15 best left-handed cricketers of all ranked in order of merit?

[Harsh Thakor]

My list of the 15 best left-handed cricketers of all in order of merit.Posted in commemoration of International left handers day.

1.Gary Sobers-Allround cricketing skill to heights of divinity.Figures simply don't tell the story.Could turn a game 360 degrees.50 years ago took a allround cricketing performance to a scale unequalled when scoring 583 runs and capturing 21 scalps. In England in 1966 achieved heroics no one ever did when capturing 20 wickets and scoring 722 runs.Had as much a repertoire of strokes as any batsman ,more versatile than any bowler and could pull off the most incredible catches.He could bowl pace,fast-medium spin and chinaman.In my view as a cricketer was more impactful than even Bradman.



2.Wasim Akram-Took the art of fast bowling or wizardry to metaphysical depths traversing unexplored regions with his reverse swing.At his best a world-call allrounder or batsman too.Placed above Lara because of ODI performance and also because of his greater success as a skipper.No pace man ever was as penetrative or lethal on flat tracks.The ultimate magician .Played a major role in Pakistan winning the world cup in 1992 .



3.Brian Lara-The most gifted batsman I ever saw who took aesthecism or creating genius to a height unsurpased.Could single-handedly turn or win games more than anyone .Twice supassed world record score and scored most double centuries after Bradman.No batsman carried the mantle of weak batting side as much as Lara.Argubaly the 2nd best test batsman ever to Bradman.




4.Graeme Pollock-Arguably more talented than Sobers who could master any conditions and had he had a full test carer may have bee 2nd to only Bradman.Gave exceptional performances in testing English condition s and high class Australian bowling.2nd best average of 60.97 before Steve Smith arrived on the scene.




5.Alan Border-The ultimate man to bat for your life.Border has the best overseas average of any batsman of his time .No left-hander was harder to dislodge or better on bad wickets.No Australian batsman conquered all types of conditions like Border,including Ponting,Chappell and Smith.More consistent than even Lara and overseas the best left-handed batsman of all in terms of records.No batsman averaged more in a series against the great West Indies pace attack than Border did when averaging 0ver 74 in 1984 on Carribean soil.Alos averaged 131.22 on turning wickets in Pakistan in 1980 and in four successive Ashes series in England averaged over 55..Also a great leader who played a major role in laying the base or breeding ground for Australia acquiring the mantle of the champion test side in 1995 and also led Australia to win their 1st ever world cup in 1987.



6.Adam Gilchrist-The best match-winner of his day and amongst the top 5 of all being more explosive than nay one in his age.Averaged over 60 in the first half of his test career and no batsmen before him had as impressive a strike rate.One of the architects in Australia emerging as world -beaters displaying an aura of invincibility.




7.Kumar Sangakkara-A model of consistency personified who statistically is the best left-handed batsman of all .A master in a crisis.Considerably less impressive overseas and rated below Gily as he could not so dramatically turn the course of a match.



8.Frank Woolley -A classical batsman who mastered wet tracks and also a very useful bowler.Outstanding 1st class statistics scoring 145 centuries and an aggregate only behind Hobbs.Talent of the Kith Miller class.



9.Alan Davidson-No let arm bowler has a more impressive average at 20.58 and few genuine quickies ever batted better.In terms of average better than Wasim Akram overall but played in a less competitive era.




10.Clive Lloyd-The father figure of West Indian cricket who resembled a great emperor galvanising his troops into an invincible army.No left-hander confronted the greatest pace duo of Lillee and Thomson so forthrightly like in 1975-76 in Australia.A model of consistency with the bat overshadowing the great Viv Richards from 1981-85 with the bat.Knitted a bunch of talented individuals to become arguably the best team ever in the history of test cricket.A great ODI batsman too whose 102 in the 1975 world cup finalranks as one of cricket's top dozen innings of all time.



11.Bishen Bedi-epitome of artistry in spin bowling revealing the grace of a flute player or ballad dancer.I have never sen a spinner with such harmonic rhythms who took bowling perfection to regions of the sublime.266 scalps speaks for itself and his record aggregate of 31 wickets by an Indian in Australia in 1977-78.



12.David Gower-I have never seen a more graceful batsman who literally caressed a cricket ball even when dispatching it to the ropes.Strokes were like the touches of a painter's brush.A master against genuine pace averaging over 43 in the Carribean and over 44 in Australia.



13.Neil Harvey-In terms of talent in the Greame Pollock class and on bad wickets one of the best of all time.Flourished most when the situation demanded like when scoring an unbeaten 151 in a run chase of 336 in a run chase on a wearing wicket against South Africa.



14.Derek Underwood -The best spinner ever on a helpful pitch who could skitttle a team for a score of around hundred.



15,Saed Anwar-Took batting histrionics at crescendo no left -handed opener did when blasting away.On his day could even join Lara.Played some of the finest tset and ODI innings in the most testing circumstances.His unbeaten 188 Kolkata in 1999 was one of cricket's gems.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Harsh Thakor

[maniac]

No Stephen Fleming? He was one of the most elegant left handlers to play the game. May not be the best among the lot but if you rate elegance, he has to be there.

[Real McCoy]

why is it that when you keep churning out these useless threads meant as a puja for majid khan and other paxtanis and you are the only one to vote in all these polls. What is that you do in real life

[zen]

Good list but there are so many good players like Jayasuriya (an impactful match winner), G Smith (opening + captaincy), A Flower (batting + keeping + backbone of Zim + captaincy), Sakib (influential for BD), Starc, C’Paul, Hayden, and so on 

 

 

[neel roy]

Ganguly has better records than half of them.. if he was not a captain he wd hv scored around 8500 test runs. Also hayden chanderpaul. Saeed anwar lol. And what do

you mean by left handed. Some bat right bowl left and vice versa.. stuart broad jimmy anderson both left handed bats but right handed bowling.. zak batted right bowled left.. and he was the best fast bowler India has ever produced.

Edited August 14, 2020 by neel roy

[SK_IH]

I have always wanted to ask you but you never reply. What's the motive of these routine topics, is this part of some online cricket project you indulge in. 

You should write blogs or contribute articles if you have penchant for writing.

[Suhaan]

Saeed Anwar who used to pee in his pants against quality attacks of his time,makes your list, quite natural

Atleast you placed him in last position

 

 

[neel roy]

17 hours ago, Suhaan said:

Saeed Anwar who used to pee in his pants against quality attacks of his time,makes your list, quite natural

Atleast you placed him in last position

 

 

True father figure of flat track bullies.. 

[gakgupta]

Andy flower is most underrated ...He should be on that list...

 

Ganguly can make a cut .... 

 

Lara should be on the top of that list