The 5 best finishers in world cricket currently
The term ‘finisher’ has gained unparalleled importance since the turn of the century. These days, games are decided by extremely fine margins and thus, a batsman capable of withstanding pressure to guide the team home becomes invaluable.
Over the years, there have been several finishers who have stepped onto the cricket field. Javed Miandad was one of the earliest exponents of the said art whereas the likes of Michael Bevan, Abdul Razzaq and Aravinda Da Silva ruled the late 1990s and early 2000s.
More recently, a certain MS Dhoni has carved a niche for himself with his propensity to finish off games with incredible talents like AB de Villiers and Michael Hussey giving him a run for his money in the race to be crowned the best.
ODI cricket is ever-evolving and with bowlers boasting of more tricks nowadays, batsmen are required to out-think their counterparts to ensure a safe passage to victory.
The role of the finisher can’t be overstated enough and thus, as a tribute to this breed of batsmen, we would take a look at the five best finishers across the world right now.
The batsmen considered are those who are currently playing international cricket and therefore, finishers like De Villiers and Russell haven’t made the cut. Apart from the above criteria, those players who primarily function as middle order batsmen are taken into account, thus disqualifying Virat Kohli from contention.
Without further ado, here is a look at the top finishers in the world currently:
Honourable Mentions: Thisara Perera and Marcus Stoinis
#5 Ben Stokes (England)
The all-rounder endured a torrid start to 2018 as he was banned for disciplinary issues. However, he has overcome that setback and now looks destined to again take the world by storm.
Stokes has been an ever-present in the English side over the past few years and his displays explain why. Though he hasn’t been able to scale the enormous heights expected of him, he still has done enough to ensure he is one of the first names on the team sheet.
The Englishman is a fierce striker of the ball and can increase the scoring rate in a trice. Moreover, the all-rounder possesses all the shots in the book and is a tough man to stop once he gets going.
Batting at No.5 for England, he is as vital a cog as any and if England harbours any hopes of ending their World Cup drought, they would need Stokes to be firing on all cylinders.
On pure ability, Stokes would’ve made it to the porch of the list but his splendid displays with the bat have been intermittent.
Consistency is a virtue and an attribute that distinguishes the good from the great. Thus, he can only muster the No.5 spot on our list.