10 Most Destructive Batsmen of Alltime

[sifter132]

My main issue with coming up with a list was that it's a hard one to define properly 'destructive'. Does it mean a 20 ball half century? Or a 90 ball century? Or a 300 ball 250? Which is the more destructive innings? Should it be for Test cricketers only? ODI/T20 specialists?

So I've got 2 lists, one for Tests featuring guys who were more demoralising and could sustain their destructive innings for longer and make bigger scores. The other list is for the shorter versions, guys who I would hate to bowl to.

For Tests:
To me Brian Lara is probably the king of modern destructive batsmen because he could sustain his innings for longer and sometimes could seemingly just flick a switch to enter 'destruction mode'. As an Aussie, I still have nightmares over some of BC Lara's innings. Sure, sometimes McGrath would get him early, but once he got in I started to get worried. Not many batsmen have made me feel that way.

Brian Lara
Adam Gilchrist
Virender Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Vivian Richards

Close:
Sir Ian Botham
Sir Garfield Sobers
Denis Compton
Wally Hammond
Victor Trumper
Inzamam


For ODIs/T20s there are just heaps to choose from, so I'll start listing:

At the top:
Kaluwitharana/Jayasuriya
Gilchrist/Hayden
Tendulkar/Sehwag
McCullum
Gayle
Ricky Ponting
Dean Jones
Saeed Anwar
Herschelle Gibbs

Gilchrist and Jayasuriya are probably my 2 picks for most destructive of that lot. Gayle, Sehwag and Tendulkar close behind.


Middle & Finishers:
Viv Richards
Kevin Pietersen
Lance Klusener
Shahid Afridi
Andrew Symonds
Yuvraj Singh
Jacob Oram
Craig McMillan
Ross Taylor
Chris Cairns
Inzamam of early years
Kapil Dev

Viv was the king and KP is pretty destructive, both those guys are capable of longer innings. Afridi, Klusener, Yuvraj, Andrew Symonds and Chris Cairns are/were violent hitters too.


I'm sure more names will come to me, there are plenty to choose from really.

 

[robin2855]

Wow!Awesome post!

My main issue with coming up with a list was that it's a hard one to define properly 'destructive'. Does it mean a 20 ball half century? Or a 90 ball century? Or a 300 ball 250? Which is the more destructive innings? Should it be for Test cricketers only? ODI/T20 specialists?

So I've got 2 lists, one for Tests featuring guys who were more demoralising and could sustain their destructive innings for longer and make bigger scores. The other list is for the shorter versions, guys who I would hate to bowl to.

For Tests:
To me Brian Lara is probably the king of modern destructive batsmen because he could sustain his innings for longer and sometimes could seemingly just flick a switch to enter 'destruction mode'. As an Aussie, I still have nightmares over some of BC Lara's innings. Sure, sometimes McGrath would get him early, but once he got in I started to get worried. Not many batsmen have made me feel that way.

Brian Lara
Adam Gilchrist
Virender Sehwag
Sachin Tendulkar
Sir Donald Bradman
Sir Vivian Richards

Close:
Sir Ian Botham
Sir Garfield Sobers
Denis Compton
Wally Hammond
Victor Trumper
Inzamam


For ODIs/T20s there are just heaps to choose from, so I'll start listing:

At the top:
Kaluwitharana/Jayasuriya
Gilchrist/Hayden
Tendulkar/Sehwag
McCullum
Gayle
Ricky Ponting
Dean Jones
Saeed Anwar
Herschelle Gibbs

Gilchrist and Jayasuriya are probably my 2 picks for most destructive of that lot. Gayle, Sehwag and Tendulkar close behind.


Middle & Finishers:
Viv Richards
Kevin Pietersen
Lance Klusener
Shahid Afridi
Andrew Symonds
Yuvraj Singh
Jacob Oram
Craig McMillan
Ross Taylor
Chris Cairns
Inzamam of early years
Kapil Dev

Viv was the king and KP is pretty destructive, both those guys are capable of longer innings. Afridi, Klusener, Yuvraj, Andrew Symonds and Chris Cairns are/were violent hitters too.


I'm sure more names will come to me, there are plenty to choose from really.

Excellent post! Excellent Analysis.

The term destructive batsmen was meant to include performances on both long(test) and Shorter Version(One day) but not T20.

Also destruction was meant that the concerned batsman displayed destructive(Attacking) mode of batting from the word go and dominated pace and spin bowling alike in all conditions and against most if not all oppositions and scored runs at a brisk pace with lot of their runs coming from boundaries and sixes(Not slogging).

By virtue of their destructive batting they were able to single handedly change the course of the match and win it sometimes from the jaws of defeat.

 

[Cricketman]

Viv Richards
Virender Sehwag
Adam Gilchrist
Sachin Tendulkar
Brian Lara

There's a top 5, thinking only test cricket, and batsman that I have seen a lot of or at least heard enough of to have in there. Viv from the stuff I have seen of him is the true personification of 'destructive.' Viru has got 3 triple tons which were both scored at EXTREMELY fast rates. Sachin Tendulkar, especially in his prime (1997-1998) made an absolute mockery of any bowler in his way. Gilly is just gilly, we'll put it at that. And Lara is the calypso king who made batting look so easy and dismantled attacks with ease. I'm pretty pleased with the 5.