5 cricketers who outdid their fathers

The cricketing history has been witness to many instances of two or more members of the same family playing the game. All sorts of permutations and combinations of the family tree have been involved in them. Many families have represented their own countries but the most fascinating of the lot has always been the duo of father-son.Every rich cricketing nation have some families who have a strong contribution towards the game. There have also been a few families where both father and son have represented their nation. While not all father-son duos have done too well in terms of performance.There have been several instances in the past when a son of a great cricketer did not live up to the expectations but the other side of the coin also exists in the history of the game. Many sons of unsuccessful cricketers have also registered their names in the history book with their successful careers.Heres a list of five cricketers who outdid their fathers.

#5 Shaun Pollock, son of Peter Pollock (South Africa)

Peter (L) and Shaun Pollock

Peter Pollock is a former South African test cricketer who has also played continuing role in the South African cricket team as a selector. The all-rounder made his debut for his country in 1961 at Durban against New Zealand. The right-hand fast bowler picked up 116 wickets in 28 Test matches with a career-best haul of 10/87. He has also scored 607 runs with his right-hand batting with an average of 21.67 in Test.

His son, Shaun Pollock is a former South African cricketer who was also the captain of his side. Pollock is considered as one of the best bowling all-rounders the game has ever seen. He represented his country in all the international formats of the game. He made his Test debut in 1995 against England at Centurion and by the end of his career had played 108 Tests, 303 ODIs and 12 T20Is for his country. He accumulated 3781 Test runs and 3519 ODI runs to his name. But it was his bowling which made him the legend he is today.

Shaun picked up 421 Test wickets with an average of 23.11 along with 393 ODI wickets and 15 T20I wickets. He went to captain his side in the 2003 Cricket World Cup which was held in South Africa.

#4 Mark Butcher, son of Alan Butcher (England)

Alan (L) and Mark Butcher.

Alan Butcher is a former cricketer for the Three Lions who is also a part of a family known for its strong connections to the game. The left-hand batsman made his Test debut for England in 1979 against India at The Oval where he only managed to score 34 runs in two innings. This, however, also proved to be his solitary Test in England colours. Alan Butcher also played in an ODI in 1980 against Australia at the same venue and scored 14 runs.

His son, Mark was picked for the England Test team in 1997 and made his debut against Australia at Birmingham. The left-handed batsman went on to play 71 Test matches for his country, scoring 4288 runs at an average of 34.58. At that time, Mark was one of the most reliable batsmen of the England side and was widely praised for this temperament. Along with 23 Test half-centuries, Mark Butcher also has eight Test tons to his name. He also captained England in one Test match against New Zealand in 1999 when skipper Nasser Hussain was injured.

#3 Chris Cairns, son of Lance Cairns (New Zealand)

Lance (L) and Chris Cairns

Lance Cairns is a former New Zealand cricketer who was an all-rounder. He made his Test debut for the Blackcaps in 1974 and went on to play 43 Test matches and 78 ODI matches. His performance with both bat and ball speaks for itself. Lance Cairns went on to score 928 runs in Test and 987 runs in ODIs. He also picked up 130 Test wickets and 89 ODI wickets.

His son, Chris Cairns is a former New Zealand cricketer who was also an all-rounder, made his Test debut in 1989 against Australia at Perth.The powerful all-rounder played 62 Tests while also appearing in 215 ODIs and 2 T20Is for his nation. Chris was a proper all-rounder who was a clean hitter of the ball. He has scored 3320 runs in Test and 4950 runs in ODIs while showing his hitting power.

He also has 218 Test wickets and 201 ODI wickets to his name. Chirs’s bowling ability has always been a special weapon for his side all over his career. In fact, his knacks of picking up curtail wickets in the time of need helped New Zealand a great deed.

#2 Richard Hadlee, son of Walter Hadlee (New Zealand)

Walter (L) and Richard Hadlee.

Walter Hadlee was a former New Zealand cricketer and Test captain. He was also the first of the Hadlee family to represent the Blackcaps. The right-hand batsman made his Test debut in 1937 against England at Lord’s. In 11 Test matches, he scored 543 runs at an average of 30.1, scoring a solitary century.

One among his four sons who represented New Zealand, Richard Hadlee is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers and all-rounders in the history of cricket. Richard made his test debut against Pakistan in 1973 at Wellington and made an instant impact with his lethal fast-bowling.

In 86 Test matches, he picked up a staggering 431 wickets with a strike-rate of 50.8. He made himself a legend by with pace and control of the red ball. His career best haul was 9/52. However, Hadlee can’t be described without his performance with the bat.

He has scored 3124 runs in Test matches and has two Test centuries and 15 half-centuries to his name. In 115 ODIs he has scored 1751 runs with an average of 21.61 and also picked up 158 wickets. Walter’s others sons and Richard’s brothers Dayle and Barry also represented their nation but it was Richard who made his family famous.

Richard Hadlee was knighted in 1990 for his services to the game of cricket.

#1 Yuvraj Singh, son of Yograj Singh (India)

Yuvraj and Yograj Singh.

Yograj Singh is a former Indian cricketer who played in the national side for his right-arm fast bowling. His made his debut for India in an ODI match in 1980 against New Zealand at Brisbane. He played one Test match and six ODI matches for his nation.

His son, Yuvraj Singh is an Indian International cricketer who plays as an all-rounder. Yuvraj made his ODI debut in 2000 against Kenya and since then playing for the Indian cricket team. Yuvraj has two World Cups under his belts in two different formats.

In 2007 when India won the inaugural World T20 in South Africa he was a very curtail member of the side. His six sixes in an over of Stuart Broad in the quarter-finals against England highlighted him as the Sixer king. He also repeated his knack of producing super performance in the big tournament in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

This time, with his all-around performance, he guided India towards the much awaited World Cup. He was the player of the tournament where India became the first host nation to win the World Cup. Since then Yuvraj fought bravely with cancer and not only survived he made a strong impact with his comeback to international cricket.

With the experience of winning two World Cups and especially the inaugural World T20, he is a very important member of the Indian team in the upcoming World T20 which will be held in India. India are the favorites to win the tournament after winning three consecutive series and are clearly eyeing for the glory.