Sportskeeda's ODI Batsman of the Year 2015 - counting down from No. 10 to No. 1

2015 turned out to be quite a year in terms of reviving the ODI format as it saw a renewed passion for the 50-over game courtesy of some great individual and team performances. In particular, the year saw some outstanding batting despite a few new rules being applied to restrict the scoring rate in ODIs.The run-scoring was quite heavy from the batsmen as six of them scored in excess of 1000 runs in the 2015 calendar year. There were some who registered jaw-dropping strike rates in the high 130s and 140s even after playing more than 20 ODIs in the year.Here is a look at who we think were 10 top ODI batsmen of the year:

#10 Rohit Sharma (India)

Rohit Sharma was India’s best batsman this year

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
17	815	50.93	150	3	95.43

One of the world’s most dangerous batsmen, Rohit Sharma, was by far the best Indian batsman on display this year. He continued with the rich vein of form he picked up from the previous year in 2015 as well.

Sharma scored more than 800 runs at an average of just under 51 and a fabulous strike rate of 95 plus. He had a pretty decent run in the World Cup too with 330 runs, which he scored at an average of 47.14. Rohit Sharma’s 137 against Bangladesh in the quarter-final played a major part in helping India progress to the final four of the 2015 ICC World Cup.

However, his top score of 150 this year came in a losing cause in an ODI against South Africa. Rohit’s current form in ODI cricket puts him in good stead to have another successful year in 2016.

#9 Faf du Plessis (South Africa)

Faf du Plessis has provided excellent support to players like de Villiers and Amla

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
20	884	58.93	133*	2	82.92

South Africa’s Faf du Plessis has managed to carve a niche for himself despite sharing space in the team with stalwarts like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla. While these two have hogged the limelight, du Plessis has done his job quietly yet effectively.

He has not got too many big hundreds, just two, but scored 8 half-centuries in the year. Faf du Plessis scored his runs at an exemplary average of 58.93 and the strike rate was decent too at just a shade under 83.

Du Plessis’ highest score of 133 not out came in his final ODI of 2015 against India in Mumbai and it was part of South Africa’s team score of 438. If he is able to continue with his good form in 2016, his fans may be in for a treat.

#8 Eoin Morgan (England)

Morgan has been quite impressive for England this year

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
25	967	43.95	121	2	93.79

England’s ODI skipper Eoin Morgan was among the most hard working cricketers of the year. Apart from a century against Australia in his very first match, Morgan had done little of note in the first half of the year, a period during which he managed 4 ducks and saw his team crash out of the World Cup.

However, he was able to force a reversal of fortunes not only for himself but also for his team in the second half. As a batsman, he scored 7 half centuries and a century in the period between June and November 2015 and ended up with 967 runs in the year at an average of 43.95.

Morgan also led his team well post the World Cup debacle as they beat New Zealand in a bilateral series and lost a closely contested series to Australia. England rounded off the year with a 3-1 series win over Pakistan in UAE.

#7 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Kumar Sangakkara ended his ODI career on a high

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
14	862	86.20	124	5	102.86

One of the most celebrated cricket careers in modern-day cricket came to an end this year with Kumar Sangakkara’s retirement. However, it was not before he had piled misery on the bowlers yet again in the 14 ODIs he played this year.

541 out of the 862 ODI runs Sangakkara scored in his final year as an international cricketer came during the 2015 ICC World Cup, where he was the 2nd highest run scorer of the tournament. His average at the World Cup was a phenomenal 108.20 and he hit as many as 4 centuries, that too in consecutive matches to set up a new world record.

Kumar Sangakkara’s strike rate in ODIs this year was unbelievably high at 102.86 compared to his career strike rate of just under 79. Overall, it turned out to be a perfect sign-off from the game for the Sri Lankan legend.

#6 Ross Taylor (New Zealand)

Ross Taylor has had an impressive run in ODI cricket this year

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
24	1041	61.23	119*	4	81.96

Ross Taylor has shown great consistency with the bat in ODI cricket this year for New Zealand. Alongside Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill, Taylor is the third batsman from his country to score 1000 plus runs in the 2015 calendar year.

While his form was quite average for the most part of the year, he picked it up drastically in his last 5 innings scoring 430 runs at an average of more than 140 with 3 centuries to show for his efforts. Taylor’s overall average in 2015 was an impressive 61.23 and he scored his runs at a strike rate of just under 82.

All his 4 centuries in the year have come in a winning cause for New Zealand, the best being unbeaten 119 against England at the Oval. Ross Taylor will be hoping he can continue with his good form in the upcoming year as well.

#5 Hashim Amla (South Africa)

Hashim Amla had yet another exceptional year in ODIs

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
23	1062	50.57	159	4	94.90

The way in which Hashim Amla has evolved as an ODI batsman in recent years shows exactly why he is one of the best in the world at present. 2015 turned out to be another great year in ODI cricket for Amla as he scored in excess of 1000 runs and averaged just over 50 with 4 centuries against his name.

A stand-out feature of Amla’s batting this year has been his strike rate of close to 95. His top score of 159 came during South Africa’s World Cup encounter against Ireland and helped his team get 400-plus on the board.

The year has also seen Hashim Amla notch up a couple of records. At the start of the year, he became the fastest to reach the 5000-run milestone in 101 innings. In a match against India in October, he also crossed the 6000-run hurdle in record time (123 innings) beating Virat Kohli by a margin of 13 innings.

#4 Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)

Dilshan continues to score big runs in ODI cricket

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
22	1100	55.00	161*	4	90.38

Even though some of his old mates have hung their boots, veteran Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan continues to pile on the runs in ODI cricket. His fabulous performance with the bat in 2015 is a testimony to this fact.

With 1100 runs in just 22 matches at a more than healthy average of 55, he sits pretty as the leading run-scorer for Sri Lanka this year. Dilshan scored 4 centuries this year, two of which came at the 2015 ICC World Cup against Bangladesh and Scotland respectively.

He may be 39 years old, but the way Tillakaratne Dilshan is batting at the moment, he definitely looks good enough for at least another couple of seasons in limited overs cricket.

#3 Martin Guptill (New Zealand)

Martin Guptill celebrates his maiden ODI double century

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
29	1287	51.48	237*	4	90.12

He may have had some trouble adjusting to Test cricket, but Martin Guptill has been quite the batsman in the ODI format. Not for nothing does he hold the record for the highest score in a World Cup encounter, an unbeaten 237 not out which he scored against West Indies in New Zealand’s quarter-final bout.

But even apart from that, 2015 has been more than just a good year for Guptill. He is one of 3 batsmen from New Zealand who have registered more than 1000 runs this year and is the second highest run scorer only behind teammate Kane Williamson.

Guptill has scored his runs at an average of 51.48 and a strike in excess of 90. Moreover, he was the leading run-scorer at the 2015 ICC World Cup with 547 runs in 9 matches. If he continues to show this kind of form on a consistent basis, Martin Guptill may soon be among the best ODI batsmen of all time for New Zealand.

#2 Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

Williamson hits a six to remember against Australia in a group stage encounter

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
26	1317	57.26	118	3	90.32

The leading run-scorer of the year and a key driving force behind New Zealand’s soaring cricketing fortunes, Kane Williamson, is second on our list of top 10 ODI batsmen. 2015 has been a simply incredible year for young Williamson with more than 1000 runs in both ODIs and Tests, a World Cup runners-up medal and the No. 1 ranking among Test batsmen to round it off.

His batting prowess in Tests has been on display for a couple of years now, but it is his one-day game which has turned out to be a revelation this year. More than a third of Williamson’s career ODI runs (3362) have come this year at a splendid average of over 57. His strike rate in 2015 has been 90.32, which is much higher than his overall figure of 84 plus in 50-over cricket.

Kane Williamson’s stats this year show that he has scored 3 hundreds; however, he could have had 8 centuries this year had he not been dismissed in the 90s as many as 5 times. Nevertheless, it was a year of epic proportions for the young New Zealand batsman.

#1 AB de Villiers (South Africa)

AB de Villiers had a dream year in ODI cricket

MAT	RUNS	AVG	HS	100s	S/R
20	1193	79.53	162*	5	137.91

Even though AB de Villiers may not have finished the leading run scorer in ODIs, he was, without a doubt, the best batsman of the year in the 50-over format. His stats speak for themselves; 1193 runs in 20 matches at an average of 79.53 and a sky-high strike rate of 137.91.

To add to that, he hit 5 centuries, 3 of which came in one series against India and had just two single-digit scores in the entire year. If that was not phenomenal enough, he created history by being the only batsman to hold the record for the fastest fifty (16 balls), fastest century (31 balls) and fastest 150 (64 balls), a feat he achieved in a span of 40 days in 2 ODIs against the West Indies.

The icing on the cake for him could have been South Africa’s maiden World Cup triumph, however, it was not to be. AB de Villiers did, however, have the perfect end to the year when he grabbed the ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year honour at the 2015 ICC Awards.