Year in Review: Top ten batsmen in One Day Internationals in 2013

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This has been a stupendous year – filled with a lot of action from around the globe. The Ashes have changed hands, two legends walked off into the sunset, and the exuberance of youth has become a talking point in cricketing circles.

ODI cricket has seen its share of highs and lows. The Champions Trophy bowed out of the ICC’s Future Tours Programme with World Cup winners India coronated as the eventual victors. Pakistan defeated South Africa in another bilateral series, while Australia gave the world champions a mighty scare with scores in excess of 300 in almost every game.

As the year draws to a close, here is a look at some of the outstanding performers with the willow in 50-over cricket who, by their exploits, have ensured that this format still retains its former glory.

10. Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan – The key to England’s hopes?

The former Ireland international has had a rather mixed year. From the highs of being England’s jewel of batting against the white ball to the lows of not getting his central contract renewed, the 27-year old left-hander has seen it all.

Morgan was awarded the ultimate honour of captaining the ODI side against the country of his birth & Australia, and he responded with a magnificent century in the game against the Shamrocks. His reflexes while batting, honed from hours and hours spent playing the Irish game of hurling, are exactly what the Lions need in the limited-overs format.

In a purist’s world, Eoin is a maverick.

If orthodox cricket has ruled the roost for much of the previous four or five decades, the 21^st century belongs to the unorthodox form. Morgan is a pioneer of this art – yet, the ECB declined to renew his contract because of an indifferent 2013. His struggles in the longer format, especially against Pakistan in the UAE, may have played a factor in the board’s decision, but in the shorter versions, Morgan still remains England’s best bet in the middle order when quick runs are required.

With the Ashes out of England’s hands, the ODI series and the T20 internationals still provide them a shot at vengeance. The maverick Irish-born southpaw might just be the tonic that the struggling side needs right now.

9. Darren Bravo

Darren Bravo – Can he revive WI’s fortunes?

It’s one thing to have the legendary Brian Lara as a relative, but quite another to live up to his legacy. The younger Bravo is just as strong on the off-side as his more illustrious predecessor in the side, and the recent tour of India seems to have made him much more focused and determined.

In the recently concluded three-match ODI series against India, Darren was among the few West Indian players to emerge with a spotless reputation, scoring three half-centuries even though his side finished second-best overall. He handled both spin and pace effortlessly – not an easy task to do in the subcontinent – and also showed some improvement in his on-side play. With older brother Dwayne around for guidance and motivation, Darren has literally blossomed under his captaincy.

He formed a solid combination with Lendl Simmons – the pair was instrumental in setting up a match winning platform for Darren Sammy’s pyrotechnics – during that tour, but still managed to throw his wicket away at crucial junctures. At 24, Darren Michael Bravo is the go-to man for the West Indies should the veteran Chanderpaul hang up his boots. Phenomenal cricketer!

8. AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers – Taking quick scoring to new levels

You don’t see too many batsmen dominate a partnership batting on one leg. If that is the case, you have never seen or heard of an enterprising, all-round cricketer going by the name of Abraham Benjamin de Villiers.

The 29-year old South African ODI skipper is in the same mould as the legendary Jonty Rhodes: superbly athletic, immensely gifted at ground fielding and extremely fit and agile. De Villiers is also a powerful striker of the ball, and his brutal hitting towards the end of the innings has piloted his side to a huge score (or a win) many times.

He is the kind of batsman one needs to be there till the end, executing innovative strokes and getting the runs the old-fashioned way if the circumstances are tricky. Additional responsibilities such as captaincy and keeping wickets have only brought out the best in him, though the 2013 Champions Trophy isn’t exactly one of his happiest memories.

Nevertheless, with such a classy leader at the helm, the Proteas should look to regain the No. 1 ODI ranking very soon.

7. Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan – Making up for lost time

There is a hint of arrogance in this lad from Delhi – the moustache notwithstanding. He has gone off the boil a bit towards the end of the year, but there is no denying the fact that Shikhar Dhawan is looking to make up for lost time.

Beginning with the Champions Trophy in England, where he and Rohit Sharma formed a rock-solid opening combination, the southpaw made the entire world sit up and take notice as he hammered world-class bowlers all over the park. Dhawan is a no-nonsense player who plays the game hard, and takes on the quickest of bowlers without batting an eyelid.

Upright in his stance and blessed with immaculate hand-eye coordination, Shikhar oozes confidence at the crease, and is undeterred by rising run rates or hostile seam conditions. In the second match of the seven-game series against Australia, his blitzkrieg 95 set a stable platform for Rohit and Virat Kohli to launch a blistering assault and chase down the mammoth target of 360.

His penchant for scoring runs remains undiminished to this day, and the 248 he made against South Africa ‘A’ showed ample proof of his abilities and supreme self-confidence.

The only direction Shikhar can now go is up!

6. George Bailey

George Bailey – Smiling Assassin

The ever-smiling Tasmanian dynamo was a perpetual thorn in India’s flesh when he led the Australian national side on a seven-game tour from October to November this year. Blessed with a cool head and plenty of power in his forearms, the 31-year old Bailey simply whacked the stuffing out of the wayward Indian bowling in nearly every innings, thus making himself Public Enemy Number One in the eyes of the die-hard Indian fan.

Like most right-handed batsmen, George prefers to play on the front foot, though he has shown capabilities of being equally powerful off the back foot too. Rarely did one see him get bogged down or frustrated – that endearing smile of his masks the ruthlessness with which he dismantles bowling attacks.

2013 has been a phenomenal year for the Tasmanian hitter – he went on to score his maiden hundred in ODIs against Sri Lanka, before going past his personal best on the India tour. He also became the second Australian to captain his side in an international game without having played one before – he celebrated the occasion with a magnificent half century in an Australian win.

He may have to fulfill the role that Mike Hussey essayed with considerable success, and Bailey is certainly on his way to do just that. Exciting times lie ahead for Geronimo!

5. Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara – Experience counts

The ODI Cricketer of the Year is just not ready to hang up his boots yet. Post the Ranatunga-de Silva era, Sangakkara has become one of the crisis men in the Sri Lankan national side, with best friend Mahela Jayawardene by his side. He has been among the most prolific scorers in 2013, culminating in his getting the coveted award mentioned earlier.

The 36-year old former skipper is a notable exponent of the cover drive, and is pre-dominantly a front-foot player. He can play both the cut and the pull with considerable aplomb – usually against the spinners – and is extremely effective playing square of the wicket. Of late, however, he has brought in a bit more aggression in his game, which is absolutely vital for the shorter formats.

A reliable wicket-keeper in the shorter formats, Sangakkara is truly a player with remarkable composure even in the face of trying times. Excellent choice!

4. Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock – New kid on the block

The left-handed wicket-keeper batsman is the new star on the horizon for the Proteas. Along with David Miller, de Kock forms part of the new youth brigade that will go on to represent the national side for years to come.

Chosen ahead of the out-of-form Colin Ingram in the series against Pakistan in November, the Johannesburg native came into international recognition with a fluent three-figure knock in the fourth game – his first international hundred. He continued to play useful knocks in the rest of the series, displaying nimble feet against the spinners and taking the faster bowlers head-on.

Quinton plays most of his shots on the leg side, and is an exceptionally quick runner between the wickets. He is not afraid to use his feet against the quicks, as he recently showed in the series against India; three consecutive centuries against the ODI world champions is no mean feat.

A lithe, athletic presence behind the stumps, de Kock is very much in the same mould as his ODI captain AB de Villiers. If he is nurtured well, he may well become one of the mainstays in the Proteas’ limited-overs scheme of things.

3. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma – Fulfilling his potential at last

Sometimes, all you need is a change in your mindset (and a move to the opener’s slot) in order to achieve your dreams. This is exactly what Rohit Gurunath Sharma has done, though he suffered six years of constant criticism from all and sundry (including myself).

Fitness issues, which had dogged him for long, have been finally put to rest. The promotion to opener has done wonders for his career – he was one of the prolific scorers in the final edition of the Champions Trophy, and struck a purple patch not long after.

Rohit represents the new breed of Indian cricketers – young, hungry, and stubborn – who play the game on their own terms. Along with Virat Kohli, he has emerged as one of the mainstays in the Indian batting line-up, providing it with a stability that was missing since the ouster of both Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir owing to poor form.

His unbeaten 141 at Jaipur was deemed to be his finest innings till date, until he did one better by scoring only the third double century in ODI cricket against the Australian attack. His knock was laced with plenty of boundaries and sixes, each more sublime than the last.

His only challenge now is to cement his place in both the ODI and Test squads, for which he needs to be consistent. Let’s hope Father Christmas puts that gift in his stocking soon!

2. Misbah ul Haq

Misbah ul Haq – The consummate soldier

The 39-year old Pakistan captain has effortlessly slipped into the role of sheet anchor for his side. More often than not, he has been the rock that bailed the squad out of deep trouble for the better part of 2013.

Since his heroics in the 2007 World T20 championships in South Africa, Misbah has been the glue that has held a rather fragile middle-order together. A selfless and dedicated team man to the core, he missed out on a maiden ODI century against the West Indies in the Champions Trophy in pursuit of a win, only to be let down by his inexperienced batsmen.

Runs flowed from his bat in almost every game he played; often in the act of rescuing his side from total embarrassment, he had to sacrifice personal milestones. But there is no question about his talent, skill and the ability to keep a mercurial side together in the most trying of times.

Misbah is no Dhoni, but he has done an admirable job of keeping his side afloat in crunch situations, even when defeat is a more than likely possibility. For a nation starved of heroes and beset by controversies, the skipper’s calm presence is much more effective than tranquilizer shots.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli – Rise of consistency

Arguably India’s best batsman this year, the Delhi cricketer seems to be channelling his natural aggression in a positive manner. It has translated into substantial scores at such high frequency that people now expect him to score at least a half century in every game!

Kohli looks a different player every time he steps out on to the field. He doesn’t try to hit every delivery into the stands, but rather bides his time, working the singles and twos, before opening up. His aim to be more consistent has resulted in many a match-winning innings.

When he demolished Sri Lanka single-handedly at Hobart in February 2012, it was the first sign of growing maturity that the youngster displayed. He went on to make more adjustments in his game, fine-tuning every aspect – including playing the short ball – and put in the grind. The results were plain for all to see – he became the fastest to reach 17 ODI centuries, evoking comparisons with the legendary maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

With Yuvraj Singh misfiring, the onus of shepherding the middle order will fall on Kohli’s shoulders. If he can maintain his consistency in 2014 as well, we may see a successor to Sachin sooner rather than later!