10 most overrated players in the history of cricket 

#3 Chris Cairns

How vital was Chris Cairns?

He is often regarded as some sort of an all-round great, and while Chris Cairns was definitely a vital member of the New Zealand team, there is no doubt that his prowess as an all-rounder is exaggerated.

Now that he has fallen from grace due to the court proceedings related to match-fixing in the now defunct Indian Cricket League, the overrating has perhaps stopped once and for all.

He was a competent middle-order batsman in both Tests and ODIs, however, there was nothing great about him.

He could be a brutal hitter but an average of 33.53 in 62 Tests and 29.46 in 215 ODIs is proof that Cairns definitely wasn’t among the greats.

So, did he compensate it with superlative bowling? Not at all. Again, he was a mediocre swing and seam bowler, who could vary his as well.

In fact, he was one of the better bowlers of the slower ball but then again, his record was not what anyone would expect from a great of the game.