Over the past 3 decades or so
there have been various kind of batsmen who have graced the international scene
in test and one day cricket. Some of them have been technically correct as far
as the footwork and batting technique is concerned like Sunil Gavaskar, Geoffrey
Boycott, Rahul Dravid. These batsmen have been known for their long stay at the
crease and impeccable powers of concentration .Then there have been others like
Allan Border, Steve Waugh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul who have looked ungainly and
a bit out of place with their batting techniques and foot movements. These batsmen although have
never looked pretty while batting but have managed to score tons of runs and at
important juncture of the game to help the team succeed. Then there have been the batsmen like Sehwag and Gilchrist who have murdered bowling attacks the world over. Besides all these
batsmen there are a special brand of cricketers who have dazzled the spectators
with their stylish strokeplay and imperious batting displays. These have been the
batsmen who would please the true blue romantics of the game. Over the 2 parts
of my article I would make a humble attempt to present the most stylish and classy players whom I have
seen and who have enthralled the viewers
all around the world and my sincere apologies to all if I have not included someone truly worthy of this
select brand of batsmaship.
Mark Waugh or junior as he was
always called by his teammates might not have the greatest of test records like
his more illustrious brother Steve but what he exhibited in batting was pure
joy to watch and a style which was unmatched by any batsman of his generation. Often
considered to be casual and easy going by nature his batting also reflected
some of these qualities. I am sure he must have hated being slotted as ‘casual’
because even he worked as hard if not harder as anybody going around the circuit.
When he was at the crease his trademark on side flicks and gorgeous cover
drives would make the spectators gasp in excitement and often enough he would
score pretty 60’s and 70’s and would be out to a soft dismissal and people
would often feel robbed of the entertainment feeling frustrated. Yes Mark Waugh
did frustrate people when he would lose his concentration and often throw his
wicket away when he seemed set for a long innings. Everything about him seemed
so casual and at times he would make batting look ridiculously simple and would
score runs without any fuss whatsoever. It is not surprising to note that he never managed to score a test double
hundred when clearly much inferior batsmen have scored a test double like Jason
Gillespie and Wasim Akram to name a few. Batting for long hours was clearly not
his forte barring on some occasions like his match winning 116 against South Africa
at Port Elezabeth. In one of his rare patient and gritty display of batting he helped Australia win the test chasing a
stiff 4th innings target. He was
equally adept against pace and spin often scoring hundreds in England and also
in the sub continent.
Saeed Anwar was one of the finest
opening batsmen certainly in limited forms of cricket and he was one of those
rare quality opening batsman from Pakistan
who enjoyed success at the highest level of the game for a considerable period.
A stylish left handed batsman who would
score runs at a brisk pace was one half of the successful opening pair (Aamir Sohail
being the other ) from Pakistan. Saeed Anwar also was equally good of pace and
spin who would use his wrists to maneuver the ball in the gaps with consummate
ease. He was also one of those free flowing batsmen who would score pull shots
of anything short of length and despite being from the subcontinent he was a
wonderful puller and hooker of the short deliveries which was a rare quality among
the subcontinental breed of batsman. The stylish whip of his pads and the free
flowing cover drive was indeed very delightful to watch. Like mark Waugh even
Saeed Anwar also failed to score a double hundred in test cricket. He was often
accused of chucking his wicket away when in prime form. Saeed Anwar scored
hundreds in England and Australia against good bowling attacks certainly
proving his class as a test opener. Anwar in his prime would destroy an attack
as Indians faced the left hander’s wrath when he was at his murderous best in Chennai when he scored 194 in an ODI which
was the highest ODI score at that time. A certain lazy elegance and wristy
style of batting made him a sheer pleasure to watch.
VVS laxman has enthralled people
the world over with his magical and audacious strokeplay against spinners and
genuine quickies the world over. He was often a shaky starter at the start of
the innings being beaten several times due to the obvious lack of footwork. His
tendency to hang back would make him vulnerable against the swinging ball but
after getting through the initial tough phase he would often score runs at a
fair clip always dealing in boundaries even against the top bowlers. Laxman was
one of the few gifted batsman who had the ability to score runs on both sides
of the wicket. He was good against fast bowlers as his record against Australia
down under would suggest. Against spin bowlers on a turning track for a ball
pitched on virtually off stump, he had the rare ability to score a booming
cover drive on the off side and for the very next ball pitched on virtually the same spot he
could whip it for an on drive or a flick on the on side. I have often wondered
how the hell could he manage to treat the same ball to 2 very different corners
of the field. Like Mark Waugh even Laxman seemed casual at times especially
when he was going through a phase of his career in early 2001 when he would
score pretty 30’s and 40’s and then throw his wicket away when the whole world
expected him to score big runs . This was a phase just after his majestic 281
against Australia in Kolkata. Later on he went on to become one of the top
batsman of his era and scored many hundreds against his favourite Aussies in
their own backyard. The hard and bouncy pitches down under were just perfect
for a predominantly back foot player like Laxman. With dodgy knees laxman was not the swiftest
movers between the wickets but he more than made up by dealing in boundaries
with his imperious and sublime timing.
All these 3 batsmen would make
batting look ridiculously simple for the viewers and for the sheer classy and
effortless batting they will always be enshrined in the memories of people the
world over.
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