Ranking the 5 Best ODI batting line-ups in the world
Modern day cricket is defined by bigger bats, smaller boundaries and lots of runs. The 300 mark is now crossed with remarkable efficiency, with scores above 330 becoming the norm these days.
The game has come a long way since its inception and batsmen have a more crucial role to play these days. The introduction of two new balls has led to the endangering of the ‘reverse-swing’ species while pitches have become as flat as highways. These change in conditions have led to the batsmen enjoying their time in the sun, more than ever.
With teams more reliant on their batsmen to dig them out of trouble, the batsmen have grown in stature. A direct consequence of this is the batsmen developing different skills to be ahead of the eight-ball. With the World Cup on the horizon, don’t be surprised if these batsmen end up being the difference in crunch games.
Thus, at a time when batsmen are the make or break factor in games, a look at best batting line-ups on the planet is warranted. Through the course of this article, we would look at the premier batting that the countries have had to offer over the years.
The line-ups have been ranked depending on their adaptability, hitting prowess and consistency. Without waiting any longer, let us take a peek into the best in the business.
#5 Australia
Australia have been hit hard by the bans to Steve Smith and David Warner. In the absence of their captain and vice-captain, the Australian batting has been a pale shadow of their old selves.
At this juncture, Australia do not possess a settled batting line-up. Finch and Head would most probably open with the likes of Shaun Marsh, Stoinis and Maxwell comprising the middle order.
Unlike the Australia of yesteryear, they don’t have a batting line-up to strike fear into the opposition. While Finch, Maxwell and Marsh are very destructive on their day, they haven’t been as consistent as they would have liked.
Apart from this, their batting line-up has a major weakness against any kind of spin. They would face a lot of trouble against the sub-continental teams, who have spinners of the ilke of Kuldeep Yadav, Akila Dananjaya and Shadab Khan.
Australia gets in on the list ahead of the likes of Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka by being marginally more consistent than the mentioned trio.
Though they make our list at No.5, they still need to get their batting sorted if they are to defend the crown they won in Melbourne in 2015.
