.

He is also one of the rare young talents who have tasted success across all formats of the game. Having scored some crucial centuries for the Indian team already in his fledgling career so far, it does seem like he has a lot left to offer.

Rahul is an attacking batsman and much of his flair comes from the expansive sweeps he can play. He can play both the conventional and the reverse sweep with absolute perfection. And sweeps are an attacking option for him as he tries to use them to pick up boundaries.

#3 Steve Smith

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One of the best batsmen of the world for some time now, there is hardly a day when the Australian skipper Steve Smith does not make news. Having started out as a bowler who could bat a bit lower down the order, Smith’s transition after that been phenomenal.

For a batsman who looks jerky and unorthodox at the crease, he is the very picture of elegance when he plays his shots. A magnificent technique and a very still head help him go through most of his shots with absolute perfection.

Smith is exceptionally strong on the leg-side and likes to walk across his stumps to flick the ball. Against the spinners, sweeping becomes a potent weapon for him as he uses his big backlift and perfect footwork to sweep the ball on the leg-side.

With an average of over 40 in ODIs and over 60 in Tests, Smith is one of the most consistent batsmen in the world today.

#2 Joe Root

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If Smith is there in our list, then Root cannot be far behind. Another important member of the Big Four in the international cricket today, what stands out for Joe Root, much like his Australian contemporary, is his remarkable consistency.

With an average of over 50 in Tests and almost 50 in ODIs, not to mention an above 40 average in T20Is, Root is the very picture of consistency in England cricket now. He is also at the centre of all good things that are happening now as the England team is undergoing a remarkable transition.

The secret to Root’s consistency is the fact that he likes to milk the bowlers a lot and run hard between the wickets. Sweep, therefore, becomes a go-to option for him because he uses it to manoeuvre the ball on the leg-side and pick up his easy singles.

#1 AB de Villiers

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One of the most talented and loved batsmen across the world right now, AB de Villiers is an absolute joy to watch when he is on song. He has been bestowed with various nicknames because of his skills and has also been called the ‘Lionel Messi of cricket’.

But De Villiers’s most popular nickname is, of course, Mr. 360 because of his ability to play all around the wicket. No one in the world can hit a ball to any part of the ground with as much nonchalance as ABD does.

The primary reason why he is able to do this is that he is insanely talented when it comes to playing the sweep shot. ABD has re-defined the sweep shot so that he can play a lot of versions of it.

There are obviously the conventional sweep and the reverse sweep which he has absolutely mastered. But he can also walk across the stumps to a fast bowler, go down on his knees, and use his pace to sweep him for a six over fine-leg or square-leg.

Look at any innings when ABD goes berserk and comes off with a crazy strike-rate — the sweep shot will be his main scoring shot throughout the innings. He is talented enough to walk across and sweep any ball to the leg-side for a six. That’s what makes him the most special batsman in the world!

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava