Top 5 modern day all-rounders in cricket

The focus on something or someone shifts when a very dominant entity leaves to make way for the others to occupy their place. Now that Tendulkar, Kallis, and Ponting have left the game of cricket, the world is finally recognising batsmen like the Virat Kohlis and the Ian Bells who are currently among the best in their spots. Same goes for all-rounders. Kallis is an example here as well as he dominated this sphere of cricket so much that the term had almost become synonymous with his name. Even now that he is retired, when somebody says ‘all-rounder’, and you get the picture of the South African in your mind, much like one imagines Sachin or Lara for batting.

That said, there are quite a few amazing all-rounders, who feature in the game today. Here is a compilation of the 5 most effective ones today based on their performances and fitness levels. A couple of them are relatively new in international cricket, but they sure have the potential to play their role with both bat and ball, when their teams require, for a long time to come.

5. Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson

This new sensation has taken everybody by surprise. There was never a doubt about his batting capabilities looking at his performances in the first class cricket. Whether he would be as effective on the international stage was answered early this year when he smashed the fastest ODI ton ever. That has made him a player that all teams will watch be watching out for, whenever they are up against the Kiwis.

The left-hander even has a Test ton to his name which came last year against Bangladesh. It is still early days for him, but he certainly looks like one who can do wonders for his team. He currently bats at no.6 for New Zealand, averaging 37 in Tests and 62 in ODIs.

He bowls left-arm medium pace and has 11 Test wickets to his name in just 5 games. His best 3/47 came against the West Indies at Hamilton; in a game that the Kiwis won comfortably by 8 wickets. His medium pace adds a new dimension to the pace-dominant attack that the Kiwis currently have, and he has shown the knack of picking up wickets, thus, emerging as a viable bowling option.

It is up to the team management to figure out a perfect role for him from which he can win matches for them. The 23-year-old looks good to represent his country in all formats and can certainly be expected to become one of the best all-rounders in coming years.