6 star cricketers who were limited-overs specialists

Each of the three formats of cricket requires a player to possess some special skills in order to excel in it. While some players are easily able to adapt their game to suit the needs of the three diverse versions of the sport, there are others who end up specialising in either Tests or limited-overs cricket.

Earlier on, limited-overs cricket was restricted to just one-day internationals but the last decade or so has seen the introduction and rapid growth of the 20-over format. The skills needed for these two formats are pretty much the same with perhaps the only major difference being the high-paced nature of T20 cricket.

Over the years, some players have left an indelible mark on limited-overs cricket and established themselves as specialists, even though they were unable to garner the same amount of success in Test cricket.

Here are 6 such star cricketers from the past couple of decades:

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#6 Lance Klusener

Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener made his international debut back in 1996. However, it was only during the 1999 ICC World Cup that he made the cricketing world stand up and notice as he nearly took his team to the final using his match-winning abilities.

Klusener was easily the hardest hitters of the cricket ball that one would ever come across and also contributed as an effective medium-pace bowler. Although the Proteas cricketer played 49 Tests in his 8-year long career, he was always a limited-overs specialist.

This is proved by the fact that his 3576 ODI runs came at an average of 41.10, which is much higher than his Test batting average of under 33. Even as a bowler, he was much more potent in 50-over cricket, and took 192 wickets at 29.95 compared to 80 wickets at an average in the higher 30s.

Lance Klusener had all the necessary skills to prosper in T20I cricket as well. Unfortunately for him, the first ever 20-over international match was played only a few months after his retirement.

#5 Nathan Bracken

Bracken was the top-ranked ODI bowler at one point

A left-arm pacer by trade, Nathan Bracken represented Australia between the years 2001 and 2009 across all three formats. The New South Wales cricketer established his reputation as one of the finest ODI bowlers of his time and contributed majorly to his team’s success.

When the T20 format came about, Bracken adapted well to it and proved to be pretty effective in the few matches that he played. The Aussie did play Test cricket, too, but featured in just 5 matches without creating much of an impression to be able to keep his place in the side.

In 116 ODIs, Nathan Bracken grabbed as many as 174 wickets at a brilliant average of 24.36 whereas he had 19 wickets in as many T20Is averaging just over 23. On the other hand, the left-armer picked up just 12 wickets in Tests at a high average of 42.08 and no five-wicket hauls.

Bracken’s limited-overs career could have reached even greater heights had he not been stopped in his tracks by injuries.

#4 Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi is among the finest limited-overs allrounders of all time

When Shahid Afridi smashed the then fastest century in ODIs back in the year 1996, he made it evident to the world that limited-overs cricket was where he belonged. A couple of years later, he made it to the Pakistani Test team as well and did quite decently.

While Afridi was a regular face in the 50-over format, he played just 27 matches in a prolonged Test career which lasted close to 12 years. Despite not being consistent enough with the bat in one-day cricket, he made up for it by playing a key role in the bowling department.

So far, Shahid Afridi has scored over 8000 ODI runs and claimed as many as 395 wickets in the 398 matches he has played. He also has a tally of 1405 runs in 98 T20I matches and is the leading wicket-taker in the format with 97 wickets under his belt.

Although Afridi was dropped from the side for Pakistan’s recently concluded tour of England, he may just be brought back following their dismal performance.

#3 Michael Bevan

Bevan was considered as an expert during run chases

Michael Bevan is perhaps among the most consistent ODI batsmen of all time as his 50-plus average in the format suggests. Before the Dhonis and Kohlis displayed their abilities at chasing down totals, it was Bevan who showed the cricketing world how to effect successful run chases.

The southpaw was a limited-overs specialist in every sense, even though he did feature in 18 Tests for Australia between 1994 and 1998. During his ODI career, Bevan rescued the Aussie side from many tricky situations, especially while chasing, and led them to some incredible wins.

In 232 one-day internationals, Michael Bevan had a tally of 6912 runs at a staggering average of 53.58 and he remained unbeaten 67 times in 196 innings. Meanwhile, he scored just under 800 runs in 30 Test innings at a much inferior average of 29.07 and with just 6 half-centuries.

The Australian limited-overs great did not play a single T20 match even in domestic cricket, let alone the international arena.

#2 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh has made his mark as one of the most explosive limited-overs batsmen ever

In recent years, there has hardly been a batsman in international cricket who can hit the ball out of the park as cleanly as India’s Yuvraj Singh. One of the key architects of India’s changing fortunes in limited-overs cricket since the turn of the century, Yuvraj has been part of two World Cup-winning teams across two different formats.

Power-hitters were a rarity in the Indian cricket at the time when the Chandigarh-born cricket burst on the scene with his exploits in the 2000 Under-19 World Cup. Since then, he has established his reputation as one of the finest stroke players that the country has ever had.

Be it his 6 sixes in the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007 or his ‘Player of the Tournament’ award-winning antics in the 2011 ICC World Cup, Yuvraj Singh’s career has primarily been about limited-overs cricket. He has played 40 Tests, though, and scored 1900 runs at a decent average of just below 34 and including 3 centuries.

While Yuvraj has been out of the ODI side for nearly 3 years, his last T20I appearance came about in the 2016 ICC World T20.

#1 Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga is perhaps the finest limited-overs bowler of his generation

Lasith Malinga has been the deadliest weapon in Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20I bowling arsenal for a number of years. Although his powers have been on the decline in recent years, Malinga has done enough with the ball in hand to warrant the status of being a limited-overs great.

The Sri Lankan pacer had possibly figured out that he belongs to the shortest formats of the game, which is why he hung his Test boots prematurely back in 2011. In 30 Test matches, Malinga managed to pick up 101 scalps at an average of 33.15 with 3 five-wicket innings hauls.

Quite contrastingly, the quickie has 291 ODI wickets in 191 matches with 7 five-wicket hauls and he averages slightly under 28. Malinga is also the fourth highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 78 victims in 62 games and has best figures of 5 for 31.

Injuries have impacted Lasith Malinga’s career of late, though, and he was last seen in action for Sri Lanka during the first ever T20 Asia Cup earlier this year.