5 most mismanaged cricketers of recent times in international cricket

There have been certain names in cricket who promised a lot when they burst on to the international stage. But over time, team requirements or more often circumstances have forced them to consider what all they can contribute to their side.

Is it their batting skill or is it their captaincy which will be a better thing for the team? Would it matter more if they score more runs up the order or just hang around with the tail to give a good finish to the innings? Such questions have often led to altering the roles of players who would have initially liked to find themselves playing different ones.

Here are some players who showed great promise during early days of their career playing a specific role, but somehow went on doing something else as time progressed, and have overall performed a tad below their true potential (which was in batting for the names here).

They are all doing a great job for their sides, but one cannot help but wonder if they would have done better had their team managements found a better role for them in the scheme of things.

5. Darren Sammy

Darren Sammy

He has consistently batted at no. 8 for a better part of his career. He was captained in 2010, and has been great at the job. His forte’ is his bowling, and he has picked up more than 70 wickets in both the Test ad ODI formats. He is an all-rounder, but he is more like a bowler who can bat.

But somehow, there is this feeling that he could have done better things with his batting. He bats way down in the batting order, and may consider coming and batting at positions above the order, maybe at positions where the Sri Lankan or even the Indian captain bat currently.

He can be explosive with the bat, and he can well be a finisher for his side. He has finished games for the Windies on numerous occasions, but one does feel that he comes in very late and sometimes the damage done is beyond repair and he can do nothing with tail-enders at the other end.

He averages just above 20 in both Tests and ODIs, and has no ODI hundreds to his name and just the lone Test hundred. We all know he is better than what these numbers show. He has to go ahead and improve these, not for the sake of the record books, but because he is capable of doing so.

He will, in all probability, lead the Windies’ campaign at the World Cup next year, and it is important that he experiment on a better batting position for himself, before going in for the tournament.

4. Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis

He bats at no. 7 or 8 in Tests, and at 5 or 6 in the ODIs. He can bowl, but is not a specialist bowler, hence his role in the team should primarily be that of a batsman. Considering that, and also the capability he has shown with the bat, he should definitely bat higher up. It is generally a rule of thumb that the best batsmen in a team should bat up the order, and South Africa would do themselves good by not violating that rule.

His career that started in 2011 in ODIs and in 2012 in Tests is far from over. He may be 29 but he has a lot of cricket left in him. It is imperative, therefore, that South Africa groom this gem of a player for the no. 4 batting position. They have had good steady top order batsmen in Smith, Amla and de Villiers, but they have shuffled options for the no. 4 spot.

Somebody like a Duminy who is not in prime form currently and can even contribute with the ball can be moved down the order to make way for Faf. The Proteas batted him at 3 and he responded with 2 good scores in 3 innings recently against Pakistan. They should, thus, observe the obvious fact that he will be better for them up the order.

True that he produced an amazing innings down the order against India, and almost crafted one of the best 4th innings chases ever, still the lower order should remain the monopoly of the sloggers while specialists like him should play up the order. There is still time for South Africa to make amends.

3. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

There is the Dhoni of today, and then there is the Dhoni of the past – somebody who blasted away Sri Lanka with his 183* at Jaipur, an innings that came not long after his debut. True, he has a lot more responsibility on his shoulders now being the leader of the side in all the three formats, but there is no saying that he can’t bat the same way as he once used to.

Need proof? Just go back to India’s World Cup triumph in 2011 – he came up the order in the all-important final at a time when next man in Yuvraj was in the sublime form, and played an innings that left the opponents with nothing.

Another complain that I, as a fan, have against him is how he has stopped producing ‘Helicopter Shots’ as frequently as he used to in the early days of his career. That is symbolic of the fact that Dhoni the ‘explosive batter’ has receded over the years and Dhoni the ‘captain cool’ has taken his place.

I am not complaining – he has been India’s most successful captain, but that does not mean he has to let his batting be shadowed under that. He will enjoy his game more if he frees his arms as a batter, and does not subdue his natural batting style which he may be doing batting down the order.

It is not all that late to make that change. With Raina not doing all that well in the recent past, he can maybe consider getting in early to give company to the Kohlis and the Rahanes. And maybe rid himself of his self-created image of a finisher. Again, there is no denying that he has finished many games superbly for India when the top order didn’t fire.

He can just hand that responsibility to somebody else. I am sure all the fans of the Helicopter Shot will agree.

2. Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan

He was one of the best ODI batsmen of 2013, and probably England’s best on current form. And he comes in to bat at no. 5, after Gary Ballance and Joe Root. That is baffling to say the least. He would contribute much more if he comes up the order. He has an experience of more than 100 ODIs behind him, and relatively new players are sent to bat up the order, which is just beyond simple logic.

Root has played some cricket, but it is still early days for Ballance in cricket. England may justify their move saying they are finding the right spot for the new face, but that should not come at the cost of such brilliant batters coming out so late.

We saw that in the recent series against Australia as well. Morgan was so needed up the order. The batting department wanted improvement, and the sole game that England won on the tour also saw them slumping in the middle overs after the dismissal of number, and the much needed stability could have been provided by Morgan.

He played his last Test 2 years ago, and has not been part of the squad as England have better Test options. But for ODIs he should certainly be tried one if not two spots above his current batting spot. He averages above 40 in ODIs, and that number has the potential to be much more than it currently is.

He is 27, and looks good to represent England for another 5-7 years at least. England can’t afford to lose out on such a talent by bring him in to bat at the wrong time. He should definitely be groomed for a higher spot, and sooner rather than later, so that they have the no.4 position occupied by the best in business for the World Cup.

1. Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera

This guy won the game for Sri Lanka on his debut against India at Mirpur when he was just 20 years old. He came in when his team needed 54 to win from just 6 overs, and they reached there with 2 overs to spare, thanks to his quick-fire 36 off 15 balls. And today, 4 years later, he averages just 16 in ODI cricket. Therefore, something somewhere has gone seriously wrong.

The Lankan team management have to take a hard look at where they have gone wrong at handling such a useful player, and while there is still time (he is only 24), they can make repairs and make him a nice middle order batting option who bats in a particular spot.

He currently bats at 7 or 8. Most of the times he does not get a chance to bat, and when he does, it is almost usually the same situation that is prevailing – runs have to be scored at 8 or 9 per over. If he comes up the order even 2 places, there is a good chance that half of these situations will not arise, or Sri Lanka will get to a good score in case they are batting first.

He may not prove to be a very good prospect for the Test side given his batting style, but he is just the ideal man for the shorter versions of the game. He has done fairly well with the ball, with 85 wickets from 67 ODIs, and an impressive economy of 5.55. He even has a hat-trick to his name (against Pakistan), and it is just the way his batting role is what needs modification.

He is currently playing as a bowler who can bat occasionally, but we all know he is much more than just that, and if groomed properly, can be one of the best all-rounders of the future. If that happens, Sri Lanka will be benefited beyond measure.