The most dangerous hitters from the top 10 T20I teams
T20 cricket, over the years, has taken batsmanship onto another level. No total is considered safe in limited-overs cricket these days and the presence of big hitters in each team makes the job even more difficult for the bowlers. Bigger bats and smaller grounds have rendered bowlers helpless and the game is heavily skewed in favour of batsmen.
Here's a look at the most dangerous hitters from 10 different T20I teams who can change the entire complexion of a match with their big-hitting:
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi
A hard-hitting all-rounder who has made a name for himself in the limited-overs formats, Mohammad Nabi is one of the most underrated cricketers going around.
Destructive with the bat lower down the order, Nabi has played vital cameos for Afghanistan and his franchises. Playing for Kent in the T20 Blast late last year, Nabi hit an unbeaten 43 off 12 balls against Surrey to see his side home. After the game, Kent head coach Matthew Walker was all praise for Nabi, going on to add:
"I think people watch Nabi's hard hitting and enjoy that of course because that is the exciting bit of T20 cricket. Players like Nabi can win you T20 games in the space of two or three overs if they get going and its exciting for everyone to watch". "When dangerous players get going like that, and they find the middle of the bat a few times it is very hard to stop. We saw just a glimpse of what a world class player he is , and unstoppable in that sort of mood."
Nabi has been equally good in the limited opportunities he has got with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, striking the ball at 148.35. An ODI strike rate of 85.5 and a T20I strike rate of 145.85, makes one wonder why Nabi has not been given his due yet.
Australia: David Warner
The pocket-sized dynamo from Australia, David Warner was picked from relative obscurity to play against South Africa in 2009. This was without Warner having made his first-class debut (the first Australian player to do so since 1877).
Warner made a fearless debut, scoring 89 off 43 balls, against the likes of Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis, and Makhaya Ntini. The innings was but a precursor of things to come.
The left-hander has since then gone on to become Australia's batting mainstay over the years, starring for them in all formats. After watching Warner's triple century against Pakistan, Brian Lara picked Warner as one of the individuals who could realistically break his record and went onto add:
I still think Warner may have time to do it in his career. I know he is not a spring chicken, but as soon as you get that 300, you know how to get 400. He may get another shot at it. He is a very attacking player, and that is the sort of player who can set you up for a win. I know you need stabilisers, but you also need one or two players like David Warner and Sir Vivian Richards, who can take the game with their bats."
Warner, who has also been in terrific form in the IPL over the years, is the leading run-getter among overseas players in the league. The Australian has scored 4706 runs in 126 innings at an average of 43.17 and a strike rate of 142.39 in the league. A career strike rate of 72.86 in Tests, 95.76 in ODIs, and 140.48 in T20s is ample proof of Warner's potential with the willow in hand.
Bangladesh: Liton Das
An explosive opening batsman and wicketkeeper, Liton Das seems to have finally come of age in international cricket. With a series of impressive performances, Das has proven his adeptness at handling both pace and spin.
After initial struggles, he has put the seeds of self-doubt to bed by raking in impressive numbers this year. A brutal 176 off 143 balls against Zimbabwe recently helped him smash the record for the highest score by a Bangladeshi batsman.
Das also scored an equally destructive 121 against India in the 2018 Asia Cup Final. The right-hander took apart a potent Indian attack featuring the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Bhubaneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav.
An ODI strike rate of 95.23 and a T20I strike rate of 135.03 highlights the 'brutality' Das can bring to the table. Bangladesh will be mighty pleased with the 'gem' they have unearthed that could be key to their fortunes in the World T20 later this year.
England: Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler is one of the best finishers in the T20 game today. Butler's pyrotechnics lower down the order have seen him win many a match for England over the years. The X-factor in England's line-up, Buttler can decimate oppositions with his brutal hitting.
The man from Somerset's impressive strike rates of 119.83 in ODIs and 139.69 in T20Is respectively are indicators of his destructive potential.
In the IPL, Buttler's wizardry with the bat has left some of the best bowlers looking helpless. The Englishman has 1386 IPL runs at an average of 35.53 and strike rate of 150.81, often being the lone warrior for Rajasthan Royals. Talking highly about Butler's game, former English skipper Michael Vaughan rated him as the 'best finisher' going around and mentioned:
"What Buttler provides to the team is that calmness. Whenever he is out there in the middle he reads the game better than most. He knows, and the team know, that the opposition are scared of him more than most"
With the T20 World Cup around the corner, England would be expecting their limited-overs talisman to fire on all cylinders. Butler's form could be key to inspire the 2019 World Cup champions to a second WT20 crown.
India: Rohit Sharma
MS Dhoni's decision to promote a struggling Rohit Sharma to the top of the order in 2013 worked like a charm. The Mumbaikar has since gone onto become a behemoth in limited-overs cricket, smashing records one after the other.
India's biggest match-winner with the bat in recent times, along with Virat Kohli, Sharma has a penchant for six-hitting. With 244 sixes in ODI cricket, Sharma stands fourth in the all-time list for most sixes. He has the most double-hundreds (3) by any player in the ODI format, with his highest score being a barely believable 264.
Indian skipper Kohli was effusive in his praise for Sharma when the former stated in an interview:
"I have never seen a guy, after he gets set, be so dangerous. You take the best finishers in the game but when Rohit gets set, it is almost impossible to stop him. I mean, it is ridiculous the kind of hitting he does after getting to a milestone....
The 'Hitman' has the most sixes (127) in the T20I format, with a whopping 106 of them coming in his last 71 innings. Sharma is one of the most feared batsmen in the death overs, as he can pull off sixes with relative ease. The Mumbaikar relies on timing rather than brute power. Sharma's record 4 centuries in the T20 format highlights how 'dangerous' he can be once he gets set at the crease.
New Zealand: Colin de Grandhomme
An all-rounder who can tonk the ball a fair distance, Colin de Grandhomme is a utility cricketer that most teams yearn to have.
Capable of turning a match on its head with his hard-hitting, De Grandhomme is an ideal player for the shorter formats. With a see-ball hit-ball approach, New Zealand's lower-order dasher has the the ability to strike the ball cleanly.
De Grandhomme hit a crucial 60 from 47 balls in a World Cup game against South Africa last year. Starring with Williamson in a game-changing partnership, Williamson subsequently quoted the following about his team-mate:
"Grandhomme's quickfire runs gave us the momentum at a crucial stage of the contest. The impetus he came and showed with the bat was really amazing."
He has also been effective in the IPL, possesing a strike rate of 134.66. On his day, Grandhomme can absolutely butcher the ball, as evidenced by strike rates of 110.4 in ODIs and 142.65 in T20Is.
Pakistan: Asif Ali
Hailing from Faisalabad, Asif Ali made both his T20I and ODI debut in 2018. It was the PSL that brought Ali into the limelight, more because Pakistan lacked the 'firepower' to go big in the death overs.
Pakistan's designated finisher with the bat in recent times, Ali has played several impactful knocks. The right-hander's brisk runs lower down the order has provided impetus to his team's innings. Strike rates of 128.93 in ODIs and 128.29 in T20Is respectively are an indicator of Ali's big-hitting capabilities.
It is the shortest format of the game that Ali has taken a particular liking to, as evidenced by his overall T20 numbers. The 28-year-old has scored 3053 runs in 149 innings at an average of 25.65 and a strike rate of 149.21. Despite his limited international experience in the format, Ali would be expected to shore up Pakistan's frailties in their lower-middle order.
Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera
A fearless and hard-hitting batsman, Kusal Perera has carved a niche for himself in a struggling Sri Lankan outfit.
Often waging a lone battle with the bat in recent times, Perera's short-arm jabs and square cuts evoke comparisons with that his idol, Sanath Jayasuriya's. Last year in a Test against South Africa, Perera played one of the innings of the 'decade'. The left-hander's unbeaten 153 in Durban helped Sri Lanka pull off an improbable one-wicket win. Perera brutalised the red cherry in a 'one-man' show against an attack boasting the likes of Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, and Vernon Philander, thereby, earning praise from all quarters.
Respective strike rates of 92.62 in ODIs and 135.25 in T20Is is proof of the destruction Perera can cause with the bat. The brutality that Perera threatens to unleash on his day could be crucial to Sri Lanka's chances at the World T20 later this year.
South Africa: AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers has enthralled audiences over the years, more so in India where he has been the only overseas player to play the IPL since its inception. The South African is third on the overseas players' list for most runs in the league. De Villiers has scored 4395 runs in the IPL in 142 innings at an average of 39.95 and a strike rate of 151.24).
The South African's 212 sixes, is only behind that of Chris Gayle, in the IPL. Strike rates of 101.1 in ODIs and 135.17 in T20Is is an indicator of how brutal de Villiers can be with the willow in hand. De Villiers has been included in this list, as several reports have claimed of a possible international recall for him before the T20 World Cup to be held later this year.
West Indies: Andre Russell
The Jamaican powerhouse, Andre Russel, is one of the most brutal hitters of the cricket ball. Dre Russ, as he is popularly called, has the ability to turn a match around in a matter of few balls. He has been a hit in the IPL over the years, with his six-hitting making him one of the biggest entertainer among spectators.
Playing for KKR, Russel has turned out to be their biggest match-winner, winning them games single-handedly from seemingly improbable situations. The game-changing abilities of Russell drew a special mention from his compatriot Dwayne Bravo when the latter said:
"He's the best in the world, it's the same I used to say of Chris Gayle. when Chris Gayle was in his prime - we are happy to have him representing us, we didn't have to come up and bowl against him in an international match. It's the same with Andre Russell. Andre Russell now is our Chris Gayle, is our Brian Lara , in the T20 format. He is the superstar."
An IPL career strike rate of 186.41 (the best in the league) highlights how big an impact Russell has on a match when he gets going.
His ODI strike rate of 130.23 and a T20 strike rate of 151 is also among the best although the sample size is very small. Russell has not turned out much for West Indies over the years owing to a combination of injuries and issues with the cricket board. Going into the T20 World Cup, a fit Russell could be West Indies' biggest match-winner. If Dre Russ fires, we might just see West Indies going all the way.