Top 5 ODI wicketkeeper-batsmen in the world currently

There was a time when a good glove-man danced his way through into the playing XI. But, this is not the era of specialists, definitely not in the shorter formats of the game. The best glove-man doesn’t have a shoo-in anymore. In the modern ODI teams, it is the best wicketkeeper-batsman who gets the game. MS Dhoni, arguably the best of the lot is a classic example of the same. The wicketkeeper-batsman is an all-rounder no team can afford to ignore. West Indies and New Zealand (after McCullum refused to don the gloves) have struggled in that department. Here, we take a look at the top 5 wicketkeeper-batsmen (in no particular order) going around.

#5 Umar Akmal

If ever there was an example of unrealised potential, it is that of Umar Akmal’s. An average of 37 with a strike-rate of 87 is decent for a keeper-batsman. However, Umar Akmal made it to the side as a pure batsman who had to take up the gloves in the absence of his brother Kamran Akmal. He still is the side’s most explosively talented batsman who can turn the game around in a matter of few overs. However, his penchant for flamboyance and occasional brain-fade due to the love for heroics means he contributes substantially only once every 4 innings, something that leaves something to be desired from a top order batsman.