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Most stylish batsmen ever

Harsh Thakor

By Harsh Thakor
in Cricket Talk

Who was the most stylish of all batsmen ?  

6 members have voted

  1. 1. Who was the most stylish of all batsmen ?

    • VVS Laxman
      0
    • Gundappa Vishwanath
      0
    • David Gower
      1
    • Zaheer Abbas
      1
    • Majid Khan
      0
    • Mohammad Azharuddin
      0
    • Damien Martyn
      0
    • Rohan Kanhai
      0
    • Denis Compton
      0
    • Kumar Ranjitsinghji
      0
    • Mark Waugh
      3
    • Kumar Sangakkara
      0
    • Mahela Jayewardene
      0
    • Rohit Sharma
      1
    • Carl Hooper
      0
    • Martin Crowe
      1
    • Virat Kohli
      0
    • Tom Graveney
      0
    • Frank Worrell
      1

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Harsh Thakor Enthusiast

Harsh Thakor

Posted
Posted (edited)

My 15 most stylish batsmen of all  

 

 

On August 1st we commemorated the birth centenary of Sir Frank Worrell. In his  memory I have placed my personal choices on those who in the same degree as Worrell made batting flourish like poetry, music or art.

 

 1. David Gower

 

 Took batting aesthetics to surreal heights, caressing the ball in the manner of a swish of a painters brush. His cover drives were simply eye catching. Even when hooking and pulling Gower was like a galleon sailing. With remorseless ease dispatched great West Indian and Australian pace bowlers on their very own tracks.

 

  2. Zaheer Abbas

 

 

Manifestation of the grace of the divine who bisected the field in the manner of a painting making curves on a board. Brought his bat down at the very last moment when the ball looked like crashing through his gate.  In executing the same stroke he would move forwards and backwards. Best ever exponent of the drive on either side of extra cover and most dominant on flat tracks. Sadly not at his best facing express pace being deterred by the bouncing ball.

 

3. Frank Worrell

 

Defined a new era in West Indies cricket.. None better symbolised cricket as a Gentleman’s game.  Even when pulverising bowlers, Worrell respected a cricket ball with the grace of a concert pianist. His 197 n.o at Trent Bridge and 261 at Old Trafford were the equivalent of monuments to the game. Very prolific in 1st class cricket averaging over 54 and averaged almost 100 on the Commonwealth tour of India.Part of a landmark partnership with Clyde Walcott of 574 in 1948 and earlier 502 with Trevor Goddard.

 

 

 4. Kumar Ranjitsinghji-

 

 Escalated art of batting to a new dimension, pioneering the late cut and leg glance, as well as the art of back-foot defence. Noone was a better exponent of backfoot play. In 1896 at Old Trafford when compiling 62 and 154 took batting art to surreal regions. In the 1871 season he aggregate 2871 runs, surpassing W,G.Grace’s previous record. In 1897 at Sydney scored 175 when feeling unwell and in 1899 became the 1st batsmen to score over 3000 runs   in a season.

 

 

5. Denis Compton-

       Resembled a theatre artist when batting Although unorthodox, he challenged great bowlers better than any contemporary batsman, averaging over 50.One can’t forget how he literally danced down the track to punish bowlers and his magical lofted sweep. Record run aggregate and no of centuries for a single English first class season, aggregating 3816 runs, scoring 18 centuries in 1947.

 

6. Gundappa Vishwanath

Took invention to magical heights, executing strokes like a Beethoven composition. His square and late cut were a personification of batting beauty combined hook, pull and flick stroke was his very own invention. A master against express pace or on fast wickets and on bad wickets .who championed a crisis like very few of his era, with India never losing a match when Vishy scored a century. When scoring an unbeaten 97 at Madras against West Indies in 1974-75 and 124 against them in 1978-79 in the same ground, he too all-round batting prowess to heights of the sublime.

                                                                                       

  7. Mohammad Azharuddin

 

A virtual re-incarnation of Ranjitsinghji when executing a leg glance. Inspite of possessing awkward technique and loose footwork took artistry to sublime proportions. Few batsmen ever made such a sparkling start to their test career as Azhar,who scored centuries in his first 3 tests against England at home. When scoring his 121 at Lords in 1990 and 158 at Old Trafford exuded grace rarely seen in England by an overseas batsman.

 

 8. Tom Graveney

Grace and elegance personified.  Freddie Trueman wrote in Arlott and Trueman on Cricket:  ‘Timing was his real secret— timing and the balance which dictated the distribution of  his weight into the right place at the right time.  He never had to belt the ball. He stroked it. And he stroked it with such elegant timing that no obvious effort was called for...’

There was no element of violence about his batting. Many writers described his batting as’ a piece of rippling musical sonata set to a mellifluous rhythm.’  

 

9. Rohan Kanhai

Took batting prowess and innovation to heights unparalleled, exploring regions in batting which even Bradman did not. Kanhai had a unique falling hook shot or roti shot .A master on any type of pitches who could win games and bat for your life. On his day mesmerised the best of bowling attacks like when scoring 116 at Perth in 1971-72 facing Dennis Lillee, 252 against Victoria in 196-61 and scoring back to back centuries at Adelaide in 1960-61.   

 

  10. VVS Laxman-

 Could play the ball late or execute such a late change in stroke like very few players. The manner he simply dropped his bat down to glide a cricket ball was a sight for the gods. Wristy, willowy and sinuous, his on-side game was comparable to his idol Azharuddin's, yet he was stronger   on the off side and has the rare gift of being able to hit the same ball to either side.

. When scoring 281at Kolkata against Australia in 2001, took batting virtuosity to heights to regions rarely traversed and in a 376 run partnership with Rahul Dravid, set up a miraculous victory for India.

 

 

11. Carl Hooper

 

Beauty and grace personified Sadly that beauty and grace was not nurtured or finessed, nor the explosive potential developed. A mid-thirties average did no justice to a batsman of his potential. The captaincy briefly brought out the best in him, and for two years he averaged nearer 50.Former West Indies captain Brian Lara expressed his admiration for Hooper's natural abilities, suggesting that neither he nor Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar could match Hooper's innate talent.  

 

 

   12 Damien Martyn

 

 

 

Bloomed into a relaxed, classical, feathery artist and an old-style batsman whose first movement was back. He played with a high elbow, a still head, a golfer's deft touch, and possessed every stroke in the book, including perhaps the most merciless reverse-sweep in the game. . His square drives on bouncy wickets were artistry personified, and he creamed deliveries with his wrists doing all the talking .

 

   13. Mark Waugh

 

 Held his bat like a surgeon using a scapel. Absolutely classical or majestic on the onside. On .bouncy strips in Australia and West Indies to seaming topsi n England and South Africa, to turning pitches in India. Waugh batted, like a master.

 

 

14. Ted Dexter-would outperform Colin Cowdrey and Peter May on testing pitches against quality bowling. There was no more exhilarating sight in English cricket than Ted Dexter when he was savaging fast bowling. He mastered the West Indian quicks as well as the Australians. His 70 at Old Trafford against West Indies will never be forgotten. In county cricket, Dexter was the only batsman who dominated the great Derek Underwood.

 

15. Majid Khan

 

Had talent in the class of the greatest of batsmen, who on his day flowered like a lotus in full bloom, and the best batsman of his day on bad wickets. Executed a hook shot with more elan than anyone, negotiating pace with more assurance than any batsmen in his time bar Sir Viv Richards.. Very rare to see a batsman desecrate an attack to pieces with such poetic grace. Minimal footwork but razor sharp reflexes.

 

 

 

Edited by Harsh Thakor
singhvivek141 Grand Master

singhvivek141

Posted
Posted

For me it's "the junior".

Always was impressed and in "awe" of his playing style. Such an effortless and classy batter.

Many times Aussie commentators compared him with Greg Chappell, who too was stylish and had ability to play breathtaking strokes (ofcourse I personally haven't seen him).

 

Nikhil_cric Grand Master

Nikhil_cric

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, express bowling said:

Found Tendulkar to be the most stylish batsman among the ones I have watched.

 

Such perfect stance, balance, poise. Every shot looked picture perfect and smooth. Nothing was laboured. 

 

Where is he in the poll above ?  @Harsh Thakor

The names he mentioned are all guys who were exceptionally wristy players. SRT wasn't 

express bowling Grand Master

express bowling

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Nikhil_cric said:

The names he mentioned are all guys who were exceptionally wristy players. SRT wasn't 

 

Wristy players aren't the only stylish batters. 

 

Infact, I and many others don't find wristy batters like Azhar or Laxman that attractive to watch bat.

Nikhil_cric Grand Master

Nikhil_cric

Posted
Posted
Just now, express bowling said:

 

Wristy players aren't the only stylish batters. 

 

Infact, I and many others don't find wristy batters like Azhar or Laxman that attractive to watch bat.

Well yeah it's subjective. But that's whata lot fans, OP included, find attractive. 

goose Grand Master

goose

Posted
Posted

It seems you can't be top tier in order to be called the stylish, and you have to nailed test cricket. For those reasons, Tendulkar and Yuvraj

nevada Grand Master

nevada

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, singhvivek141 said:

For me it's "the junior".

Always was impressed and in "awe" of his playing style. Such an effortless and classy batter.

Many times Aussie commentators compared him with Greg Chappell, who too was stylish and had ability to play breathtaking strokes (ofcourse I personally haven't seen him).

 

Same here! His fielding was effortless too, he would gobble up tough catches like it was the easiest thing to do. 

nevada Grand Master

nevada

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, express bowling said:

 

Wristy players aren't the only stylish batters. 

 

Infact, I and many others don't find wristy batters like Azhar or Laxman that attractive to watch bat.

I admired Laxman for his grit and epic innings like THE Kolkata innings, but didn't understand the fuss about how stylish his batting was. He had 2-3 different shots to the same ball and frustrated bowlers, but didn't have the seemingly effortless style that gifted batsman like Mark Waugh or Carl Hooper had. I liked Azhar's batting though.  He would dispatch even offside deliveries with a wristy flick and that was fun to watch! 

zen Grand Master

zen

Posted
Posted (edited)

From those mentioned in the poll, voted for Martin Crowe on this occasion for his exceptional performance in the 1992 WC. When he arrived at the crease, the atmosphere used to change. 
 

In general, he was superb playing pace esp. reverse swing. 
 

 

PS (preferably the below should be watched in mute):

 

 

Edited by zen

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